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Paloma de Sangre Roja
by Ed DuncanPara el ejecutor del inframundo Richard "Rico" Sanders, parecía un trabajo comun: recuperar los bienes robados de su jefe de gánsteres y enseñarle una lección a la persona a cargo.Pero la persecución se desvía rápidamente y lleva a Rico desde las calles de Chicago hasta la soleada Honolulu. Allí, el asesino a sueldo se encuentra en un territorio desconocido, cuando personas inocentes se ven envueltas accidentalmente en un crimen.Mientras Rico persigue a sus nuevos objetivos, los cazadores y las presas desarrollan un respeto poco probable del uno por el otro. Pronto se enfrenta a una decisión trascendental: ¿seguir sus órdenes de matar a las mismas personas que se han ganado su admiración o rechazar y poner en peligro la vida de la mujer que ama?
Palomino Blonde: Tad Anders Book Two
by Ted AllbeuryWhat does a man do when he discovers a process like Omega Minus? He wishes he hadn't. Scientist James Hallet has the Intelligence forces of all the world's major powers on his back and they're not too particular about how they get their information. They wouldn't, for instance, baulk at the kidnap and torture of Hallet's beautiful blonde mistress. Not if it would give them Omega Minus.'A classic of espionage fiction with the ingredients to keep you reading all night long' - Len Deighton
Palos y Piedras (Serie Cortar y Correr #2)
by Madeleine Urban Abigail Roux Marta AlmirónVolumen 2 de la Serie Cortar y CorrerLa secuela de Cortar y Correr Seis meses después de casi perder la vida ante un asesino en serie de Nueva York, los agentes especiales del FBI Ty Grady y Zane Garrett, van a pasar por algo todavía más escalofriante: la monotonía del trabajo de oficina. Cuando se les ordena marcharse de vacaciones por el bienestar mental de todo el mundo, Ty toma el toro por los cuernos y lleva a Zane a su casa, en el Oeste de Virginia, esperando que el silencio y la paz de las montañas les dé la oportunidad de explorar la atracción explosiva que, por el momento, han sido incapaces de reconciliar con su asociación profesional. Ty y Zane, junto con el padre y el hermano de Ty, suben los montes Apalaches para realizar una relajante y agradable ruta en la profundidad de los bosques... donde nadie puede oírles gritar. Se encontrarán a sí mismos encarando el peligro que les llega desde todas direcciones: el clima impredecible, las implacables montañas, los animales salvajes, otros senderistas con nada que perder, y el reto más peligroso de todos: enfrentarse el uno al otro.
Pampered to Death (A Jaine Austen Mystery #10)
by Laura LevineWhen freelance writer Jaine Austen is surprised with an über-luxe spa getaway, she and her feline pal Prozac are eager to hit the road and bask in a week of pampering and pedicures. But what she gets is a California fat farm in disguise, complete with celery-juice cocktails, humiliating weigh-ins, and a zero-tolerance position on carbs. Among her bulge-battling companions is Mallory Francis, a B-list movie star with a knack for making frenemies. When she's found strangled during a seaweed wrap gone awry, Jaine is hard-pressed to think of anyone who couldn't have done it. While the suspects mount faster than her hunger pangs, Jaine's search for truth, justice and contraband calories leads her straight to a cold-blooded killer--where murder may be on the menu once again. . . "Her books are so outrageously funny, they always make me laugh out loud."--Joanne FlukePraise for Laura Levine's Jaine Austen series "Delightful. . .Jaine's wit shines throughout." --Publishers Weekly on Pampered to Death"If you love a good mystery, this book is for you." --New York Journal of Books on Death of a Trophy Wife"This will turn out to be a long series. . .likely to be compared to Janet Evanovich for its humor." --I Love a Mystery on This Pen for Hire
Panacea: A Novel (The ICE Sequence #1)
by F. Paul WilsonTwo secret societies vie for control of the ultimate medical miracle in a thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Hidden series.Medical examiner Laura Fanning has two charred corpses and no answers. Both bear a mysterious tattoo but exhibit no known cause of death. Their only connection to one another is a string of puzzling miracle cures. Her preliminary investigation points to a cult in the possession of the fabled panacea—the substance that can cure all ills—but that’s impossible.Laura finds herself unknowingly enmeshed in an ancient conflict between the secretive keepers of the panacea and the equally secretive and far more deadly group known only as 536, a brotherhood that fervently believes God intended for humanity to suffer, not be cured. Laura doesn’t believe in the panacea, but that doesn’t prevent the agents of 536 from trying to kill her.A reclusive, terminally ill billionaire hires Laura to research the possibility of the panacea. The billionaire’s own body guard, Rick Hayden, a mercenary who isn’t who he pretends to be, has to keep her alive as they race to find the legendary panacea before the agents of 536 can destroy it.“An excellently crafted tale that’s not to be missed.” —Heather Graham, New York Times–bestselling author“Complete with twists and turns and high adventure, this thriller will grip you to the end.” —Suspense Magazine“[A] suspenseful paranormal thriller . . . an entertaining tale, underlined by a clear battle between good and evil.” —Publishers Weekly“Complex, entertaining, smart . . . An intelligent, intriguing, fast-moving blend of science fiction and thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews
Panda-monium: Panda-monium; Lion Down; Tyrannosaurus Wrecks (FunJungle #4)
by Stuart GibbsNew York Times bestselling author Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle&’s resident sleuth when the zoo&’s newest addition goes missing—before she even arrives!—in the latest novel in New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs&’s FunJungle series.FunJungle is frenzied, awaiting the arrival of its most thrilling animal yet—Li Ping—a rare and very expensive giant panda that the zoo went to enormous lengths to secure. But when the truck transporting Li Ping shows up, its precious cargo has vanished into thin air. The FBI steps in to investigate, and Teddy is happy to leave the job in their (supposedly) capable hands. After all, FunJungle has never encountered a crime this serious. But when someone threatens to blackmail Teddy&’s girlfriend, Summer, if he doesn&’t solve the crime, his involvement in this mystery is no longer black and white.
Pandaemonium
by Christopher BrookmyreThe senior pupils of St Peter's High School are on retreat to a secluded outdoor activity centre, coming to terms with the murder of a fellow pupil through the means you would expect: counselling, contemplation, candid discussion and even prayer - not to mention booze, drugs, clandestine liaisons and as much partying as they can get away with.Not so far away, the commanders of a top-secret military experiment, long-since spiralled out of control, fear they may have literally unleashed the forces of Hell.Two very different worlds are on a collision course, and will clash in an earthly battle between science and the supernatural, philosophy and faith, civilisation and savagery.The bookies are offering evens.
Pandaemonium
by Christopher BrookmyreThe senior pupils of St Peter's High School are on retreat to a secluded outdoor activity centre, coming to terms with the murder of a fellow pupil through the means you would expect: counselling, contemplation, candid discussion and even prayer - not to mention booze, drugs, clandestine liaisons and as much partying as they can get away with.Not so far away, the commanders of a top-secret military experiment, long-since spiralled out of control, fear they may have literally unleashed the forces of Hell.Two very different worlds are on a collision course, and will clash in an earthly battle between science and the supernatural, philosophy and faith, civilisation and savagery.The bookies are offering evens.
Pandemia
by Robin CookEl maestro del thriller médico vuelve con una explosiva novela sobre un virus mortal y sus oscuros orígenes. Cuando una joven aparentemente sana se desploma de repente en el metro de Nueva York y muere al llegar al hospital, su caso es atribuido a una agresiva variante de la gripe. Hasta que acaba sobre la mesa de autopsias del veterano médico forense Jack Stapleton, quien descubre unas sorprendentes anomalías: la joven había sufrido un trasplante de corazón y, además, su ADN coincide con el del órgano recibido. Después de que otras dos víctimas fallezcan de forma igualmente fulminante, Jack comienza a temer que la ciudad se enfrente a una pandemia sin precedentes. Y, cuando nuevos casos son descubiertos en Los Ángeles, Londres y Roma, Jack debe emprender una carrera contrarreloj para averiguar qué clase de virus puede causar estos estragos. Su investigación le conduce a un fascinante nuevo tipo de ingeniería genética que está haciendo soñar a la comunidad científica... y atrayendo la atención de sus miembros con menos escrúpulos. «El maestro del thriller médico». The New York Times «Patólogos forenses y médicos convertidos en detectives combaten contra epidemias, enfermedades letales y muertes relacionados con medicamentos cuyas causas distan mucho de ser naturales... Te quedarás completamente enganchado».Daily Mail «Héroes carismáticos, un fascinante misterio médico y un suspense creciente: el resultado es una lectura enormemente entretenida. La ficción comercial, en su mejor versión, es puro entretenimiento. Pero Cook, como Michael Crichton, además ofrece a los lectores una inteligente disección de temas actuales que nos afectan a todos».USA Today «Atrapante... Aterradora».The New York Times «Cuando se produce un decisivo avance científico, Robin Cook no se limita a levantarse para aplaudir. Usa su fértil imaginación y escribe una novela sobre sus posibles riesgos, y en este libro el autor lanza una muy pertinente advertencia sobre la tecnología de edición del genoma».Associated Press
Pandemic
by Daniel KallaHumanity is overdue for a new killer flu. So when a mysterious new strain of flu is reported in China, he expects trouble.
Pandemic
by Scott SiglerScott Sigler's Infected shocked readers with a visceral, up-close account of physical metamorphosis and one man's desperate fight for sanity and survival, as "Scary" Perry Dawsey suffered the impact of an alien pathogen's early attempts at mass extinction. In the sequel Contagious, Sigler pulled back the camera and let the reader experience the frantic national response to this growing cataclysm. And now in Pandemic, the entire human race balances on the razor's edge of annihilation, beset by an enemy that turns our own bodies against us, that changes normal people into psychopaths or transforms them into nightmares. To some, Doctor Margaret Montoya is a hero--a brilliant scientist who saved the human race from an alien intelligence determined to exterminate all of humanity. To others, she's a monster--a mass murderer single-handedly responsible for the worst atrocity ever to take place on American soil. All Margaret knows is that she's broken. The blood of a million deaths is on her hands. Guilt and nightmares have turned her into a shut-in, too mired in self-hatred even to salvage her marriage, let alone be the warrior she once was. But she is about to be called into action again. Because before the murderous intelligence was destroyed, it launched one last payload -- a soda can-sized container filled with deadly microorganisms that make humans feed upon their own kind. That harmless-looking container has languished a thousand feet below the surface of Lake Michigan, undisturbed and impotent . . . until now. Part Cthulhu epic, part zombie apocalypse and part blockbuster alien-invasion tale, Pandemic completes the Infected trilogy and sets a new high-water mark in the world of horror fiction.
Pandemic (A\medical Thriller Ser.)
by Robin CookNew York Times-bestselling author Robin Cook takes on the cutting-edge world of gene-modification in this pulse-pounding new medical thriller.When an unidentified, seemingly healthy young woman collapses suddenly on the New York City subway and dies upon reaching the hospital, her case is an eerie reminder for veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton of the 1918 flu pandemic. Fearful of a repeat on the one hundredth anniversary of the nightmarish contagion, Jack autopsies the woman within hours of her demise and discovers some striking anomalies: first, that she has had a heart transplant, and second, that, against all odds, her DNA matches that of the transplanted heart. Although the facts don't add up to influenza, Jack must race against the clock to identify the woman and determine what kind of virus could wreak such havoc--a task made more urgent when two other victims succumb to a similar rapid death. But nothing makes sense until his investigation leads him into the fascinating realm of CRISPR/CAS9, a gene-editing biotechnology that's captured the imagination of the medical community. . . and the attention of its most unethical members. Drawn into the dark underbelly of the organ transplant market, Jack will come face-to-face with a megalomaniacal businessman willing to risk human lives in order to conquer a lucrative new frontier in medicine--and if Jack's not careful, the next life lost might be his own.
Pandemic (An Agent Paul Richter Thriller)
by James BarringtonEliminate everyone who knows...Off the island of Crete an illicit diver finds a 30-year-old aircraft on the seabed. He recovers a steel case containing four sealed flasks from amongst the corpses still trapped inside. Within twelve hours he succumbs to a hideous death.Agency trouble-shooter Paul Richter is sent to investigate, but encounters far more questions than answers. Why has the CIA ordered the total destruction of the aircraft’s remnants? Why is a hit team roaming the island? Who is targeting members of the hit team itself? And why are retired agents back in America facing professional assassination?As Richter gets ever-closer to unravelling a decades-old secret, even he is unprepared for the sheer horror that awaits.James Barrington continues the Paul Richter series in this nail-biting techno-thriller for fans of Chris Ryan, David Baldacci and Robert Ludlum.
Pandemic Hospital
by Ed RamirezA reporter has to achieve an interview with, which is said to be the best psychiatrist in the city.
Pandemic: A Novel (Dr. Noah Haldane)
by Daniel KallaGenesis of a PlagueRight now, in a remote corner of rural China, a farmer and his family are sharing their water supply with their livestock: chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep. They share the same waste-disposal system, too.Bird viruses meet their human counterparts in the bloodstreams of the swine, where they mix and mutate before spreading back into the human population. And a new flu is born....Dr. Noah Haldane, of the World Health Organization, knows that humanity is overdue for a new killer flu, like the great influenza pandemic of 1919 that killed more than twenty million people in less than four months. So when a mysterious new strain of flu is reported in the Gansu Province of mainland China, WHO immediately sends a team to investigate. Haldane and his colleagues soon discover that the new disease, dubbed Acute Respiratory Collapse Syndrome, is far more deadly than SARS, killing one in four victims, regardless of their age or health. But even as WHO struggles to contain the outbreak, ARCS is already spreading to Hong Kong, London, and even America.In an age when every single person in the world is connected by three commercial flights or fewer, a killer bug can travel much faster than the flu of 1919.Especially when someone is spreading the virus on purpose...At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Pandemic: A Pandemic Novel (Pandemic #1)
by Amanda BridgemanBased on the smash hit boardgame, here&’s the debut of an incredible new novel series that shows just what humanity can achieve when experts work together, to ensure a global pandemic is never allowed to break out againBodhi Patel is the brand new Lead Epidemiologist for the world&’s top epidemic specialists, Global Health Agency, but there&’s no time to settle in: his new boss, Helen Taylor, deploys GHA to contain a mysterious new killer virus spreading from Peru into Brazil. On the ground they learn that the virus is loose in a region controlled by a heavily armed drug warlord, and the race against time to discover a cure just got a whole lot tougher. Meanwhile, Bodhi finds himself with a newly reshuffled team still smarting from the changes, including his ex – the last person he expected to be working with.
Pandemic: Infected Book 3
by Scott SiglerScott Sigler is the voice in modern horror - and the INFECTED trilogy is a terrifying, menacing series that will leave you sleepless.The alien intelligence that unleashed two horrific assaults on humanity has been destroyed. But before it was brought down in flames, it launched one last payload - a tiny soda-can-sized canister filled with germs engineered to wreak new forms of havoc on the human race. That harmless-looking canister has languished under thousands of feet of water for years, undisturbed and impotent . . . until now.Days after the new disease is unleashed, a quarter of the human race is infected. Entire countries have fallen. And our planet's fate now rests on a small group of unlikely heroes, racing to find a cure before the enemies surrounding them can close in.
Pandemonium
by Warren Fahy“What do you get when you cross Jurassic Park with an ancient underground city? The answer is Pandemonium, an exciting read.” —Steve Alten, New York Times–bestselling author of MegDeep beneath the Ural Mountains, in an underground city carved out by slave labor during the darkest hours of the Cold War, ancient caverns hold exotic and dangerous life-forms that have evolved in isolation for countless millennia. Cut off from the surface world, an entire ecosystem of bizarre subterranean species has survived undetected—until now.Biologists Nell and Geoffrey Binswanger barely survived their last encounter with terrifying, invasive creatures that threatened to engulf the planet. They think the danger is over until a ruthless Russian tycoon lures them to his underground metropolis, where they find themselves confronted by a vicious menagerie of biological horrors from their past—and by entirely new breeds of voracious predators. Now they’re rising up from the bowels of the Earth to consume the world as we know it.“Warren Fahy’s Pandemonium is pure genius, an otherworldly wonder as creative as the best of Jules Verne. Here is riveting scientific speculation paired with bravado storytelling. I want more!” —James Rollins, #1 New York Times–bestselling author“Warren Fahy’s new novel Pandemonium is probably the best high-tech thriller I’ve read since The Mote in God’s Eye. My heart was pounding (literally) from page one. Can’t wait for his next tale.” —David Hagberg, New York Times–bestselling author
Pandemonium (World Fallen #1)
by Susanna Strom"Romance at the end of the world never looked this good. A biker and a college girl make for an unlikely, but sizzling page turner. If the apocalypse comes, I want my very own Ripper by my side! A must read." - Raven Dark, author of the Devil's Outlaws series.The intersection of danger and desireKenzie Dunwitty is laser focused on finishing college and landing a job that will give her the security she craves. With a deadline looming, she disconnects to finish a paper. When she emerges, the world is sliding into chaos. Overnight, a simple flu virus has morphed into a lethal, worldwide pandemic. Kenzie seeks refuge at her prepper cousin’s compound and finds herself face to face with a deadly sexy stranger.Ripper Solis, ex-Army Ranger and current enforcer for an outlaw motorcycle club, protects the people he considers his own. He’s not a nice guy. Not a man that a woman turns to for support and comfort. Not the bad boy hero in the romance novels Kenzie’s escaped into for years. Or is he? As law and order break down, and the ever-present threat of the virus hangs over their heads, Ripper’s strength and resourcefulness offer an irresistible allure. Sexy and commanding, he’s everything she ever wanted. Their chemistry is combustible. Will love save the day, or will the perilous new world obliterate their future?Pandemonium is the first novel in the exciting new World Fallen series. Maelstrom, book two of the World Fallen series, coming October 27. "Susanna Strom excels at building that dread into every page without having it overwhelm;...Suspenseful and gripping, Pandemonium is bound to grab you by the hand and...leave you asking the question every author wants their readers to ask; what happens next? I can't wait for book two." - Chick and Chickadee blog"I fell in LOVE with Ripper and MacKenzie...I'm so glad I found this book." - Twilla, Wickedly Sweet and Synful Book Blog"I can't lie, this book hits very close to home with what the world is going through right now....I am excited to see where she takes them in the next book." - Book'n It Reviews"This book captures you on so many levels and her excellent character development is a pure pleasure. The timing of this story will become stunningly evident from the first page and I can’t wait for the sequel!" - Phyllis, Goodreads"It was actually a great escape from reality. I loved the story and its characters and I'm now eagerly waiting for the next book, Maelstrom.""She also provided the characters with enough good times and moments of enjoyment to keep my mind off our real pandemic." - Lee, Goodreads"This was so good, my cats hated me. I forgot to stop reading and feed them....(H)er writing was truly phenomenal....I highly recommend this. My cats? Not so much. - RumRunner, GoodreadsIf Joanna Wilde's heroes met Cristen Harber's heroines in the worlds of B.B. Easton, they'd be heading toward Pandemonium...discover the intersection of danger & desire - The World Fallen series - for yourself!
Pandora
by Alan RodgersThe rumors have swept the country for years. Some dismiss them as yet another urban legend, while others cling to them as gospel truth: a blaze across the night sky, a crash in the New Mexico desert, three aliens lying dead in a top-secret hangar on an air force base in Ohio. But the rumors are only the tip of the iceberg. For there was a fourth being found in the wreckage--a living child, concealed from the world. Pandora. Now she has learned what has been hidden from her, and she will be captive no longer. And wherever she goes, horror follows in her wake.
Pandora
by Marguerite Labbe2nd EditionHaunted by the screams of the men he murdered, ex-Marine medic Riff Khora is serving a life sentence on board a prison ship. Seeking more punishment for his crime, he strikes a deal with the corrupt Captain Vidal—an exchange of pleasure and pain—and forges a new life leading the team that surveys space wreckage for salvage. Ship engineer Zed Jakobsen’s psychometric abilities make prison a sentence worse than death, and the barrage of emotional stimuli is an unending torment. His only regret is that he didn’t kill the monster who sent him to prison, and only a glimmer of hope to escape a judgment he doesn’t deserve keeps him clinging to a brutal existence. When they board derelict ship Pandora and discover a lone survivor, the hell of prison life plunges into abject horror. An epidemic of violence and insanity consumes their ship, driving the crew to murder and destruction. Mutual need draws Riff and Zed together, and their bond gives them the strength to fight a reality they cannot trust. But Vidal possesses the only means of escape from the nightmare, and he’s not letting anyone leave alive.First Edition published as Pandora in the Deep Into Darkness: Aliens, Alphas and Antiheroes Anthology by Smashwords, 2015.
Pandora's Boy
by Lindsey Davis'Lindsey Davis has seen off all her competitors to become the unassailable market leader in the 'crime in Ancient Rome' genre . . . Davis's squalid, vibrant Rome is as pleasurable as ever' - Guardian'For fans of crime fiction set in the ancient world, this one is not to be missed' - BooklistPrivate investigator Flavia Albia is always drawn to an intriguing puzzle - even if it is put to her by her new husband's hostile ex-wife.On the Quirinal Hill, a young girl named Clodia has died, apparently poisoned with a love potion. Only one person could have supplied such a thing: a local witch who goes by the name of Pandora, whose trade in herbal beauty products is hiding something far more sinister.The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal is masking the stench of loose morality, casual betrayal and even gangland conflict and, when a friend of her own is murdered, Albia determines to expose as much of this local sickness as she can - beginning with the truth about Clodia's death.****************Praise for Lindsey Davis and the Flavia Albia series'Davis's prose is a lively joy, and Flavia's Rome is sinister and gloriously real'The Times on Sunday'Davis's books crackle with wit and knowledge . . . She has the happy knack of making the reader feel entirely immersed in Rome'
Pandora's Boy (Flavia Albia)
by Lindsey Davis'Lindsey Davis has seen off all her competitors to become the unassailable market leader in the 'crime in Ancient Rome' genre . . . Davis's squalid, vibrant Rome is as pleasurable as ever' - Guardian'For fans of crime fiction set in the ancient world, this one is not to be missed' - BooklistPrivate investigator Flavia Albia is always drawn to an intriguing puzzle - even if it is put to her by her new husband's hostile ex-wife.On the Quirinal Hill, a young girl named Clodia has died, apparently poisoned with a love potion. Only one person could have supplied such a thing: a local witch who goes by the name of Pandora, whose trade in herbal beauty products is hiding something far more sinister.The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal is masking the stench of loose morality, casual betrayal and even gangland conflict and, when a friend of her own is murdered, Albia determines to expose as much of this local sickness as she can - beginning with the truth about Clodia's death.****************Praise for Lindsey Davis and the Flavia Albia series'Davis's prose is a lively joy, and Flavia's Rome is sinister and gloriously real'The Times on Sunday'Davis's books crackle with wit and knowledge . . . She has the happy knack of making the reader feel entirely immersed in Rome'
Pandora's Boy (Flavia Albia)
by Lindsey DavisFrom the creator of Falco comes Falco: the new generation, featuring her unforgettable heroine Flavia Albia in her sixth novel.Flavia Albia is a private investigator, always drawn to an intriguing puzzle - even if it is put to her by her new husband's hostile ex-wife. On the Quirinal Hill, Clodia Volumnia, a very young girl with stars in her eyes, has died, amid suggestions that she was poisoned by a love-potion. It will have been supplied by a local witch, who goes by the name of Pandora, though Albia learns that Pandora carries on a trade in herbal beauty products while hiding much more dangerous connections. Pandora's beloved grandson, a trainee hack lawyer, is one of the dead girl's empty-headed friends; can this be relevant?As she homes in on the truth, Albia has to contend with the occult, organised crime, an unusual fertility symbol, and celebrity dining. She discovers the young girl was a handful; her father mediates in disputes, yet has divorced his grief-stricken wife and is now suing his own mother-in-law; Clodia's so-called friends were none too friendly. The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal hides the smells of loose morality, casual betrayal and even gangland conflict. When a friend of her own is murdered, Albia determines to expose as much of this local sickness as she can - beginning with the truth about the death of little Clodia.'Davis's prose is a lively joy, and Flavia's Rome is sinister and gloriously real.' The Times on Sunday (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Pandora's Boy: A Flavia Albia Novel (Flavia Albia Series #6)
by Lindsey DavisA suspicious death and subsequent murder send Flavia Albia down a twisted path to expose corruption and betrayal in Lindsey Davis’s next historical mystery.First century Rome is not the quiet, orderly city that it pretends to be and in this environment, a very clever private informer can thrive. Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, is a chip off the old block. She's taken over his father's old profession, and, like him, she occasionally lets her love of a good puzzle get in the way of her common sense. Such is the case when one such puzzle is brought to her by the very hostile ex-wife of Albia's new husband.It seems that over on the Quirinal Hill, a naive young girl, one Clodia Volumnia, has died, and there's a suggestion that she was poisoned by a love potion. The local witch, Pandora, would have been the one to supply such a potion. Looking into the matter, Albia soon learns that Pandora carries on a trade in herbal beauty products while keeping hidden her much more dangerous connections.Albia soon discovers the young girl was a handful and her so-called friends were not as friendly as they should have been. The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal hides the smells of loose morality, casual betrayal, and even gangland conflict. When a friend of her own is murdered, things become serious and Albia is determined to expose as much of this local sickness as she can—beginning with the truth about the death of little Clodia.