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Marilyn Todd was born in Harrow, but now lives in West Sussex with her husband and two cats. Dark Horse is the eighth Roman mystery to feature the beautiful but formidable Claudia Seferius.

A High Priestess Iliona Ancient Greek Mystery - For High Priestess Iliona, unparalleled happiness would mean staying in Sparta, but Lysander, head of the secret police, needs her help to track down some stolen gold. The trail leads to a new lakeside posting station – which proves to be a hotbed of adultery and lies. Iliona’s arrival coincides with the seemingly accidental death of an Olympic wrestler, but she soon discovers that out there a secret shared means a death warrant signed, and that betrayal can come from the unlikeliest of sources . . .

Publishers Weekly

In Todd's well-plotted third mystery set in fifth-century B.C.E. Greece, Lysander, the head of the Spartan secret police known as the Krypteia, again turns for help to Iliona, the high priestess of the Temple of Eurotas and sometime sleuth, though she's still recovering from the murderous attack on her at the end of 2009's Blood Moon. Gregos, the agent Lysander assigned to investigate thefts from several caravans transporting gold dust, is missing and presumed dead. Another suspicious death follows when Olympic wrestling champion Nobilor's chariot, which apparently was tampered with, crashes into a ravine. Todd does a good job of laying out the military and political situation of the day, but the repeated use of such modern idioms as "trophy wife" and "love 'em and leave 'em" will jar on the ears of readers who prefer more formal speech in their ancient historicals. Still, everyone will appreciate the solid puzzle and the intriguing lead character. (July)