Speculator

by Neil Denby Book 6 in the Quintus Roman Thrillers series.

First published 2026

Amazon

4.3(410)

First-spear centurion Julius Quintus Quirinius and his irregulars enter the service of Nero Claudius Drusus, who has been charged with stabilising Gaul and expanding Roman power into Germania. Quintus is sent to secure an alliance with the Frisians, whose control of the coastal lands near the Rhine makes them important to any northern campaign.

The mission develops into a voyage farther north than Quintus and his comrades have travelled before. Distance, uncertain diplomacy and the men’s growing doubt threaten both the expedition and Quintus’s oath to return to Rome and care for Ursus’s family. Acting as speculator requires intelligence gathering and negotiation as well as combat, but failure will leave the cohort isolated beyond the practical reach of Roman support.