A new emperor. A treacherous plot. A team of outcasts with nothing to lose.

AD 117. Emperor Trajan is dead. Hadrian is his heir. But his plans to abandon Trajan's territory gains is resented by the Senate. A deadly conspiracy of senators is formed to prevent him becoming emperor.

The official bodyguards cannot be trusted and enemies are hidden in plain sight. Enter Hadrian's Jackals - expendable, deniable spies secretly assembled by Empress Plotina to protect the emperor.

Tasked with uncovering a ruthless assassination plot the Jackals must survive gladiators, deadly assassins, and the cutthroat politics of the elite. Operating in the shadows, these five outcasts are all that stands between Hadrian and certain death.

But what can an escaped slave, a bankrupt gambler, a heartbroken ex-centurion, an exiled poet with anger management problems and a retired Vestal Virgin do? And what will be the consequences if they fail? For the empire. And themselves.

Praise for Alex Gough:

'A bold and exciting recreation of the Roman world' Harry Sidebottom 'A compelling and admirably detailed opening act to what promises to be a truly epic saga.' Ian Ross

'Roman fiction has a new master in Alex Gough.' S. J. A. Turney