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ROMAN GAMES by Bruce Macbain Rome, 96 A.D.: When a notorious libertine is found stabbed to death, the emperor Domitian orders Pliny to investigate, assisted by the bawdy poet Martial. |
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THE IONIA SANCTION by Gary Corby Athens, 460 B.C.: When an Athenian official is murdered, the brilliant statesman Pericles puts Nicolaos on the case. A sequel to The Pericles Commission. |
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PAX ROMANA by Benoît Séverac The murder of a young Roman noble in Gaul threatens the peace of the entire region. An Ancient World crime novel by a prize-winning French author. |
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RUSO & THE RIVER OF DARKNESS by R.S. Downie A physician solves crimes in Roman Britain and Gaul in the age of Hadrian. Previous titles: Ruso & the Disappearing Dancing Girls • Ruso & the Demented Doctor • Ruso & the Root of All Evils |
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THE NIGHT VILLA by Carol Goodman A villa at Herculaneum and a computer that can decipher charred scrolls form the backdrop for this thriller that jumps from the eruption of Vesuvius to modern-day menace. |
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PHARAOH by Valerio Masimo Manfredi The latest modern-day thriller from the historical novelist, this time with an Egyptian connection. Click here to see Manfredi’s novels set in the ancient world. |
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THE TOWER by Valerio Massimo Manfredi Archaeologists discover a lost city in the desert that holds a terrifying secret for all mankind. Click here to see Manfredi’s novels set in the ancient world. |
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THE ORACLE by Valerio Massimo Manfredi Macabre murders in modern Greece are linked to a hero of the Trojan War — a mystery man over 3000 years old. Click here to see Manfredi’s novels set in the ancient world. |
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NEFERTITI: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake When the queen goes missing on the eve of a festival, the young investigator Rahotep must find her — or face death. Sequel: Tutankhamun |
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THE FIRE WALKER by Ben Pastor In the age of Diocletian and the Tetrarchy, imperial historian Aelius Spartianus investigates the murder of a man resurrected from the dead. A sequel to The Water Thief. |
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THE SON OF HEAVEN by Philip Boast In the age of Nero, Septimus Severus Quistus, solver of crimes, helps a young emperor return to distant China. Murder ensues. A sequel to The Third Princess. |
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THIS BREATHING WORLD by José Luis de Juan A Harvard student and a scribe of ancient Rome recount parallel tales of sex and murder. “Past, present and future coalesce in a mask of perfect unity ... beautifully written.” El Pais |
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BOUDICA AND THE LOST ROMAN by Mike Ripley A reluctant Roman spy finds himself on the wrong side when Boudica and the Iceni go on the warpath. |
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MURDER THROUGH THE AGES ed. by Maxim Jakubowski 25 tales include ancient world stories by Lindsey Davis, Marilyn Todd, Amy Myers, Peter Tremayne, and Manda Scott. |
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MAMMOTH BOOK OF HISTORICAL WHODUNNITS Vol. III Thirty new crime stories by favourite authors about Herodotus, Attila the Hun, the Queen of Sheba, and many more. |
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THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza A text recounting murder at Plato’s Academy plays tricks with a translator’s mind. CWA Gold Dagger winner. |
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CHAMPION OF THE DEAD by Patrick Hatten When Athens’ finest boxer drops dead during a match with the brutish “Bull of Corinth,” his protégé Idas must uncover the identity and motives of the poisoner. |
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MAMMOTH BOOK OF ROMAN WHODUNNITS Blockbuster collection includes an introduction by Steven Saylor, “The Long Reach of Rome.” |
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THE TRIBUNE by Patrick Larkin Sent to quell a war in Galilee, a tribune encounters intrigue and murder in King Herod’s court. |
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MURDER AT THE PANIONIC GAMES by Michael B. Edwards When Priene hosts the Greek games in 650 B.C. and the city’s best athlete is poisoned, Bias the priest takes on the task of finding the killer. |
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MOSAIC OF SHADOWS by Tom Harper introduced sleuth Demetios of Byzantium; his story continues in Knights of the Cross and Siege of Heaven. |
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THE EYE OF CYBELE by Daniel Chavarria Edgar-winner Chavarria recreates the age of Pericles with a novel that combines whodunnit, historical epic, highbrow erotica & philosophical discourse. |
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ALL ROADS LEAD TO MURDER by Albert A. Bell, Jr. casts Pliny the Younger as a sleuth and the historian Tacitus as his Watson, as the two encounter murder on the road to Rome in 83 A.D. Sequel: The Blood of Caesar. |
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The SPQR Series by John Maddox Roberts features crime-solver Decius Caecilius Metellus. The series, in order: The King’s Gambit, The Catiline Conspiracy, The Sacrilege, Temple of the Muses, Saturnalia, Nobody Loves a Centurion, The Tribune’s Curse, The River God’s Vengeance, The Princess & the Pirates, A Point of Law and Under Vesuvius, Oracle of the Dead • By the same author: The Seven Hills, a novel of alternate history. |
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THE LIBERTUS MYSTERIES by Rosemary Rowe The crime-solving exploits of Libertus, a freedman in 2nd century Glevum (Gloucester). There series, in order: The Germanicus Mosaic, A Pattern of Blood, Murder in the Forum, The Chariots of Calyx, The Legatus Mystery, The Ghosts of Glevum, Enemies of the Empire, A Roman Ransom, A Coin for the Ferryman, Death at Pompeia’s Wedding, Requiem for a Slave, and The Vestal Vanishes. |
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THE HIGH PRIESTESS ILIONA MYSTERIES by Marilyn Todd begin with Blind Eye; backmailed into spying for Sparta’s hated secret police, Iliona investigates tales of a one-eyed giant. Sequel: Blood Moon. • Todd’s previous novels in the I, Claudia series about a Roman sleuth include Jail Bait, Man Eater, Wolf Whistle, Black Salamander, Dream Boat, Dark Horse, Second Act, Widow’s Pique, Stone Cold, Sour Grapes, and Scorpion Rising. |
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THE MARCUS CORVINUS MYSTERIES by David Wishart Set in the decadent milieu of Imperial Rome, the aristocratic Corvinus whodunnits include: Ovid,
Nero,
Sejanus,
The
Horse Coin, The
Lydian Baker, Old Bones, Last Rites, White Murder, A Vote for Murder, Parthian Shot, Food for the Fishes, In at the Death and Illegally Dead. |
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THE AURELIA MARCELLA MYSTERIES by Jane Finnis are set in Roman Britain. The series, in chronological order: Shadows in the Night, A Bitter Chill, Buried Too Deep, and Danger in the Wind. |
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THE ARISTOTLE MYSTERIES by Margaret Doody Who better to investigate murder in the ancient world than history’s most logical sleuth: Aristotle, master philosopher and tutor of Alexander the Great. Aristotle’s investigations begin in Aristotle Detective and continue in Aristotle and Poetic Justice, Aristotle and the Secrets of Life, Poison in Athens, and Mysteries of Eleusis. |
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MYSTERIES IN RAVENNA by Albert Noyer The surgeon Getorius Asterius and his wife Arcadia investigate crime in the 5th-century Byzantine empire. In The Secundus Papyrus, the discovery of a document purported to be the Last Will and Testament of Jesus wreaks havoc. The Cybeline Conspiracy spins a tale of smuggling, coded messages, secret tunnels, murder, and the eunuch priests of Cybele. Also by Noyer: The Saint’s Day Deaths. |
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JOHN THE EUNUCH MYSTERIES by Mary Reed & Eric Mayer Set in the intrigue-riddled Byzantium of Justinian and Theodora, with the eunuch John, Lord Chamberlain, as sleuth. The series: One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, and Three for a Letter, Four for a Boy, Five for Silver, Six for Gold, Seven for a Secret, and Eight for Eternity. |
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THE LIEUTENANT BAK SERIES by Lauren Haney follows the crime-solving exploits of the brilliant head of the Medjay police in the ancient Egypt of the female Pharaoh Hatshetsup. The series, in order: The Right Hand of Amon • A Face Turned Backward • A Vile Justice • A Curse of Silence • A Place of Darkness • A Cruel Deceit • Flesh of the God • A Path of Shadows |
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THE LORD MEREN SERIES by Lynda S. Robinson follows the sleuthing career of Lord Meren, Eyes and Ears of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, as he negotiates the treacherous palace intrigues of ancient Egypt. The series, in order: Murder in the Place of Anubis • Murder at the God’s Gate • Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing • Eater of Souls • Drinker of Blood • Slayer of Gods • Of related interest: The Egyptian by Mika Waltari, with a foreward by Lynda S. Robinson |
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