The Ghosts of our Ancestors

Lemuria: an annual event when householders in Ancient Rome drive the spirits of the dead from their homes by shouting 'Ghosts of our fathers and ancestors be gone!' and clanging metal pots with sticks and utensils. Flavia Albia and her husband Tiberius Manlius have lived in their house for less than a year and Albia has her doubts whether the ceremony is necessary. That is, until some distant relatives, the Bassi, arrive from Britain.

At first it appears they are only interested in scrounging some of her family's newfound wealth, but they bring with them ghosts of their own. The shocking murder of one of the Emperor's counter-intelligence officers in a barroom brawl involving cousin Publius reveals a hidden motive for the visit. When it is revealed that the victim is the son of a man who allegedly poisoned the Bassi's father decades before, Flavia must ask: is the death revenge or an accident? With only days to clear Publius's name before his execution, truly there are ghosts to be exorcised now ...