Ian Ross

When a treacherous act of murder throws the western provinces into turmoil, Aurelius Castus is ordered to take command of the military forces on the Rhine. But he soon discovers that the frontier is a place where the boundaries between civilisation and barbarism, freedom and slavery, honour and treason have little meaning. At the very heart of the conflict are two vulnerable boys. One is Emperor Constantine's young heir, Crispus. The other is Castus's own beloved son, Sabinus. Only Castus stands between them and men who would kill them. With all that he loves in danger, Castus and a handful of loyal men must fight to defend the Roman Empire. But in the heat of battle, can he distinguish friend from enemy?

The Roman Empire is on the brink of civil war. Only Maxentius, tyrant of Rome, stands between the emperor Constantine and supreme power in the west. Aurelius Castus, promoted from the ranks for valour and loyalty, is now a tribune in Constantine's army. But great honour brings new challenges: Castus is tormented by suspicions that his aristocratic wife, the mother of his child, has been unfaithful. And as Constantine becomes increasingly devoted to Christianity, Castus is forced to ask himself whether he is backing the wrong man. All know that the coming war will decide the fate of empire. But Castus's own battle will carry him much further - into the shadowy realms of treachery at the heart of Rome itself.The third book in the brilliant Twilight of Empire.

The contributors list includes a number of distinguished and internationally renowned crime writers, such as John Connolly, Tana French, John Banville and Alex Barclay, featuring rare and unpublished pieces. Is crime fiction now the most relevant and valid form of writing to deal with Modern Ireland in terms of the post-'Troubles' landscape and the post-Celtic Tiger economic boom? As the first book written on this topic, Down These Green Streets is both detailed and diverse, with each chapter providing a new author's approach and discussing a different aspect of Irish Crime Writing. For example, Declan Hughes focuses on the influence of American culture on Irish crime writing, while Tana French reflects on crime fiction and the post-Celtic Tiger Irish identity. Down These Green Streets is for both the academic and the general reader. List of Contributors in Alphabetical Order: Adrian McKinty, Alan Glynn, Alex Barclay, Andrew Nugent, Arlene Hunt, Brian McGilloway, Colin Bateman, Cora Harrison, Cormac Millar, Declan Hughes, Eoin McNamee, Gene Kerrigan, Gerard Brennan, Gerry O'Carroll, Ingrid Black, Jane Casey, John Banville, John Connolly, Ken Bruen, Kevin McCarthy Neville Thompson, Niamh O'Connor, Paul Charles, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Sara Keating, Stuart Neville, Tana French and Tara Brady.