Is there a jewel thief on board? A murderer?

A Roman cargo ship like the one Miriam and Phoebe took to Caesarea in THE DEADLIEST HATE (see my blog of April 14, 2015), the Thalia brings Miriam’s old friend, the potbellied dwarf Nathaniel ben Ruben, from Ephesus to Alexandria in THE DEADLIEST FEVER (the fourth Miriam bat Isaac mystery, no date yet for its release). Could a jewel thief and murderer also be aboard that ship?

Sea travel was far easier than walking or riding a mule or mule-drawn wagon overland, but it was still perilous. Ship captains, however, reduced the likelihood of disaster by following a gamut of superstitions. First, they performed a pre-sail sacrifice of usually a sheep or a bull. Still, they might have to delay a departure for a sneeze on the gangplank; a crow or magpie perching on the rigging; or a dream of turbid waters, a wild boar, or a goat, especially a black one. (Goats presaged big waves.) But how could the captain protect his passengers from a thief or murderer?

You too can board the Thalia, but do your homework first. Read THE DEADLIEST LIE and THE DEADLIEST HATE (winner of honorable mention for fiction in the 2016 New York Book Festival). Each is a click away on Amazon. Then you’ll be ready for THE DEADLIEST SPORT, coming soon, and prepared for the release of THE DEADLIEST FEVER.