First published 1996
Cletus Berry lies dead in a Manhattan alley, shot and left in the ice and grime of Hell's Kitchen. His roommate Lindsey knew Cletus only from a couple of training seminars, but friendship means something. When your partner gets killed, you do something about it. The police investigation stalls. The clues seem thin. But Lindsey refuses to give up easily. He picks up a thread that leads to an antique toy chariot, a piece that supposedly once belonged to Julius Caesar himself. This small artifact becomes his guide through a labyrinth that spans continents and centuries. The trail takes him from New York's dirtiest streets into Rome's hidden underground. He moves between worlds of high art and cutthroat politics. The toy chariot pulls him deeper into mysteries that connect ancient power with modern murder. Lindsey discovers that some friendships demand everything, even when they began as mere circumstance.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation, mystery
Setting: Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York, Rome
Period: Ancient, Modern
259 pages · Hardcover · St Martins Pr