Blood and Marble

Rome is built on power, but its greatest secrets are buried in blood. When a senator's trusted slave is found murdered in the opulent public baths, Lucius Marcellus, a hardened yet disillusioned Praetorian Guard, is forced to unravel a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of Nero's Rome. What begins as a single act of violence soon reveals a tangled web of betrayal, forbidden rituals, and a prophecy whispered by a mysterious priestess-one that speaks of Rome's downfall. As Lucius follows the trail of lies through the shadowed alleys and lavish palaces of the Eternal City, he must navigate deadly political intrigue, the ambitions of ruthless senators, and the cryptic warnings of an oracle who holds the key to an ancient curse. But the deeper he digs, the more he risks becoming a pawn in a game where loyalty is a death sentence, and the line between honor and treason fades like sand in the Tiber. For readers who love Robert Harris's Imperium, Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series, and Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco mysteries, Blood and Marble delivers a gripping blend of historical mystery, political suspense, and the chilling allure of Rome's hidden darkness. The Eternal City's fate is written in blood-will Lucius uncover the truth before he becomes its next sacrifice?