“A fascinating look inside the lives of the enigmatic Vestal Virgins of Rome, who tended the sacred flame of Vesta in her temple in the Forum. But they were at the heart of Roman politics as well, true ‘brides of Rome’ who had a ringside seat in events of Roman history, and had a hand in them as well. Macleod lets us enter their forbidden and mysterious lives in a page-turning story of the birth of the Roman empire, watching all the big names—Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Livia, Augustus—from an angle never seen before.”

—Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of Young Nero

“A riveting imagined world ripped right from the pages of history, this smart repartee captivates in every way. It’s atmospheric and tense, allowing the reader to easily conjure up what it must have been like to be a Roman vestal virgin. Well done.”

—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Protocol

“In an age of murderous warlords and ruthless politicians (often indistinguishable from one another) the seemingly benign Vestals could hold the balance of power. Debra May Macleod has written a fascinating mystery set within the relentlessly masculine world of Roman power politics, but seen through the lens of a unique, all-female institution. The Vestals did not just tend Rome’s sacred flame. They guarded Rome’s secrets.”

—John Maddox Roberts, author of the Edgar-nominated SPQR Roman Mystery series

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