The Fatal Scroll

Marcus Sinclair is a history teacher whose life is stuck in neutral when he inherits a papyrus scroll from his antiquarian uncle. The mysterious scroll might contain a lost masterpiece from ancient Rome or perhaps an ancient recipe for personal tranquility, but it's unreadable unless Marcus can figure out a way to unroll the scroll without destroying it. His quest takes him to Naples, where he befriends a Google software engineer days before the man is found dead. Marcus is interviewed by an investigative journalist, Kristi Grainger, and they find themselves on parallel paths leading to a Neapolitan trafficker in antiquities, a tech mogul obsessed with the distant past, and a clutch of academics searching for the lost library of Herculaneum. In a seaside city that is by turns lush and lethal, Marcus must confront the unraveling of more than a scroll.
This novel is inspired by a real place - the Villa dei Papri, the only library from antiquity to have survived - and coincides with the Vesuvius Challenge, a real-life international competition to decipher Herculaneum scrolls. A literary murder mystery about the shady side of the antiquities trade, ancient philosophy, and tech's utopian promises.
Eric Siblin is the bestselling author of The Cello Suites, which was translated into 13 languages, named a Book of the Year in 2010 by The Economist, and nominated for five literary awards. He is also the author of Studio Grace, published alongside an album of original music. He lives in Montreal.
Sales and Market Bullets




• THE THRILLING, SHADY SIDE OF THE ANTIQUITIES TRADE: Move over Antiques Roadshow, the antiquities trade has edge-of-your-seat drama, scintillating secrets, and breathtaking discoveries that will thrill readers long after they turn the last page. The Fatal Scroll is a literary murder mystery about the shady side of the antiquities trade, ancient philosophy, and tech's utopian promises.


• FOR FANS OF: National Treasure, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Dan Brown, James Rollins, William Dietrich, Clive Cussler, Robert Harris, Chris Pavone, and Steve Berry.


• BASED ON THE REAL-LIFE VESUVIUS CHALLENGE: With over one million dollars awarded to date, the Vesuvius Challenge aims to resurrect ancient history from the Herculaneum scrolls. Released in time with the 2025 Vesuvius Challenge, The Fatal Scroll captures the adrenaline of this real-life race to decode history.