NEW RELEASE

Rome: The Emperor's Spy

"Don't trust the Emperor. He will use you, and the woman and the boy. And when he has what he wants, he will kill you all. He can't help himself. It's what he does."

AD 64

Rome in AD 64 is ruled by Nero who would rather be an actor or a charioteer than an Emperor. Ruthless and soft by turns, unpredictable, empassioned, dangerous, he has exiled Seneca, the only man he could trust, and surrounded himself with sycophants and schemers. When a prophecy begins to circulate promising that the Kingdom of Heaven will arise if only Rome is set alight, he has to look outside his normal court for help.

Into this hotbed of paranoia and conspiracy steps Sebastos Abdes Pantera, known as the Leopard. Once a spy in Seneca's elite network, he has gone native in Britain, falling in love with a tribal woman. After her death in the Boudican revolt, the last thing he wants is to work again for the Empire that murdered his wife and child.

He could refuse Nero, but the spy-master, Seneca, is waiting for him as he steps of the ship, weaving his old webs of intrigue. Seneca has found Math, a boy with the potential to be the best of spies, if he can only live long enough. And Hannah, a healer who bridges the worlds of Pantera's past and his future. Because he saw her father, Judas the Galilean carried living from his tomb. And that was the start of everything…

From the author of the bestselling Boudica series, Rome: The Emperor's Spy begins a new series set in the heart of ancient Rome, amidst the fire and chaos of Nero's reign and on into the battles for his succession. With a rich array of characters, including a few survivors of the Boudican revolt, the novel peels back the layers of history to reveal the courage and passion of men and women caught at the heart of one of the most formative periods in history.