Second Book in the Sub Rosa Series
|
Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in his childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both here in England and also in America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill and integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important men in Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet and not susceptible to bribery.
Marcus Crassus is the wealthiest man in Rome. Apart from all his property and businesses in Rome he has a fine villa in the Gulf of Puteoli. When his estate manager is found murdered it seems pretty obvious to the great man that the deed was done by two of his missing slaves. A renegade gladiator called Spartacus is mounting a rebellion and two of Crassus's slaves are missing, probably run off to join the Slave Revolt.
Crassus vows that unless the missing slaves are found within 5 days he will massacre his remaining slave. It falls to Gordianus to find out the truth of the matter and in a place riddled with intrigue and secrets Gordianus realises that all is not as it seems and the deeper he delves the more danger he is bringing upon himself.
|
|
|
Second Book in the Sub Rosa Series
|
Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in his childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both here in England and also in America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill and integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important men in Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet and not susceptible to bribery.
Marcus Crassus is the wealthiest man in Rome. Apart from all his property and businesses in Rome he has a fine villa in the Gulf of Puteoli. When his estate manager is found murdered it seems pretty obvious to the great man that the deed was done by two of his missing slaves. A renegade gladiator called Spartacus is mounting a rebellion and two of Crassus's slaves are missing, probably run off to join the Slave Revolt.
Crassus vows that unless the missing slaves are found within 5 days he will massacre his remaining slave. It falls to Gordianus to find out the truth of the matter and in a place riddled with intrigue and secrets Gordianus realises that all is not as it seems and the deeper he delves the more danger he is bringing upon himself.
|
|
Another excellent book
|
|
I also followed Roman Blood with this one. Surprisingly this is set several years later. It is once again excellently written with a good detailed description of roman culture and draws the reader in very rapidly. I look forward to reading the rest!
|
|
|
A rewarding read
|
Although superficially similar to the Falco series by Lindsey Davis, I found this book to be much superior.
To me, Gordianus is the more real character of the two - more human, more fallible, less of a wise cracking smart arse. Okay, so the book wasn't as funny (although there is wit) but it seemed to be a richer novel because of this.
The sights and sounds of Roman life are graphically detailed - perhaps a little too much in the scenes set on a galley - the author has obviously done stacks of research, but he wears it lightly, and facts aren't crammed in at the expense of plot.
I'll be searching out more by this author!
|
|
|
As good as Roman Blood (i.e. very good)
|
|
After finishing Roman Blood I immediately started Arms of Nemesis and liked it as much. Not set in Rome but in the south of Italy, Gordianus is faced with another mystery and gets tangled up with the formidable Marcus Crassus. One of the things I like a lot is that Gordianus keeps developing (as a real human being would) and the set of characters surrounding him keeps growing (in this book Meto, adoptive son of Gordianus). Add to that an intelligent mix of real and fictional characters and you have all the necessary ingredients for a first-rate historical detective story (which probably makes it sound a lot easier than it is to write one). On to the third book in the series!
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada