Under Saturn's Shadow - Marjorie Loup

What if the most sacred date on our calendar wasn't a celebration, but a historical crime scene?

December 303 A.D. Lucius Valerius Corvinus, an idealistic jurist sent from Rome, arrives at the remote fortress of Durostorum on the frozen Danube frontier. His mission seems simple: investigate corruption within a forgotten legion of the Empire.

But as the camp prepares for Saturnalia-a week of institutionalized chaos where the world is turned upside down-Lucius uncovers a terrifying truth. The ritual of the "King of Saturnalia," which he believed to be a harmless game, is actually a literal death sentence: every year, a soldier is chosen for ritual sacrifice to ensure the sun's return.

When fate selects Decimus, a young, innocent soldier, Lucius is faced with an impossible choice: remain silent and become an accomplice, or defy a tyrannical Legate who rules through fear and superstition. He has only seven days. Seven days of madness and revelry to dismantle an ancestral conspiracy, armed only with his wits and an ancient, heretical manuscript that reveals the secrets of a spiritual war raging for the very soul of Rome.

Under Saturn's Shadow is a gripping historical mystery that dives into forgotten archives, revealing the staggering truth hidden behind our oldest traditions.

Discover the bloody origin of Christmas and the secret the Empire tried to bury beneath the snow.