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Lucius Sestius Mysteries #3
Blood and Shadows
The Battle of Philippi is over. Octavian and Mark Antony have defeated the Republic. A cause and a generation of young noblemen have been lost.
Lucius Sestius, after his deadly encounters with conspiracy and the Ides of March, has been driven from Rome by his allegiance to Caesar’s murderers. He has seen his commanders die on the battlefield, and now he and his friends must rebuild their lives, burdened by defeat and grief.
In exile on Sicily, Lucius investigates the mysterious murder of a soldier, just as peace negotiations between Antony, Octavian and the rebel Sextus Pompey are being planned.
When another murder threatens the negotiations, Lucius is ordered to make enquiries and provide a convenient explanation. Realising this is his only path to freedom, he returns to Rome knowing that a murderer has gone free.
Back home, the murder of the veteran centurion Crastinus leads Lucius to the terrible suspicion that one of his friends is responsible, and that he himself has allowed this to happen.
Lucius Sestius, after his deadly encounters with conspiracy and the Ides of March, has been driven from Rome by his allegiance to Caesar’s murderers. He has seen his commanders die on the battlefield, and now he and his friends must rebuild their lives, burdened by defeat and grief.
In exile on Sicily, Lucius investigates the mysterious murder of a soldier, just as peace negotiations between Antony, Octavian and the rebel Sextus Pompey are being planned.
When another murder threatens the negotiations, Lucius is ordered to make enquiries and provide a convenient explanation. Realising this is his only path to freedom, he returns to Rome knowing that a murderer has gone free.
Back home, the murder of the veteran centurion Crastinus leads Lucius to the terrible suspicion that one of his friends is responsible, and that he himself has allowed this to happen.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2022
22 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 24, 2024
Left a review in the wrong place can't write it all again. I really enjoy Lucius as character and his family although Decius gets less page time than I'd like. I stupidly read this series in the wrong order but it has not interfered with my enjoyment. Wish we had more than three books but I loved the ending...........
December 12, 2023
How often do you think about the Roman Empire? BLOOD AND SHADOWS will have you thinking about it a lot.
Blood and Shadows is the third novel in author Fiona Forsyth’s epic series featuring the Roman Lucius Sestius, and it definitively brings an emotional closure to this wonderfully satisfying historical mystery trilogy. Book three focuses on Lucius’s experiences after he survives the devastating battle between opposing Roman armies at Philippi, an event that changed him and Rome forever.
The author’s writing is strong in many areas, and one, in particular, is character development. She especially has her craft completely in hand as she depicts Lucius’s changes over three novels. Lucius grew to manhood as a privileged son in a senatorial family and was destined to serve the Republic and lead if chosen. His esteemed father taught him to always act with honor and do what’s right for the people of Rome. Still, Lucius is ultimately disappointed to discover that not all his peers or even Julius Caesar himself are willing to do the same. When Caesar is assassinated, Lucius sides with Brutus and Cassius and is present at their army’s defeat at Philippi. Although he survives, he is not undamaged; Lucius escapes to Sicily, a changed man. He and his friends, Horace and Marcus, understand they will probably live out their lives separated from family, friends, and homeland, and each must deal with the psychological aftermath of the horrors of their battlefield experiences in their own ways.Lucius’s anxiety over the murder of the unidentified soldier haunts him throughout the book, and additional murders, committed in a similar fashion, follow him back to Rome after he is pardoned. Tragically, his suspicions shift to his two friends, but his hands are tied as to how to reveal which of them is the murderer.
As with the previous books in the trilogy, the story is studded with historical figures, true events, and the little details of everyday life in ancient Rome that bring these books to life. There is always a mention of some activity, item, or event that sends me to Google to read more about it.With its endearing main character and wonderfully vivid settings, I recommend BLOOD AND SHADOWS to readers of historical mysteries, especially those interested in ancient Rome (and I understand, according to TikTok, that would be many of you?) and fans of the previous novels.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
August 24, 2025
A fantastic, thrilling conclusion to Forsyth's Sestius trilogy!
A moving, poignant look at the toll war can take is masterfully interwoven with a spate of murders and intrigue at the highest levels. Set in the aftermath of the Battle of Philippi, the story follows Lucius Sestius and his friends Horace and Marcus Cicero the younger as they try to navigate a world with little room for defeated Republicans. Their fortunes become bound up within the Triumvirs and Sextus Pompey as they reluctantly change sides, with only Lucius holding out and refusing to forsake his principles.
The murders were surprising and thrillingly conveyed, with a studied, introspective look at the inherent tragedy of those murder victims following each. Forsyth's character work is so excellently done, and her very Roman characters navigating the challenges of post-Philippi Rome ring so authentically. The eventual conclusion of the civil wars, with Caesar Octavian triumphing over Antony, plays out while the men try to adjust to civilian life. It presents a fascinating, complex contrast, highlighting the difficult times Lucius Sestius lived through. The surprise visitor to Lucius at the end really threw me for a loop!
While the book's conclusion is heartbreaking at times, it feels like a very suitable end for the Sestius trilogy. I got great enjoyment out of the way she wove the Altar of Augustan Peace into the end!
A fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. Highly, highly recommended!
A moving, poignant look at the toll war can take is masterfully interwoven with a spate of murders and intrigue at the highest levels. Set in the aftermath of the Battle of Philippi, the story follows Lucius Sestius and his friends Horace and Marcus Cicero the younger as they try to navigate a world with little room for defeated Republicans. Their fortunes become bound up within the Triumvirs and Sextus Pompey as they reluctantly change sides, with only Lucius holding out and refusing to forsake his principles.
The murders were surprising and thrillingly conveyed, with a studied, introspective look at the inherent tragedy of those murder victims following each. Forsyth's character work is so excellently done, and her very Roman characters navigating the challenges of post-Philippi Rome ring so authentically. The eventual conclusion of the civil wars, with Caesar Octavian triumphing over Antony, plays out while the men try to adjust to civilian life. It presents a fascinating, complex contrast, highlighting the difficult times Lucius Sestius lived through. The surprise visitor to Lucius at the end really threw me for a loop!
While the book's conclusion is heartbreaking at times, it feels like a very suitable end for the Sestius trilogy. I got great enjoyment out of the way she wove the Altar of Augustan Peace into the end!
A fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. Highly, highly recommended!
December 1, 2022
It is 41 BCE, and Lucius Sestius has survived the cataclysmic battle of Philippi, where the Roman Republic died. Now the winner, Caesar Octavian, is calling in favours as he builds towards his future as the glorious Emperor Augustus.
Lucius is in exile on Sicily with his close friends the poet Horace and Marcus, son of Cicero. All of them are struggling with the catastrophic consequences of the civil war that killed a generation of Rome’s brightest and best.
As Lucius juggles his responsibilities to his loving family with his residual loyalty to the old Republic, he becomes embroiled in a murder, the first of several deaths which he feels honour-bound to investigate. Gradually he understands why these men have died, and who must be the culprit. But can he survive both his own demons, and the terrible conclusions being forced on him?
This is the third of Fiona Forsyth’s captivating Lucius Sestius mystery series. Her scholarship, always worn lightly and seamed with wit, leads the reader flawlessly by twisting paths to Lucius’s revelation. As the finale of the series, this story bookends our hero’s life, leading to a devastating yet satisfying denouement. Not only do we find out who dunnit, we also understand the legacy of honour and integrity Lucius leaves his beloved city.
I am not ashamed to say I cried through the final chapter!
Highly recommended for lovers of Rome.
Lucius is in exile on Sicily with his close friends the poet Horace and Marcus, son of Cicero. All of them are struggling with the catastrophic consequences of the civil war that killed a generation of Rome’s brightest and best.
As Lucius juggles his responsibilities to his loving family with his residual loyalty to the old Republic, he becomes embroiled in a murder, the first of several deaths which he feels honour-bound to investigate. Gradually he understands why these men have died, and who must be the culprit. But can he survive both his own demons, and the terrible conclusions being forced on him?
This is the third of Fiona Forsyth’s captivating Lucius Sestius mystery series. Her scholarship, always worn lightly and seamed with wit, leads the reader flawlessly by twisting paths to Lucius’s revelation. As the finale of the series, this story bookends our hero’s life, leading to a devastating yet satisfying denouement. Not only do we find out who dunnit, we also understand the legacy of honour and integrity Lucius leaves his beloved city.
I am not ashamed to say I cried through the final chapter!
Highly recommended for lovers of Rome.
December 27, 2023
the end of a great trilogy
Great, absorbing and moving novel which brings ancient Rome to life. Every character is beautifully drawn and all 3 books are page-turners. This is wise and wonderful writing.
Great, absorbing and moving novel which brings ancient Rome to life. Every character is beautifully drawn and all 3 books are page-turners. This is wise and wonderful writing.
November 4, 2024
Thisis both a prequel and a sequel to books 1 & 2. We learn at last about Lucius's involvement in the war between the Caesar's assassins and Octavian-Anthony. And the book ends with Lucius' death in 13 BCE; you really need to read books 1 & 2 to appreciate this final book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews