Excerpt from The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

And I am flung out over the water, landing with a splash, cold cold, and I sink, unable to swim or even cry out. Then strong hands grasp me, pull me mercifully out of the water, and I can breathe. I am hauled onto the deck, where my uncle stands, hands on hips, laughing.

"Better luck next time, eh Chaerea? You are too softhearted, to rescue such flotsam. Anything born of my sister can come to no good."

Excerpted from The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George. Copyright © 2017 by Margaret George. Excerpted by permission of Berkley Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.