Conspiracies of Rome, Richard Blake

The Roman Empire is dead—long live the church of Rome! A new series of historical thrillers introduces the most compelling anti-hero since Flashman 609 AD. Rome is torn apart by war, plague, and internal power struggles between the emperor, the aristocracy, and the church. Into this morass stumbles the young and handsome Briton Aelric. His father was murdered, his inheritance was stolen, and he was forcibly separated from the woman he loves—now he is determined to win back all that he has lost. Through his naivety and ambition, he unwittingly becomes involved in a heretical plot that will lead to fraud, high treason, and murder. The first in a searingly sharp trilogy, this adventure takes readers back to one of the darkest and least known periods of history.