Virgin Territory

Claudia Seferius #2

by Marilyn Todd

How many secrets are these Sicilians hiding?This can't be right. When you marry a man for his money, you expect to be left with a pile of shiny gold pieces when he dies. Not some hillside in the middle of nowhere covered with vines. How's a young widow supposed to pay off her gambling debts with that? So when Eugenius asks Claudia to chaperone his granddaughter home to Sicily she jumps at the chance to make money. It should be easy. Sabina, she is told, has recently completed thirty years' service as a Vestal Virgin. Or has she?Claudia quickly suspects she's escorting an impostor. Then a woman's brutalized body is discovered. And the lies just get thicker and thicker...

Genres: Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

MARILYN TODD lives with her husband on a French hilltop, surrounded by vineyards, châteaux and vines. As well as sixteen critically acclaimed historical thrillers, she's a prolific writer of short stories, most of which are crime, but range from commercial women's fiction to comic fantasy and all points in between. When she isn't killing people, Marilyn enjoys cooking. Which is pretty much the same thing.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert]

Read this book in 2012, and its the 2nd volume of the "Claudia Seferius" series.

The year is 13 BC, and after the death of her husband, Claudia Seferius, and with hardly any money left by him, she's in the hillside covered with vines, hoping to produce wine.

So when she gets the chance to make some money when old Eugenius asks her to chaperone his granddaughter home to Sicily, Claudia jumps at this possibility to fill her pockets.

Eugenius insists that Sabina has completed her thirty years' service as a Vestal Virgin, but soon enough In Sicily, Claudia finds out that this Sabina is an imposter, when she stumbles on a brutalized body.

In Rome, Marcus Orbilio is already concerned for Claudia and must go to Sicily himself to save her.

What is to follow is an exciting and intriguing Roman mystery, in which Claudia, with the assistance of Marcus, after a narrow escape herself, and after some other thrilling moments, they will be able to solve this case in the end, and that includes with the usual fun and teasing between Claudia and Marcus.

Very much recommended, for this is a splendid addition to this a very enjoyable Roman series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Likeable Claudia Roman Mystery"!

[Marina López]

Me encantó. El plot twist final me dejó
con la boca abierta.

[Jeff J.]

Book two of the Claudia Seferius series.

[Arose]

Much better than the first book.

[Arlene Allen]

I love Claudia! I don't care if the series is anachronistic, I love the repartee between her and Marcus. She is truly a "character" in every sense of the word. I'm working my way through the whole series, and I am so glad they are back in print!!

[Bron]

It's been a long time since I read this but I enjoyed it at the time.