Stone Cold

In the fast-paced 11th Roman historical from Todd (Dream Boat, etc.), her series heroine, Claudia Seferius, is on the run from tax fraud charges in Gaul, and engaged in a love-hate relationship with handsome investigator Marcus Cornelius Orbilio. Claudia's personal quest for answers to her father's mysterious disappearance decades earlier leads her to quite a different inquiry as she stumbles on evidence that a serial killer has been preying on beautiful young women. At the same time, Orbilio is tracking a child slavery ring that's rumored to involve aristocrats. While Claudia may be a less compelling character than Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder (A Gladiator Dies Only Once, etc.), the spunky and independent sleuth will appeal to many readers, especially those who like a strong dose of romance in their mysteries.