September, A.D. 79, In Ostia, near Rome, Flavia Gemina, the sea captain's daughter, Nubia, the African girl, and Lupus, the mute boy, are celebrating their friend Jonathan's birthday. Then a visitor from the past arrives to see Jonathan's father. The next day, the visitor has disappeared--and so has Johnathan. When the three friends discover that Jonathan has gone on a secret mission to Rome, they are determined to follow him. Their mission takes them to the Golden House of the Emperor Nero, where a deadly assassin is at work, and brings them face-to-face withthe terrible destruction of Jerusalem and its impact on Jonathan's family. The Assassins of Rome is the fourth volume in the popular Roman Mysteries series, which has been widely praised for its fast-pased storytelling and its authentic depiction of Roman life.