Historical mystery, set in ancient Rome in the late first century AD.
Pliny and his friend Tacitus start out to help a woman befriended by Pliny's slave Aurora. The woman claims her husband has disappeared. The investigation leads to a grisly murder scene and to a deepening of the relationship between Pliny and Aurora.
Fifth Book of the Southern Swallow Series. Nan Ya and his crew take a final adventure into a mythical Chinese universe and become entangled in court intrigue.