Books by Lorraine Blundell

WINNER SILVER AWARDLiterary Titan Pass into the town of Herculaneum and feel the ancient volcanic paving stones beneath your feet as you tread the narrow streets. Gaze up at the ruined buildings, many with their top storeys still there, and stop by the ornate street fountains as residents did once to drink. Who were these people? And who was the man imprisoned in the town's locked room with the barred window?Lucius Calpurnius Piso, is master of the huge, exquisite villa perched on the clifftop on the fringe of town. He is wealthy and the guardian of a hidden horde of the Emperor's gold.Alexus, Calpurnius' friend, is a Greek trader of antiquities. What has he found that is so special it's worth a fortune?Frontius, master fresco painter is close to retirement and in poverty after his wife walked out with all of their savings.Livia, a sharp-tongued, wealthy matron is married to one of the most disliked men in Herculaneum. She is in dispute with Frontius about his fee.Prima, the most beautiful and famous courtesan in Herculaneum and Pompeii, has an unusual secret.Cassia, a pleasant, chatty woman is the owner of the town's only luxury hotel. She is liked by all. Who would seek to do her damage?Their fates become tangled together as Vesuvius erupts. Who will live and who will die? And what will happen to the survivors?

AWARD WINNER: Literary Titan 'A riveting fictional story.'THE LIFE AND DEATH OF POPPAEA (POPPY) EMPRESS OF ROME30 A.D. The Roman Empire approaches the peak of its power and human life is of so little value, it can be snuffed out like a candle's flame. A girl known as Poppy is born to a minor patrician family in the relatively insignificant city of Pompeii. She becomes a stunningly beautiful and intelligent young woman, but one day her life is changed forever.The victim of an act of indescribable evil, Poppy is filled with a white, hot anger that demands revenge. Intent on destroying those who have caused her such pain, she rises higher and higher in influence, until she is the most powerful and wealthy woman in the whole of the Roman Empire. She becomes Empress of Rome.Fiercely loyal to those few she trusts and to the city where she was born, Poppy's friendship with her childhood friend, Farzana, anchors and supports her. This is the story of the real Empress barely touched on by the ancient Roman historians. In an age of murder, greed and obsessive ambition, she clings to her love for Pompeii and is loved in return by its people. As Pompeii's destruction by Vesuvius grows ever closer, she risks losing everything. But there is one secret that can never be destroyed.

In 47 BC, Cleopatra, young and ruthlessly ambitious, has been reinstated on the throne of Egypt, having captivated the ageing Roman general, Julius Caesar. Her half-sister, Arsinoe, is taken to Rome as a prisoner under sentence of execution after being removed from the Egyptian throne. Cleopatra, confident of her hold over Caesar and the security of Egypt, schemes to gain ultimate power over the Roman Empire for herself and their son. Cleopatra's victims grow as she murders not only one of her younger brothers but anyone else who stands in her way. Caesar invites her to Rome, a hotbed of intrigue and political turmoil, where she creates enemies amongst some of Rome's most influential senators. There is one opponent, however, who will be more than a match for her.And what of Arsinoe, the other queen? Why wasn't she executed as custom decreed after Caesar's Egyptian Triumph? The result of this decision will shake Cleopatra's world to its very core, as Arsinoe fights for survival and to regain her rightful place as queen of Egypt.