M.C. Scott

M. C. Scott is the pen name used by Scottish novelist Manda Scott for her Rome series of historical thrillers. Originally trained as a veterinary surgeon at the University of Glasgow, Scott first established herself as a crime writer; her debut novel, Hen’s Teeth, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, while No Good Deed received an Edgar Award nomination. She later turned to historical fiction with the acclaimed Boudica: Dreaming novels, which recreate the resistance to Roman rule in first-century Britain.

Written as M. C. Scott, the four-book Rome series begins with The Emperor’s Spy and follows Sebastos Pantera, an intelligence agent serving the Roman Empire during the reign of Nero. Combining political intrigue, espionage and military history, the novels encompass the Great Fire of Rome, conflict in Judaea, the disappearance of a legionary eagle and the turbulent Year of the Four Emperors. The series shares characters and a fictional world with Scott’s earlier Boudica novels, linking Roman imperial politics with the consequences of the conquest of Britain.