It was a summer of glorious triumph for the mighty Roman Republic.Her invincible legions had brought all foreign enemies to their knees.But in Rome, there was no peace. The streets were flooded with the blood of murdered citizens and there were rumors of more atrocities to come.Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger was convinced a conspiracy existed to overthrow the government -- a sinister cabal that could only be destroyed from within. But admission into the traitorous society of evil carried a grim price: the life of Decius's closet friend....and maybe his own. AUTHORBIO: John Maddox Roberts is the author of numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. His latest addition to this series, SPQR VI: Nobody Loves a Centurion will be published later this year. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.