The Claudia Seferius Mysteries, Bundle #4 Second Act; Widow's PIque; and Stone Cold

In these three historical mysteries, the widow Claudia proves to be a “spunky and independent sleuth” amid the decadent mayhem of Ancient Rome (Publishers Weekly). Second Act As Saturnalia approaches, widow Claudia Seferius opens her estate to a traveling troupe of actors. What she doesn’t know is that a murderer hides among them. But the Gravedigger isn’t the only dangerous act in town. Roman investigator Marcus Orbilio needs Claudia to help him find the vicious Saturnalia Rapist—a criminal he thought he’d put to death years ago . . . Widow’s Pique When the King of Histria invites Claudia to visit, the widowed wine merchant assumes he wants to talk business. But she soon finds herself a virtual prisoner in a land where brutality is the norm. And where is he? If the king was so desperate to meet, why will no one take her to the palace? And why, when she witnesses a murder, does no one believe her? Stone Cold Claudia was just ten when her father went to war and never returned. Now it’s time to uncover the truth about his disappearance. Her search takes her to the forests of Gaul, where Druid Law rules and human sacrifice is still practiced in secret. Claudia notices that several young women have gone missing, and while suspicion falls on a mysterious character who lives in the woods, she isn’t convinced. Nor has it escaped her that each victim is an unblemished beauty . . . just like Claudia.