Most Popular Books by Steven Saylor

Spanning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people. Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of the city''s first thousand years — from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome''s astonishing ascent to become the capitol of the most powerful empire in history. Roma recounts the tragedy of the hero-traitor Coriolanus, the capture of the city by the Gauls, the invasion of Hannibal, the bitter political struggles of the patricians and plebeians, and the ultimate death of Rome''s republic with the triumph, and assassination, of Julius Caesar. Witnessing this history, and sometimes playing key roles, are the descendents of two of Rome''s first families, the Potitius and Pinarius clans: One is the confidant of Romulus. One is born a slave and tempts a Vestal virgin to break her vows. One becomes a mass murderer. And one becomes the heir of Julius Caesar. Linking the generations is a mysterious talisman as ancient as the city itself. Epic in every sense of the word, Roma is a panoramic historical saga and Saylor''s finest achievement to date.

Gordianus the Finder returns in another thrilling mystery set in Ancient Rome

As Caesar marches on Rome and panic erupts in the city, Gordianus the Finder discovers, in his own home, the body of Pompey''s favorite cousin. Before fleeing the city, Pompey exacts a terrible bargain from the finder of secrets-to unearth the killer, or sacrifice his own son-in-law to service in Pompey''s legions, and certain death. Amid the city''s sordid underbelly, Gordianus learns that the murdered man was a dangerous spy. Now, as he follows a trail of intrigue, betrayal, and ferocious battles on land and sea, the Finder is caught between the chaos of war and the terrible truth he must finally reveal.

During the Roman Civil War, as the forces of Pompey and Julius Caesar fight a series of battles in the provinces over control of the Republic, Rome itself is a hotbed of intrigue as those left behind wait for word. In this tentative and treacherous environment, a beautiful young seeress is murdered in the marketplace. Possibly mad and claiming no memory of her own past, Cassandra - like her namesake - is reputed to have had the true gift of prophecy and, as a result, she became a confidante of the rich and powerful. Gordianus the Finder, who had become obsessed with the woman and her mystery, starts to investigate her murder. As the political situation in Rome continues to decay, the citizenry veers towards ruin, and everyone waits for word out in the far off fields of war, Gordianus begins to peel away the veils of secrecy that surround Cassandra''s life and death. What lies underneath involves one, possibly many, of the most powerful women in Rome and the truth could not only put Gordianus''s life in danger but affect the very future of Rome itself.

"May Steven Saylor''s Roman empire never fall. A modern master of historical fiction, Saylor convincingly transports us into the ancient world...enthralling!" —USA Today on Roma Continuing the saga begun in his New York Times bestselling novel Roma, Steven Saylor charts the destinies of the aristocratic Pinarius family, from the reign of Augustus to height of Rome''s empire. The Pinarii, generation after generation, are witness to greatest empire in the ancient world and of the emperors that ruled it—from the machinations of Tiberius and the madness of Caligula, to the decadence of Nero and the golden age of Trajan and Hadrian and more. Empire is filled with the dramatic, defining moments of the age, including the Great Fire, the persecution of the Christians, and the astounding opening games of the Colosseum. But at the novel''s heart are the choices and temptations faced by each generation of the Pinarii. Steven Saylor once again brings the ancient world to vivid life in a novel that tells the story of a city and a people that has endured in the world''s imagination like no other.

Nine crime stories featuring Gordianus the Finder, a detective in ancient Rome who marries his slave. Part mystery, part a social history of the period from the end of Sulla''s dictatorship to the Spartacan slave revolt.

New York Times bestselling author Steven Saylor returns, chronicling the early years of his detective, Gordianus, before he assumed the title of The Finder. Raiders of the Nile is the next in his much-loved series of mysteries set in the late Roman Republic. In 88 B.C. it seems as if all the world is at war. From Rome to Greece and to Egypt itself, most of civilization is on the verge of war. The young Gordianus—a born-and-raised Roman citizen—is living in Alexandria, making ends meet by plying his trade of solving puzzles and finding things out for pay. He whiles away his time with his slave Bethesda, waiting for the world to regain its sanity. But on the day Gordianus turns twenty-two, Bethesda is kidnapped by brigands who mistake her for a rich man''s mistress. If Gordianus is to find and save Bethesda, who has come to mean more to him than even he suspected, he must find the kidnappers before they realize their mistake and cut their losses. Using all the skills he learned from his father, Gordianus must track them down and convince them that he can offer something of enough value in exchange for Bethesda''s release. As the streets of Alexandria slowly descend into chaos, and the citizenry begin to riot with rumors of an impending invasion by Ptolmey''s brother, Gordianus finds himself in the midst of a very bold and dangerous plot—the raiding and pillaging of the golden sarcophagus of Alexander the Great himself.

A chilling crime tale based on actual events from more than one hundred years ago, follows a serial killer dubbed by O.Henry as "The Servant Girl Annihilator" who roamed the streets of Austin, Texas, along with a fascinating group of characters both real and fictional.

Heading to Egypt in search of a cure for the mysterious illness of his ailing wife, Bethesda, Gordianus the Finder arrives in a country torn by war and power struggles, a situation that worsens when Bethesda vanishes.

Menace stalks the sleepy streets of Amethyst, Texas, in acclaimed mystery writer Steven Saylor''s chilling novel of a young woman who goes home for a visit and becomes enmeshed in the search for a missing teenage girl. Menace turns to fear when layers of secrets and mistrust are peeled back to reveal a darkness deeper and more terrifying than anything the young visitor could ever have imagined. Duty and love of her wheelchair-bound grandmother compel Rue Dunwitty to travel from her new home in San Francisco back to the quiet little Texas town where she was raised. For Rue, arriving in Amethyst evokes the cozy comfort of returning to a safe haven where everyone knows her name and nothing ever seems to change. Then, in the window of the local grocery store, she sees a sign with a picture of a teenage girl and the question, "Have you seen Dawn?" Rue''s bittersweet nostalgia is abruptly replaced by a growing sense of dread. Dawn is the daughter of a single mother who recently moved to town. When Rue encounters Dawn''s twin brother, she is disconcerted by his precocious, brooding intensity. Also unnerving is the change that seems to have come over Rue''s old friends. Have they simply grown apart, or is there something more sinister at play? Then, late at night, Rue sees a strange light in the field outside her grandmother''s house, moving across the abandoned farm that once had been home to her father, from whom she is now estranged. In short order, Rue finds herself confounded by a series of disturbing discoveries -- about the husband of her best friend from high school days; about the intentions of the town''s handsome deputy sheriff; about her father, who moved away from Amethyst years ago but may have secretly returned; about her brother, who lives in Austin, but who seems to have taken a leave from both his job and his marriage; and about her boyfriend from San Francisco, who suddenly shows up in town and who seems not to be a stranger there. Atmospheric and grippingly suspenseful, Have You Seen Dawn? is a thrilling novel of brooding menace, devious twists, and startling surprises.

On the eve of the Ides of March, Gordianus the Finder is directed by newly appointed dictator Julius Caesar to investigate possible conspiracies as the Roman Senate prepares to fight the Parthian Empire.

Following his international bestsellers Roma and Empire, Steven Saylor''s Dominus continues his saga of the greatest, most storied empire in history from the eternal city at the very center of it all. A.D. 165: The empire of Rome has reached its pinnacle. Universal peace—the Pax Roma—reigns from Britannia to Egypt, from Gaul to Greece. Marcus Aurelius, as much a philosopher as he is an emperor, oversees a golden age in the city of Rome. The ancient Pinarius family and their workshop of artisans embellish the richest and greatest city on earth with gilded statues and towering marble monuments. Art and reason flourish. But history does not stand still. The years to come bring wars, plagues, fires, and famines. The best emperors in history are succeeded by some of the worst. Barbarians descend in endless waves, eventually appearing before the gates of Rome itself. The military seizes power and sells the throne to the highest bidder. Chaos engulfs the empire. Through it all, the Pinarius family endures, thanks in no small part to the protective powers of the fascinum, a talisman older than Rome itself, a mystical heirloom handed down through countless generations. But an even greater upheaval is yet to come. On the fringes of society, troublesome cultists disseminate dangerous and seditious ideas. They insist that everyone in the world should worship only one god, their god. They call themselves Christians. Some emperors deal with the Christians with toleration, others with bloody persecution. Then one emperor does the unthinkable. He becomes a Christian himself. His name is Constantine, and the revolution he sets in motion will change the world forever. Spanning 160 years and seven generations, teeming with some of ancient Rome’s most vivid figures, Saylor''s epic brings to vivid life some of the most tumultuous and consequential chapters of human history, events which reverberate still.

In 49 B.C., a bloody civil war between the forces loyal to Pompey and Julius Caesar has engulfed the Roman world and no one is allowed to be neutral. With Rome itself in turmoil, Gordianus the Finder receives an anonymous message informing him of the death of his son Meto, who lately has been acting as a double agent for Caesar. In search of the truth about Meto''s fate, Gordianus journeys to the beseiged seaport of Massilia (modern-day Marseilles) which has sided with Pompey and is now stubbornly holding out against Caesar''s troups camped just outside it''s gates and harbor. Using his wits, Gordianus discovers a way past the seige troops and into Massilia. But once there he finds himself in a city where famine and slaughter threaten the populace, and intrigue and recriminations has taken over a city that cannot hope to stand out much longer against the troops outside it''s walls. His only friend is Hieronymus, the doomed scapegoat chosen by the priests of Artemis to bear the sins of the population and save them from annihilation. When Gordianus witnesses the fall of a young woman from a precipice called Sacrifice Rock, he becomes entangled in finding out what exactly happened - did she fall or was she pushed? -- and where, in all of this, is the truth about his missing son.

In 56 B.C. Rome Gordianus the Finder is hired to discover who murdered Dio but a convoluted trial keeps him from learning the truth.

The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Roma" returns with the latest installment in his critically acclaimed series.

Gordianus the Finder is called to a great Villa to investigate the death of the overseer by two slaves.

Steven Saylor''s Roma Sub Rosa series of novels, set in the late Roman Republic and featuring Gordianus the Finder, has garnered unusual acclaim from readers and reviewers alike, establishing him as one of the pre-eminent historical crime writers. In A Gladiator Dies Only Once, the second collection of his award-winning stories featuring Gordianus, Saylor more than meets his own high standards. Set during period between the events of his novels Roman Blood and Catalina''s Riddle, these previously untold adventures range from twisted search for truth behind a threatening blind item in the Acta Diurna ("The Consul''s Wife") and a kidnapping and murder during the revolt of Sertorius ("The White Fawn") to the story behind Cicero''s discovery of Archimedes''s tomb ("Archimedes Tomb") and a perplexing domestic situation in Gordianus''s own home ("If a Cyclops Could Vanish in a Glimpse of an Eye.") These tales from the early career of Gordianus - when his adopted son Eco was still a mute boy and his wife Bethesda was but his slave - will delight Saylor''s many fans while illuminating the details of the ancient world like no other writer can.

The year is 92 B.C. Traveling the world for the first time, Gordianus discovers that amorous exploration goes hand-in-hand with crime-solving. The mysteries of love are the true wonders of the world, and at the end of the journey, an Eighth Wonder awaits him in Alexandria.

Torchlight flickers on elegant marble walls. The sound of a mob echoes in the street. The year is 52 B.C. and the naked body of Publius Clodius is about to be carried through the teeming streets of Rome. Clodius, a rich man turned rabble-rouser, was slain on the most splendid road in the world, the Appian Way. Now Clodius''s rival, Milo, is being targeted for revenge, and the city teeters on the verge of chaos. An explosive trail will feature the best oration of Cicero and Marc Anthony, while Gordianus the Finder has been charged by Pompey the Great himself to look further into the murder. With the Senate House already in ashes, and his own life very much in danger, Gordianus must return to a deserted stretch of the Appian Way—to find the truth that can save a city filled with the madness and glory.

As the consular election draws near, Rome is divided between the conservative Cicero and the tempestuous Catilina, whose followers are rumored to be plotting a bloody siege if he doesn''t win. Gordianus the Finder is enlisted by Cicero in an elaborate plot to control Catilina. Caught in a political struggle for the fate of the Republic, Gordianus knows he must unlock the secrets of Catilina''s riddle before Rome tears herself apart.

Based on a string of horrifying crimes that took place more than a century ago, this thriller evokes a fledgling American South in the aftermath of the Civil War. A serial killer stalks the streets of Austin, Texas in 1885. A black man is indicted but the bodies continue to mount.

Heroic tales of combatants across genres and centuries from today’s popular authors—includes a new Song of Ice and Fire novella by George R. R. Martin. From George R. R. Martin’s Introduction to Warriors: “Our contributors make up an all-star lineup of award-winning and bestselling writers, representing a dozen different publishers and as many genres. We asked each of them for the same thing—a story about a warrior. Some chose to write in the genre they’re best known for. Some decided to try something different. You will find warriors of every shape, size, and color in these pages, warriors from every epoch of human history, from yesterday and today and tomorrow, and from worlds that never were. Some of the stories will make you sad, some will make you laugh, and many will keep you on the edge of your seat.” The stories in the first volume of this book are: Introduction: Stories of the Spinner Rack, by George R. R. Martin Forever Bound, by Joe Haldeman The Eagle and the Rabbit, by Steven Saylor And Ministers of Grace, by Tad Williams The King of Norway, by Cecelia Holland Defenders of the Frontier, by Robert Silverberg The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin Many of these writers are bestsellers. All of them are storytellers of the highest quality. Together they make a volume of unforgettable reading.

De meester van de historische thrillers én bestsellerauteur Steven Saylor neemt je mee naar het jaar 63 voor Christus, wanneer het antieke Rome voor een politieke tweestrijd staat. De conservatieve Cicero wordt uitgedaagd door de opstandige Catilina. Cicero voelt zich in het nauw gedreven en vraagt zijn goede vriend Gordianus de Vinder om hulp. Maar de detective heeft samen met zijn familie het turbulente Rome verlaten en genieten van het rustige leven op het platteland. Toch laat hij huis en haard achter om Cicero’s tegenstander te verslaan. Maar is Catilina wel zo slecht als Cicero beweert? Gordianus is niet overtuigd... Ontdek wie als winnaar naar voren komt in het derde deel van de Roma Sub Rosa-serie. Steven Saylor (1956) is een Amerikaanse schrijver die vooral bekendheid heeft verkregen met zijn historische thrillers in de Roma Sub Rosa-reeks, waarin hoofdpersoon Gordianus de Vinder moordzaken probeert op te lossen in het antieke Rome. Met zijn eindeloze kennis van de Oudheid en klassieke literatuur weet hij lezers wereldwijd te vermaken met misdaadromans ten tijde van Julius Caesar, Cleopatra en Cicero. Ook de Roma-reeks is populair, waaronder het gelijknamige eerste deel, dat een New York Times-bestseller werd. Naast zijn historische romans schreef hij ook erotische fictie onder het pseudoniem Aaron Travis.

In Rome, in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is hired by Cicero, a brilliant and ambitious young orator about to defend his first case, to investigate a wealthy farmer accused of the murder of his father, in a novel based on an actual case

Gordianus the Finder and his ailing wife Bethesda travel to Egypt - Bethesda''s homeland - seeking a cure for her enduring, mysterious illness. They arrive as the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey is reaching its conclusion on its shores. Captured by Pompey, but rescued by Ptolemy''s men who kill Pompey for Caesar, Gordianus is caught in the middle of the struggle between Ptolemy and his sister Cleopatra, Caesar''s seduction by Cleopatra, and the dying days of the Roman Republic. When his wife disappears into the Nile, never to resurface, Gordianus must uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious occurrences if he is to find out what has happened to his wife, now presumed dead.

When the high-born populist politician, Publius Clodius, is murdered on the Appian Way, Rome explodes into riot and arson. All fingers point at Titus Milo, his arch-enemy and a friend of Cicero. The emperor calls on Gordianus the Finder to find out the truth.