Francis Mulhern

The next book in the series, The Case of Orcus, is well underway and I'm really enjoying writing this one. I'm about 15,000 words in and, without giving too much away, it's becoming a wonderfully twisty plot involving the gangs of the Forum Boarium, political corruption and a series of mysterious deaths.

Orcus was one of the oldest Roman gods (possibly borrowed from the Etruscans) and is thought to have punished those who escaped justice during their lifetime. That seemed like the perfect starting point for a murder mystery. I'll say no more because I don't want to spoil it! At the moment I'm hoping for a November release.

A huge thank you to everyone who has read The Case of Vesta. The reviews have been brilliant and it's lovely to know people are enjoying following Secundus around ancient Rome.

The Secundus books are set around 400 BC, at the time of the Twelve Tables, when Rome was still working out what its laws should be. There weren't many of them and, as you'll discover in the books, murder, politics and ambition had an annoying habit of changing them.

Each book is named after a Roman god because the temples, priests or followers of that god play an important part in the mystery. They're fictional stories, but they're built around real Roman history and beliefs. The Romans had gods for just about everything and spent a great deal of time trying to keep them happy with sacrifices, promises and offerings in the hope life might go their way.

Poor old Secundus isn't particularly interested in becoming deeply religious. He's simply trying to work out which god might give him the best chance of an easy life, while avoiding ending up like his father, who just happens to be a priest in Rome's biggest temple - the Temple of Jupiter Greatest and Best.

I've planned twelve books in the series, so Secundus still has plenty of murders to solve.

My first series, Camillus – Dictator of Rome, came from my lifelong fascination with Roman history. Camillus was, in many ways, the Julius Caesar of his day, yet most people have never heard of him. Six times Dictator of Rome, conqueror of Veii, exile, hero and saviour of the city - his story deserved to be told.

One of the things I enjoy most is taking the historical facts that we know and filling in the gaps with my imagination. That's where fiction becomes so much fun.

Looking ahead, I'm also planning a new series set during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, which I hope to start publishing during 2027. After that, I've got ideas for a novel based around the life of Augustus. There always seems to be another Roman story waiting to be written.

I don't do a great deal of marketing. I work around 50 hours a week, so most of my spare time goes into writing rather than promoting the books. If you'd like to follow me on Instagram (@franmulhern1) you're very welcome, although you'll have to put up with photos of cycling, holidays and the occasional dog walk as well.

Please do get in touch if you've read one of the books. I'd genuinely love to hear what you thought. Good, bad or somewhere in between, every comment helps me write a better book.

Oh... and just because a few people have asked over the years - I'm not the Francis Mulhern who writes books on Marxism and culture. He's the clever one. I'm the one who writes about ancient Rome.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the journey with both Marcus Furius Camillus & Secundus.