Corruption. Conspiracy. Murder… 1497, Rome Wealthy merchant’s daughter Cristina Falchoni has a vision: to create a magnificent cathedral in the heart of Rome. Europe is in desperate need of a powerful unifying symbol, and a great basilica, built over the tomb of St Peter, will be a rallying point for Western civilisation. With the help of her brother Domenico, as Head of Security at the Vatican, Cristina manages to persuade Pope Alexander VI to cleanse his conscience by reviving a decades old plan to construct a new basilica as a celebration of God’s greatness. Whatever bribery, corruption, lechery, or assassination lay in the Borgia Pope’s past, all would be forgiven; he could atone through stone. But when a prominent aristocrat is found brutally murdered in a grotesque parody of the martyrdom of St Peter, Pope Alexander fears it is a divine warning, a message from God not to tamper with the revered shrine. Realising that their dream of a glorious new cathedral is in jeopardy, Cristina and Domenico urgently start to investigate the grisly murder. But as more ominous events torment Rome, they soon realise that whoever is behind these strange portents will stop at nothing to get their own way—even if it means killing the Pope himself. With the Pope’s life in danger, can Cristina and Domenico uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or are they about to become the killer’s next targets? OMENS OF DEATH is the first book in the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries series: historical thrillers set in fifteenth-century Rome and featuring a brother and sister investigative duo.

Rome’s very foundations are under threat… 1504, Rome The construction of the new Basilica is finally making progress when a shocking discovery is St Peter’s tomb, which has housed the saint’s remains for over a thousand years, is found to only contain animal bones. Immediately the Pope panics – St Peter’s tomb is a central part of the mythology of the Rome, underpinning its legitimacy. If the tomb is a fraud, the entire Church could be undermined. Scholar Cristina Falchoni’s vast and unorthodox learning may provide a solution, and she is summoned to the Vatican. She immediately dives into Rome’s archives, searching for clues to find the real burial place of St Peter. But just as she believes she’s found the answer, the body of a priest is discovered with a piece of parchment stuffed in its mouth, dedicating the killing to God. And when more bodies laid out in a similar fashion start appearing, a battle of competing myths tears Rome in two. Is a benign St Peter blessing Rome with miracles? Or is the city being punished with a spate murders? With the help of her brother, Domenico, Cristina is determined to discover the truth… DEMON OF TRUTH is the third book in the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries historical thrillers set in fifteenth-century Rome and featuring a brother and sister investigative duo.