In Numina: Urban Fantasy in Ancient Rome (Stories of Togas, Daggers, and Magic)

This is a story of Togas, daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Ancient Rome, Hardboiled detectives, and Urban Fantasy.

A rich landlord finds tenants are abandoning his apartment buildings, spouting tales of horrific events and whispering that the old gods - the numina - came alive and cursed the buildings.Enter Felix, a professional fox. Dressed in a toga and armed with a dagger, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician - but something in between. Whenever there is a foul business of bad magic, Felix is hired to sniff out the truth. Now he must separate fact from superstition - a hard task in a world where the old gods still roam the earth.

In Numina is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic. This is a story of a cynical, hard-boiled detective dealing with anything from daily life to the old forces roaming the world.

PRAISE FOR STORIES OF TOGAS, DAGGERS, AND MAGIC:
“Mehr creates a vivid cast and an equally vivid setting in which magic just seems to fit in perfectly.”
-- Richard Knaak, NYT best-selling author of Legends of Huma

"Mehr's imagined world based on ancient Rome feels at once familiar and dreamlike."
-- Ruth Downie, author of the acclaimed Medicus series of Roman mysteries

Having caught the bug of writing (and it is a kind of illness) and seen Murder In Absentia receive a modicum of success, there was nothing left for me to do but write a new Felix adventure. This time, I took pleasure in researching witchcraft and curses in the ancient world, as well as using (and abusing) Cicero's courtroom oratory for a dramatic climax.
 
If you like any two out of the three passions shaping this book - Ancient Rome, Dark Fantasy, and Murder Mystery - give this book a shot. I trust you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
 
Videas Lumen!
Assaph