The year is 101 BC and the people of Rome and Italy face extinction as a huge barbarian horde marches south. The Cimbri have destroyed one Roman army after another in their seemingly unstoppable advance. Now one last force stands in their way - an army of released jailbirds, retired veterans, and unskilled teenagers, together with a motley collection of allies whose only common feature is their unreliability.However, the commander of this hastily-assembled force has one powerful weapon at his disposal - Lucius Panderius, spy and counter-intelligence officer extraordinary. Unfortunately, Lucius has first to survive a lethal conspiracy by his own side, find a murderer, and discover the identity of the spy who has put the very survival of Rome in doubt. After that, dealing with a hundred thousand or so bloodthirsty barbarian warriors should be relatively straightforward ...The Blood-Red Sunset follows the two previous adventures of Lucius Panderius in The Gold of Tolosa and The Servant of Aphrodite, and combines non-stop action and excitement with meticulous historical research.