Fortune's Fool: A Sixth Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger - Softcover

Bell Jr., Albert A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564745872 ISBN 13: 9781564745873

Publisher: Perseverance Press, 2017

Synopsis

On the shores of beautiful Lake Como in Roman Italy, a Greek tragedy has taken place. Twenty years later, a skeleton falls out of a wall in Pliny’s villa, bearing mute witness to family secrets and crimes.

Pliny the Younger is intelligent about everything but women. He agrees to his wife’s and mother’s wishes to marry off his lover, Aurora, to another slave, but neglects telling her until the wedding! To add to his problems, when building a wing onto his Lake Como villa, workmen discover a skeleton. As is Pliny’s habit, he launches a scientific investigation of the crime, but soon receives anonymous warnings and threats to cease. Then his wife, Livia, is kidnapped!

• As in the earlier books, a glossary of Roman terms and a list of historic and fictional characters are included

About this title

About the Author

Albert A. Bell, Jr. is a college history professor and novelist living in Michigan. In addition to his Roman mysteries, Bell has written contemporary mysteries, middle-grade novels, and nonfiction. He maintains a website devoted to Pliny the Younger, as well as his author website.

Review

"Bell makes Roman society live and breathe. And while Pliny is a man of his time, the situations he has to deal with are universal. It kept me up past my bedtime." Sharan Newman, author of the award-winning Catherine LeVendeur series"

A delightful combination of fiction and history. Bell weaves a wonderful tapestry of characters and plot that takes the reader on an electrifying journey to the Roman era with scholarly insight. Dorothy Cannell. Agatha Lifetime Achieveme"

Pliny is forced to confront his family's deceitful past when he discovers a skeleton in a wall on his estate. It's a compelling tale, fraught with intrigue and complicated hatreds, that offers the reader a thought-provoking glimpse of life in dangerous times." Sally Wright, Edgar Award finalist"

A delightful combination of fiction and history, with scholarly insight. -- Dorothy Cannell. Agatha Lifetime Achievement winner"

...a compelling tale, fraught with intrigue and complicated hatreds, that offers the reader a thought-provoking glimpse of life in dangerous times." -- Sally Wright, Edgar Award finalist"

"A delightful combination of fiction and history, with scholarly insight." -- Dorothy Cannell. Agatha Lifetime Achievement winner

..".a compelling tale, fraught with intrigue and complicated hatreds, that offers the reader a thought-provoking glimpse of life in dangerous times." -- Sally Wright, Edgar Award finalist

-A delightful combination of fiction and history, with scholarly insight.- -- Dorothy Cannell. Agatha Lifetime Achievement winner

-...a compelling tale, fraught with intrigue and complicated hatreds, that offers the reader a thought-provoking glimpse of life in dangerous times.- -- Sally Wright, Edgar Award finalist

Edition details

• Publisher: Perseverance Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1564745872
• ISBN 13: 9781564745873
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240