I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd

I, Claudia By Marilyn Todd I came across this series after joining the Roman history reading group on Facebook (well worth joining if you are interested in Roman fiction, as I presume you are if you are on this site!). Marilyn Todd wrote this series back in the mid 90s, but the rise of the Kindle and e-book has given the series a new lease of life, and is now available on Amazon to download. I, Claudia is the first of a series following the eponymous heroine, Claudia Seferius through her adventures in Augustine Rome. Claudia is a fake, a liar, a swindler and a hopeless gambler, as well as intelligent, streetwise and sexy as hell. In this first book, Claudia, married to the wealthy Gaius, has to disguise from her husband the extent of her gambling debts, and her ruse to repay them by offering services as a dominatrix to the great and good of Roman society. When her clients start to die one by one, she attracts the attention of the authorities, and in particular Orbilius the investigator. Orbilius wants to solve the crime, which he knows Claudia is implicated in, but he can’t help falling for her too. I, Claudia is a funny, sizzling hot mystery, and Claudia is a great character. There is something of the Lindsay Davies/Falco about the book, with a similar setting, idea and sense of humour, but I, Claudia is dirtier and darker. I would recommend, and will be reading more.