Still Waters

In ancient Sparta, secrets kill - and the truth is more dangerous than any blade.

High Priestess Iliona is still recovering from a near-fatal stabbing on the temple steps when Lysander, the ruthless head of Sparta's feared secret police, arrives with an offer she cannot refuse. A trusted Krypteia agent has been murdered on the eve of exposing a shadowy conspiracy. A wrestling champion draws crowds at a remote posting station where jealousies simmer and a stranger watches from the shadows. And two hundred miles south in Syracuse, a giant walks among the tombs while a beautiful woman sings her last song.

Sent north under the guise of recuperation, Iliona must uncover who is picking off Sparta's warriors one by one - and why. Her mission will take her to the mist-wrapped Lake of Light, where three sisters guard their own secrets, a masseuse holds court over lonely travellers, and every whispered rumour hides a lie. Behind it all lies a treason that could tear the fragile Greek alliance apart and destroy everything Iliona holds dear, including her own carefully buried past.

Rich in atmosphere, laced with sly wit, and steeped in the intrigue of the ancient Greek world, Still Waters is a masterful historical mystery from an author whose command of the period is unrivalled. Fans of Lindsey Davis, Steven Saylor, and Ruth Downie will be swept away by Iliona's most dangerous investigation yet.

Because still waters run deep - and in Sparta, they run red.