Another exciting action/adventure in this series. Marcus himself goes undercover to Britannia to find his agens Benedictus and also to gather intelligence for Count Theodosius, who wants to clean up the situation in Britannia. Sea raiders have come there from all directions and are laying waste to the island and its people. Emperor Valentinian is paying no attention to his British possession; he's fixated on fighting and defeating a Germanic tribe. Marcus discovers in Britannia more than he reckoned with--a rogue arcanus, a conspiracy along with a home-grown usurper, Valentinus, who plans to rule the island himself. All or part of the island will be renamed "Valentia". Marcus' escape from the gold mine had my heart in my mouth.

Very highly recommended. One of the better in the series. ( )