Rome: The Emporer's Spy by M.C. Scott

Manda Scott is the author of the Boudica quartet of novels set in Britannia but in her latest work she moves the action to Gaul then Alexandria and finally to it's climax in Rome. Recent historical research has suggested that the great fire that devastated parts of Rome and had for long been laid at the door of Nero was in fact the work of Christians as he claimed at the time. Ms Scott has delved into the records and gives us a picture of the fragmented nature of the early church with it's vicious theological feuds which could well have inspired one group contemplate such a devastating act. Her portrayal of Nero also is much more credible than, for example, the petulant buffoon as played by Peter Ustinov in the film Quo Vadis. The hero of her story is an undercover agent of indeterminate Middle Eastern origins named Sebastos Pantera who has returned from a protracted tour of duty in Britannia still recovering from his injuries. Convalescence is not on the cards, however, as Nero has got wind of a plot to destroy Rome and Pantera is the only man he trusts to counter it. Ms Scott winds the story through the treacherous currents of Nero's court, the dangers of the chariot races, the mystical temples of Alexandria and finaly to a deathly struggle in the back streets of Rome. This is a cracking page turner of a book which is the highest praise that I can give. I look forward in eager anticipation to the next book in the series and will make an effort to get hold of that Boudica quartet.