
The Fatal Scroll
A Herculaneum Mystery
by Eric Siblin
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Pub Date 6 May 2025 | Archive Date 15 Apr 2025
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Description
“[Siblin] offers intrigue, brings history to life and skillfully weaves them into a compelling storyline.” — Edwards Book Club Reviews
A murder mystery about the shady side of the antiquities trade, ancient philosophy, and tech’s utopian promises.
Marcus Sinclair is a history teacher whose life is stuck in neutral when he inherits a papyrus scroll from his antiquarian uncle. The mysterious scroll might contain a lost masterpiece from ancient Rome or perhaps an ancient recipe for personal tranquility, but it’s unreadable unless Marcus can figure out a way to unroll the scroll without destroying it. His quest takes him to Naples, where he befriends a Google software engineer days before the man is found dead. Marcus is interviewed by an investigative journalist, Kristi Grainger, and they find themselves on parallel paths leading to a Neapolitan trafficker in antiquities, a tech mogul obsessed with the distant past, and a clutch of academics searching for the lost library of Herculaneum. In a seaside city that is by turns lush and lethal, Marcus must confront the unraveling of more than a scroll.
A murder mystery about the shady side of the antiquities trade, ancient philosophy, and tech’s utopian promises.
Marcus Sinclair is a history teacher whose life is stuck in neutral when he inherits a papyrus scroll from his antiquarian uncle. The mysterious scroll might contain a lost masterpiece from ancient Rome or perhaps an ancient recipe for personal tranquility, but it’s unreadable unless Marcus can figure out a way to unroll the scroll without destroying it. His quest takes him to Naples, where he befriends a Google software engineer days before the man is found dead. Marcus is interviewed by an investigative journalist, Kristi Grainger, and they find themselves on parallel paths leading to a Neapolitan trafficker in antiquities, a tech mogul obsessed with the distant past, and a clutch of academics searching for the lost library of Herculaneum. In a seaside city that is by turns lush and lethal, Marcus must confront the unraveling of more than a scroll.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781770418400 |
PRICE | US$19.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 240 |
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Featured Reviews

After receiving a papyrus scroll from his uncle, an antiquarian, Marcus Sinclair, a history teacher, finds his life in a rut. Unreadable until Marcus can figure out how to unroll the mystery scroll without it being damaged, it may hold a lost masterwork from ancient Rome. What comes next is a thrilling conspiracy adventure tale with outstanding characters and a great ending.
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