In this charming late Victorian romantic suspense novel, Emily, a young and beautiful widow, regrets her husband's African hunting expedition death less than is proper. The late Philip, Viscount Ashton, had a passion for classical antiquity, and Emily, in an attempt to get to know her husband postmortem, uses her newfound independence in London to study it. In the process, she forms a friendship with Cecile du Lac, a Parisian of a certain age, and realizes that there was more to Philip than she realized—including his genuine passion and love for her. The charming Colin Hargreaves may have been involved with Philip in art forgeries, and Andrew Palmer proposes to Emily and then offers evidence that Philip is still alive. By this time, Emily and Cecile are a well-practiced team of amateur sleuths: Phillip's secrets begin to emerge, and travel to Greece provides the possibilities of a new life. Alexander makes Emily light but sympathetic, and conveys period flavor without being ponderous. Her knowledge of the ethical dilemmas posed by Victorian etiquette is considerable; sexual chemistry in particular is handled with exquisite delicacy. The archeological background will lure readers who like to dig for their clues.

Britannia, amenazada por la caída del Imperio romano y por el avance de los bárbaros, ve nacer la leyenda artúrica a través de la historia real del rey Artorius.

A fines del siglo V d.C., el Imperio romano agonizaba a causa de su decadencia interna y las embestidas bárbaras. Cuando Roma se desplomó, no fueron pocos los que pensaron que su civilización debía ser salvada de aquellos que pretendían aniquilarla. Entre ellos, se encontraba un oficial romano llamado Lucius Artorius Castus, que en la lejana Britannia decidió mantener la ley, el orden y la justicia frente a los invasores. Sus gestas prodigiosas darían lugar, con el paso del tiempo, a las leyendas artúricas.

Artorius es la novela sobre la vida real del Arturo histórico contada por el enigmático personaje que mejor lo conoció y que en los relatos míticos siempre figuró a su lado. Pero también es una narración en la que se analizan temas eternos como el amor y la lealtad, el cumplimiento del deber y la defensa de la civilización, la magia y la fe, o la preservación de la cultura y la búsqueda de la Verdad eterna.

Escrita de manera atractiva, subyugante y documentada, como corresponde al estilo literario de César Vidal, Artorius es una novela que nos conduce a las raíces del ciclo artúrico y que, al tiempo, nos recuerda que no somos tan distintos de aquellos que nos precedieron tantos siglos atrás.

THE BASIS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TV SENSATION BABYLON BERLIN

Peter Leonard’s jaw-dropping VOICES OF THE DEAD introduced us to two mortal enemies: Holocaust survivor Harry Levin and Nazi death angel Ernst Hess. Now, their struggle reaches its dramatic conclusion in BACK FROM THE DEAD.

Bahamas, 1971. Ernst Hess, missing and presumed dead, regains consciousness to find himself stuck in a hospital bed on a strange ward in a foreign country. He must do what he needs to do to get his life back and to finish the job he has been doing for decades.

Harry believes he has already stopped Hess. When he finds out that the war criminal has somehow survived, Harry must do the only thing he can do — kill Hess again — even if it means crossing continents and putting his life and the lives of those that matter to him on the line.

Action-packed and darkly humorous, BACK FROM THE DEAD is the unforgettable conclusion to a story that launches Peter Leonard into the pantheon of great suspense novelists.