Steven Saylor continues his fine Roma sub rosa series of mysteries framed by incidents in the turbulent era of late Republican Rome.
Drawn reluctantly into a web of political machination and murder, Gordianus the Finder (Saylor's toughminded sleuth) must solve a baffling crime and
extricate himself and his family from peril. The delineation of Roman life and society is extraordinary; even better are the characters--Gordianus
especially is fully realized, an intelligent, complex man of his times. Any reader of historical fiction such as "I, Claudius" as well as any mystery-lover
will enjoy this book, and will be hunting for the rest of the series as soon as they put it down. Highly recommended!