Roman Mysteries Series

Jonathan goes on a secret quest to Rome, and Flavia, Nubia and Lupus set out to find him. Their dangerous mission takes them to the Golden House of Nero where a deadly assassin is rumoured to be at work – and they learn what happened to Jonathan’s family during the terrible destruction of Jerusalem nine years earlier.

It is late August of ad 79. The Roman world is reeling from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Volcanic ash covers the land, sunsets are blood-red, and the sea gives up corpses of the dead.

At a makeshift camp south of Stabia, hundreds of refugees from the cities around Vesuvius try to come to terms with the disaster. When children begin to go missing from the camp, Flavia Gemina and her friends Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus investigate a powerful and charismatic man known as the Patron. A dangerous trail leads them to the caves and grottoes of Sorrento, where they encounter pirates, slave dealers—and death.

The place is Ostia, the port of Rome. Flavia Gemina, a Roman sea captain’s daughter, is about to embark on a thrilling adventure. Set in a graveyard, marketplace, and courtyards of a Roman city, this fast-paced mystery paints a vivid picture of the life in ancient times.

When the dogs on Flavia’s street start dying, she is determined to find out who is killing them–and why. Her investigation leads her to three extraordinary people: Jonathan, her new neighbor; Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. They become firm friends as they search for the killer, narrowly escape being kidnapped by a slave dealer, and uncover a series of burglaries.

Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus–the four friends from The Thieves of Ostia–sail to the Bay of Naples to spend the summer with Flavia’s uncle, who lives near Pompeii. There they uncover a riddle that may lead them to great treasure.

Meanwhile, tremors shake the ground, animals behave strangely, and people dream of impending doom. One of the worst natural disasters of all time is about to happen: the eruption of Mount Vesuvius!

This second in a series of Roman mysteries follows the children as they travel by sailboat, explore vineyards, and celebrate a Roman festival on the beach at Herculaneum in A.D. 79–not realizing they are in terrible danger. Will they solve their riddle? And more importantly, will they survive the volcanic eruption that buried Pompeii?