Jail Bait (39 page)

Junius wasn’t the only one who’d seen what was about to take place. A horseman surged his way up the path, past quivering mules and women wailing in fright, ignoring the confused shouts of the drivers. ‘Get out,’ he yelled. ‘Everyone out.’ There was more than a tinge of panic to his voice. ‘Huddle as close as you can to the rock.’

From deep inside the mountain came a low menacing growl. Claudia glanced up. Typical of the countryside, massive overhangs of granite jutted out, the softer limestone below having eroded away. The fissures above wobbled precariously, and it was this Junius and the others had spotted.

Suddenly, June or not, she was shivering.

‘Croesus,’ somebody cried. ‘The mountain’s coming straight at us!’

I, Claudia

Claudia Seferius has successfully inveigled her way into marriage with a wealthy Roman wine merchant. But when her secret gambling debts spiral, she hits on another resourceful way to make money—offering her ‘personal services’ to high—ranking citizens.

Unfortunately her clients are now turning up dead—the victims of a sadistic serial killer…

When Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, the handsome investigating officer, starts digging deep for clues, Claudia realizes she must track down the murderer herself—before her husband discovers what she’s been up to

And before another man meets his grisly end…

Virgin Territory

It just wasn’t fair. When you marry a man for his money, you expect him to leave you a shining pile of gold pieces.
Not
a crummy old wine business. How was the new young widow Claudia going to pay off her gambling debts now?

So when Eugenius Collatinus asks Claudia to chaperone his granddaughter to Sicily she jumps at the chance to escape Rome. It should be easy—Sabina Collatinus, she is told, has recently completed thirty years’ service as a Vestal Virgin.

Or has she…?

Claudia’s suspects she is escorting an imposter. And then a woman’s brutalized body is discovered

Man Eater

On the eve of the Roman Festivities, the last thing you’d expect Claudia Seferius to be doing is heading in the other direction. However, even beautiful young widows have to put business before pleasure when their vineyards are threatened.

Unfortunately, being run off the road to Etruria by a band of hooligans was not part of Claudia’s gameplan. Nor was seeking shelter in the strange home of Sergius Pictor and family—surrounded by the menagerie of wild animals he is training for the Games.

But Claudia is about to become the victim of an even crueller game. For that night a stranger appears at her bedroom door—a knife sticking out of his belly.

And before the first ray of morning sunshine, Claudia is being framed for murder…

Wolf Whistle

Had it not been for the pack of dogs nipping at her heels, Claudia Seferius would never have ventured into the mean backstreets of Rome. And thus would never have found the abandoned little boy called Jovi…

With the Empire in crisis, it certainly wasn’t a safe time for either a rich young widow or a weeping child to be out after dark, for five slave girls have been brutally murdered by a killer who strikes only on Market Day.

The victims are linked by the dragon tattoo they each wear on their arms—and which marks them out as the ‘Children of Arbil. But Arbil is no loving father—as Claudia is about to find out…