Stone Cold [Hardcover]

Marilyn Todd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

The latest adventure for the Roman sleuth and glamorous heroine of I, Claudia Claudia was just ten years old when her father marched off to war and never came home. Now it's time to uncover the truth about his disappearance. The search takes her to the dense, dark forests of Gaul, where Druid Law rules and human sacrifice is still practised. And staying at the villa of the cold, egotistical Marcia, who has even commissioned a spectacular tomb to ensure her immortality, Claudia can't help noticing that several young women have disappeared from the local area. Suspicion quickly falls on a mysterious woodsman known as the Scarecrow, but she isn't convinced. Nor has it escaped her notice that each victim is unblemished and in the fullness of bloom. Just as she is herself . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the fast-paced 11th Roman historical from Todd (Dream Boat, etc.), her series heroine, Claudia Seferius, is on the run from tax fraud charges in Gaul, and engaged in a love-hate relationship with handsome investigator Marcus Cornelius Orbilio. Claudia's personal quest for answers to her father's mysterious disappearance decades earlier leads her to quite a different inquiry as she stumbles on evidence that a serial killer has been preying on beautiful young women. At the same time, Orbilio is tracking a child slavery ring that's rumored to involve aristocrats. While Claudia may be a less compelling character than Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder (A Gladiator Dies Only Once, etc.), the spunky and independent sleuth will appeal to many readers, especially those who like a strong dose of romance in their mysteries.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Claudia Sefarius is a successful businesswoman in ancient Rome who also possesses a gift for sleuthing. Her latest case is a very personal one. She was abandoned by her father when she was 10, and she has decided it's time to find out what happened to him. She travels to Gaul, where her father was last seen, but when she arrives, she is distracted not only by the arrival of her old nemesis, Roman Security policeman Marcus Orbilio, but also by the news that beautiful young women have been disappearing from the area. Claudia is determined to find out what happened to her father and to the disappeared women. The book oozes authentic period detail, and Todd adds further spice with a combination of a skillfully tangled plot, smart dialogue, and hilarious badinage between the main characters. But it's the flamboyant, brash, clever Claudia who gives Stone Cold its real charm and appeal. Recommend this to fans of other series set in ancient Rome, by Steven Saylor and Lindsey Davis. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727861875
• ISBN-13: 978-0727861870
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,371,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gaulish sojourn, June 2, 2005

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)

Todd has her fiery heroine, Claudia Seferius, outside Rome again for this eleventh irreverent mystery, as she hotfoots it to Gaul having told Orbilio that she's checking the soil in the Gaulish town of Santonum in order to grow more vines. A terrible lie, of course, that has Orbilio coming after her, tormented by images of Claudia and Junius and on a case to capture child slave peddlers.
Within a hundred pages we are introduced to a motley collection of people working for Marcia, divorced and ruthless entrepreneur of the town, as they create a winter wonderland at her home. With Marcia we meet Qeb, an animal trainer, Hor, a painter, Semir, the Babylonian gardener, Stella, Marcia's cousin and mother of six children, Vincentrix, Head of the Druid Guild, Hannibal the dashing fop and Marcia's brother, Paris the Mycenaen sculptor, Tarbel the bodyguard and Padi, the indian soothsayer.
Vulcanalia has started and during the festivities Marcus gets knocked out trying to capture the child slave gang by the boatbuilder's step daughter, Zina and is forced to team up with her. Her overly licentious nature causes him some trouble with Claudia, who herself survives half a ton of masonry crashing down as she attempts to find information leading to the whereabouts of her disappeared father.
In the meantime we get Todd's favourite plot ploy of having an enigmatic character hovering in the wings watching proceedings whilst agonising over some emotive insanity. This time the person is called `Scarecrow'. Over a period time the original reason for Claudia's arrival in Gaul disappears from the plot and Marcus' hunt for the gang becomes centre stage. Claudia manages to unravel the secret of the Scarecrow, figure out who the killer really is (the culprit invariably has suffered a complete lack of a sense of reality which is a common theme in Todd's culprits - a trend which is making it easier to identify the probable solution in her recent novels) save Marcus again and indulge in a `will they won't they' dance of love with the dashing policeman.
Actually, the lack of movement in their relationship is becoming a trifle irritating. Todd needs to move their relationship on. Less of the increasing references to `heaving bosoms' and `dark ringlets of hair' and `sandalwood musk' and more development in the relationship is now needed.
Claudia's last installment was definitely the worst so it was highly probable this had to be better. Yet, it's not in the top five by any means and it is increasingly apparent we have another Roman sleuth who doesn't travel well. To date the plots set in Rome are far crisper. Hopefully Claudia will be back in Rome for number twelve but the enigmatic decision by Marcus at the close might scupper this.
We'll see...

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Yet, October 24, 2005

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)

Claudia the beautiful widow of a deceased wine merchant has left the fleshpots of Rome on a mission to find her father who vanished without trace 15 years ago leaving a broken hearted wife and ten year old Claudia to fend for themselves. He had gone into Gaul with the Roman legions and never been heard of since.

When Claudia reaches the place of his disappearance her persistent questions about her father stir up a hornets nest of intrigue and subterfuge. It seems nobody wants to talk about what happened 15 years ago, particularly the Chief Druid of the area. However it is not long before Claudia is befriended by Marcia, who is said to be the richest woman in that area of Gaul. Marcia insists that a Roman matron of Claudia's standing cannot stay alone in an inn and takes her back to her private villa.

It is not long before Orbilio from the secret police turns up at the villa, as he never seems to be far from wherever Claudia happens to be and their love hate relationship continues to smoulder.

Orbilio is on the trail of some child abductors who are running their dirty business from the local town and he receives help from an unlikely quarter. Several young women have also gone missing from the area, are the two crimes tied together and has the man called the `Scarecrow' who is living wild in the woods surrounding Marcia's villa anything to do with the crimes . . .