A ragged stranger and the prospect of losing her family's fortune lead Flavia Gemina and her friends, Jonathan, Lupus, and Nubia to a seaside villa where possible danger and treasure are close at hand.

It's October AD 79. The arrival of a ragged man at the Geminus household sets in motion a series of events which take Flavia and her three friends to an opulent villa by the sea at Laurentum, a few miles south of Ostia. Just off the coast is a sunken wreck full of treasure which could be the answer to all their problems. But someone else is after the treasure, too. As the four children try to recover it, they solve the terrible mystery of Lupus's past.

It's October AD 79. The arrival of a ragged man at the Geminus household sets in motion a series of events which take Flavia and her three friends to an opulent villa by the sea at Laurentum, a few miles south of Ostia. Just off the coast is a sunken wreck full of treasure which could be the answer to all their problems. But someone else is after the treasure, too. As the four children try to recover it, they solve the terrible mystery of Lupus's past.

When a Roman widow shows unusual interest in Flavia's father, Flavia decides to discover Cartila's true motives by performing twelve tasks, just like the Greek hero Hercules.

Jonathan goes on a secret quest to Rome, and Flavia, Nubia and Lupus set out to find him. Their dangerous mission takes them to the Golden House of Nero where a deadly assassin is rumoured to be at work - and they learn what happened to Jonathan's family during the terrible destruction of Jerusalem nine years earlier.

Jonathan's father, Doctor Mordecai, is summoned to Rome to help the plague victims. The four young detectives are wanted too, as the Emperor Titus believes that they can find the mysterious enemy who seeks Rome's destruction. Can the friends prevent disaster? And what is Jonathan's secret mission?

It is AD 79 and Mount Vesuvius has erupted, destroying Pompeii. Among the thousands of people huddled in refugee camps along the bay of Naples are Flavia Gemina and her friends, Jonathan the Jewish boy, Nubia the African slave-girl, and Lupus the mute beggar boy. When the friends discover that children are being kidnapped from the camps, they start to investigate and soon solve the mystery of the pirates of Pompeii. A terrifically exciting and dramatic story packed with superb historical detail.