Stone Cold

Claudia Seferius #11

by Marilyn Todd

The Watcher waited until she bent down to gather a handful of bilberries. The woodland floor was soft and springy. The Watcher’s feet made no sound.

Claudia was just ten when her father marched off to war and never came home. Now it’s time to uncover the truth about his disappearance.

Her search takes her to the dark forests of Gaul, where Druid Law rules and human sacrifice is still practiced in secret. Staying at the villa of the cold, commanding Marcia, Claudia notices that several young women have gone missing, and while suspicion falls on a mysterious character who lives in the woods, she isn’t convinced. Marcia only employs perfectionists for her projects.

Nor has it escaped her notice that each victim is unblemished and in the fullness of bloom.

Just like Claudia…

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2005

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exciting Claudia Seferius mystery is the 11th part of this delightful Roman series.
It's certainly a story which is once again written with a lot of wit, the storyline is worked out wonderfully.
Storytelling is of a very good quality by the author, and all the characters who are figuring within this gripping mystery come all superbly to life, especially the main characters, being the bossy but also vulnerable Claudia Seferius and her aristocratic policeman and protector Marcus Cornelius Orbilio.
This story is set mainly in the dark forests in and around Santonum, Gaul, where Druid Law rules, and where Claudia hope to uncover the truth about her father's disappearance there.
Claudia is staying at the villa of the cold and egotistical, Marcia, and its from that place that she's starts to investigate about the fate of her father, only to learn also about disappearances of young girls who are in their fullness of bloom and nowhere to be found, while there's also a man they call "Scarecrow", who seems to have something to do with these girls, according to Marcia.
What will follow is a fast-paced mystery, in which Claudia while searching for her lost father is trying to find the culprit of the abductions and killings of these young girls, while on the other hand Marcus also has a case of a paedophile gang concerning other young girls there, and solving it,, and so finally after a few twists and turns Claudia can unravel, with the help from some at the villa, the culprit of these crimes concerning these same young girls.
Really recommended, for this is a very satisfactory Claudia Seferius mystery, and one that I like to call as: "A Rock Solid Chilling Mystery"!

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not admire the main character. a little too hard hearted, self centered and shallow for my tastes.