"Exciting historical thriller"

Once Vitas was part of Nero's inner circle until at a feast he tried to choke the emperor because the ruler planned to have his way with his wife Sophia, a follower of Christos. He was supposed to be sent to the arena to die but a group of powerful Romans set in motion a plan that would have someone else take his place while he was sent to Alexandria, with John, THE LAST DISCIPLE who wrote the letter of revelation on Patmos.

The people who saved Vitas believe he has a chance of killing Nero once he gathers the puzzle pieces that they sent to various people in the empire and deciphers them. Vitas doesn't know that his Sophia mourns his death, not even receiving comfort from her belief in Christos. Damian, Vitas' brother and a slave hunter is looking for John to return him to Rome but Vilas convinces him to help him on his journey to Caesarea and Jerusalem to find out just what his saviors hope he can accomplish to rid the empire of an insane monarch.

This second book in The Last Disciple's series is an exciting thriller as Vitas tries to stay one step ahead of his enemies while trying to figure out what role he is to play in toppling Nero from the throne. The authors have done such a good job of historical research that the audience will feel like they actually witness the events that occur in the novel. Thus readers will find this book so educational and entertaining they will finish it in one sitting.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 25, 2005

Summary

Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needsa letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero. As Nero's reign of terror grows, so does his circle of enemies.