The Used Virgin: An Argolicus Mystery

By Zara Altair

After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths.

A corrupt governor. A young girl. An old man. Argolicus unravels the threads.

When a life-long friend disappears, a peaceful retreat to the provinces turns into a challenge to the local governor for Argolicus.

A cruel slander originates from the venal governor. When Argolicus visits the governor, he discovers an unscrupulous plot destined to impoverish his friend. When his lifelong tutor overhears a comment, they set out to find their friend only to discover base cruelty and a secret plot.
.
A plot that challenges the King’s people, the roots of Roman civility, and his friend’s life.

Affronted, he pursues the thread. Little does he know that his investigation will pitch him in a fight with thugs and ultimately set him head-to-head with the governor.

5 Stars “A rich tapestry of interactions that serve to draw the reader deeper in...”
“The feel of a time long passed as a mystery unfolds.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zara Altair
• Release date: Mar 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311606280

Zara Altair

Zara Altair combines mystery with a bit of adventure in the Argolicus mysteries. The Used Virgin is the first in a series of mysteries based in southern Italy at the time of the Ostrogoth rule of Italy under Theoderic the Great. Italians (Romans) and Goths live under one king while the Roman Empire is ruled from Constantinople. At times the cultures clash, but Argolicus uses his wit, sometimes with help from his tutor Nikolaos, to provide justice in a province far from the King’s court. Zara Altair lives in Beaverton, Oregon. She is a fiction author writing in the historical fiction genre. Her approach to writing is to present the puzzle and let Argolicus and Nikolaos find the solution encountering a bit of adventure and some humor in their search. Her stories are rich in historical detail based on years of research. The next mystery in the series, The Peach Widow, is coming soon.

Book preview

Zara Altair

The Used Virgin

An Argolicus Mystery

First published by Fervent Crux Press in 2016

Copyright © Zara Altair, 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

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Contents

Welcome to Another Time

Politics No More

The Horse Trade

The Search

A Bath and A Letter

Thank You

Meet the Author

The Peach Widow

Welcome to Another Time

Thanks for reading The Used Virgin.

You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like a good mystery and diving into another time.

If you enjoy The Used Virgin,please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated. Thank you.

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Enter the world of Argolicus.

With few exceptions, the western world was at peace in the year 512 after Christ’s birth. Warlords were plotting in the Balkans either for the East or the West, but mainly for their own power. Rumblings in Persian borderlands perhaps threatened the Roman Empire as seated in Constantinople. The most recent disturbances—betrayals, if you will—of the Frankish kingdoms had been settled some five years. Bishops and clergy squabbled over textual interpretations of the Gospel, patristic writings, or Patriarchal proclamations, as usual, some in a huff, others with conciliatory leanings. Vandals had controlled northern Africa for almost 100 years. The Visigoths ruled Spain and traded with avarice. In Italy affairs of concern were mainly internal—the parallel Roman law and Ostrogoth legal systems ran under the regal Edicts guided by a sense of civility, providing structure for dispute resolution.

1

Politics No