Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, is dead.
The Empire’s new leader, Tiberius, is vulnerable. As mutinous legions rise and Tiberius struggles to control even his own formidable mother, Livia, the ripples of uncertainty reach even the shores of Tomis on the Black Sea.
There, the exiled poet Ovid dares to hope that a new emperor will finally bring him home.
But Rome has a long memory and Ovid’s old enemy Sejanus is now the ruthless commander of the Praetorian Guard.
His agent Philemon, once Ovid’s own servant, arrives in Tomis with orders to assess the exile’s loyalty. What Philemon finds is that Ovid has a mysterious visitor.
Ovid has received instructions from Livia herself as she entrusts him with a boy named Gaius, a child whose imperial bloodline could threaten Tiberius himself. Ovid must protect the boy and keep his presence hidden if he wants to secure Livia’s support.
When Ovid’s wife recognises Philemon, the spy vanishes, only to be found murdered on the road out of Tomis.
With Rome demanding answers and the hostile legate Flaccus probing the death, suspicion turns toward Ovid. He and his steadfast friend Avitius must uncover the truth while shielding young Gaius at all costs.
Sejanus may be halfway across the Empire, but that will not stop him pursuing Ovid, his friends and Gaius. As the shadows close in, Ovid finally pieces together the dreadful truth behind his own banishment.
Written in Blood by Fiona Forsyth is published as an ebook on 13 February, 2026. It’s the third in her Publius Ovidius Mysteries.
For more new historical fiction, have a look at Historia’s list of books coming out in 2026 — there are more than 120 of them.
