King's shadow : a novel of King Herod's court
(Book)

Series numeration from author's website.

Includes bibliographic references (pages 371-372).

"Two women occupy a place in Herod’s court: the first, Salome, is the king’s only sister, a resentful woman who has been told she is from an inferior race, a people God will never accept. The second woman, Zara, is a lowly handmaid who serves Salome, but where Salome spies conspiracies and treachery, Zara sees people in need of understanding and compassion. The powerful and the powerless, the Idumean and the Jew, the selfish and the selfless—both women struggle to reach their goals and survive in Herod the Great’s tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe." -- author's website.