Product Description

September 314 AD and once more death strikes the sprawling streets of Imperial Rome in Paul Doherty’s new Claudia novel.

When two prostitutes are found murdered – their bodies ripped open and their right eyes gouged out – it’s feared a notorious killer, the Nefandus, has returned. Rumoured to be an imperial officer, he once waged bloody murder amongst Rome’s prostitutes but vanished before his identity could be discovered.  Has he reappeared, or is someone working in his guise?

Desperate to retain order, the Empress Helena turns to her most trusted agent, Claudia. Helena commands her to discover the truth behind the Nefandus, before Rome descends further into chaos and confusion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #635657 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied History at Liverpool and Oxford universities and obtained a doctorate for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school in north-east London and lives with his family in Essex.

Customer Reviews

Well Up to the Usual High Standard of the Author

Paul Doherty has written several best selling mystery series including The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan, the Hugh Corbett medieval mysteries, and the Canterbury Tales of mystery and murder. As well as those he has also written several novels set in Ancient Egypt. In fact if there is a more prolific author than Mr. Doherty, I have yet to find them. Amazingly his books do not seem to suffer in the slightest from the speed in which he seems to write them. I cannot honestly say that there is one one I have not enjoyed and I think over the years I have read all of them at least once. He lives in England and was and may well still be the headmaster of a school in London. Though how he finds the time to do both is beyond me.

This offering is book five in the Roman series. The other in the series are Domina, Murder Imperial, The Song of the Gladiator and the Queen of the Night. Yet again I am amazed at the quality of the writing and the obvious research that has gone into making this another winner for the author. Whether it be Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece or Medieval England, seems to make little or no difference to this author. The words just seem to flow from the page and through the mind of the reader.

In this latest offering Claudia, secret agent of the Empress Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, finds herself once again called upon to track down a vicious killer who is stalking the streets of the eternal city. The killer has a liking for slaying the young women who sell their bodies. Is the killer the same person who went on the rampage before Constantine became Emperor and has recently decided to take up his bloody dealings yet again?

When Attius Enobarbus, friend and associate of the former Emperor is found stabbed to death at his villa just outside Rome, the Empress begins to wonder if the killings are connected in any way and insists that Claudia moves swiftly to find the killer or killers . . .

Murders Immortal Mask
I really enjoy these ancient Roman mystery/Crime thrillers. They tend to follow the same pattern but always with a good twist that keeps you guessing.... a perfect beach read, or a rainy day get away from the TV novel.Murder's Immortal Mask (Ancient Rome Mysteries)

Murder's Immortal Mask
As usual Paul Doherty provides yet another good and exciting read. He has this knack of impossing a need to keep turning the next page and this book is no different in that respect. If you like Paul Doherty, you probably don't need me to say that this is money well spent.