The Latinist is a modern day reimagining of the Apollo and Daphne myth, a page-turning suspense novel of power, ambition, love and obsession. The plot is intertwined with ancient Roman archaeological sites, necropolises, ancient texts, and Oxford University academia. The Bernini sculpture at Rome's Borghese Gallery depicts the climax moment of the Apollo and Daphne story from Ovid's Metamorphosis. As Apollo relentlessly pursues Daphne she realizes she has no way to escape his aggression other than to make the ultimate sacrifice and transform herself into a laurel tree. The Latinist is a contemporary retelling of the Apollo and Daphne myth through the contorted and obsessive relationship between the book's two protagonists: Oxford classics professor and mentor Chris Eccles and PhD candidate and mentee Tessa Templeton.