A Warrington author has published her fourth book in a collection of ‘excellent’ and ‘intriguing’ novels set in the fascinating era of ancient Rome.

Fiona Forsyth, from Winwick, has released her latest and final tale in the popular trilogy titled ‘Blood and Shadows’.

The exciting narrative follows the life of young Roman lawyer, Lucius Sestius, taking the reader through the turbulent era of Julius Ceasar’s ‘brutal’ assassination and the ‘Battle of Philippi’.

Fiona describes this pivotal period as the time that ‘has it all’ with ‘wars, political upheaval and big characters’.

She said: “I studied Classics at Oxford then taught Latin and Greek at Manchester Grammar School for 25 years. I have wanted to write about the Romans for years. I find the twisted politics fascinating and every character, like Caesar or Mark Antony or Cleopatra, is larger than life.

“I feel like I have been researching for my novels all my life, by teaching Latin and Roman history for so many years. My bookshelves groan with all the books I have collected over the years. I have visited Rome, Ostia and Pompeii, and during lockdown, I found Google Earth very useful. But in the end you have to mix all that research in with a good dollop of imagination. Knowing exactly how a Roman house was built is one thing: filling it with characters is another.”

Fiona returned to Warrington recently after living in Qatar for six years where she first began writing novels and is now determined to make her mark as a writer of historical fiction.

The trilogy of roman titles includes; ‘Romes End’, ‘The Emporor’s Servant’ and ‘The Third Daughter’.

Fiona will be appearing at St Oswald’s church open day with other fellow author Jackson Beck on Saturday, 17 September.

‘Blood and Shadows’ is available on Ebook now and will be released in paperback soon.