S panning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people.Interestingly enough, the mystery is based on Cicero’s first real case.This is the web site of author Steven Saylor.Īn epic family saga that begins at the dawn of history and spans the course of the Roman Empire-from Romulus the first king to Constantine the first Christian emperor.ĭaily Express (London): “Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens.” I mostly enjoyed this one and enjoyed the historical detail, although the writing style is pretty dry. Gordianus lives near the Subura, the slums, and he goes through it several times. The mystery itself is pretty complicated and forces Gordianus to go around and meet all sorts of people, showcasing Rome and its people, both poor and rich. But since she’s a slave, she can’t choose. She’s depicted as pretty headstrong woman so I guess Saylor implies that the sex is consensual on her part, too. Gordianus himself owns a half-Egyptian female slave, Bethesda, and he sleeps with her several times. We also get to know that slaves can testify at court, but only under torture. Saylor doesn’t sweep away the slavery but has ”good” owners and also the ones who berate and beat their slaves whenever they want. While the wealthy take shelter from the hot sun, the slaves toil away, doing all the real work. The book has excellent descriptions of Rome and the culture at the time. The case turns out to be quite a bit more complex than he thought at first. He inspects the place where the father was killed, interviews different kinds of people, walks up and down Rome itself, and even makes a short trip to the countryside. Gordianus isn’t too keen to get mixed in such a case but he needs the money so he takes the case. Cicero has just accepted his first law case, involving a suspected patricide. So after dallying in his house for a while, curing his hangover, Gordianus and the slave, Tiro, head to Cicero’s house. Gordianus has never heard of the young man who is just starting his career as an orator and a lawyer. A young slave comes to him early in the morning, asking him to go and meet with the slave’s master, Marcus Tullius Cicero. He’s a Roman citizen but hasn’t inherited wealth, so must work for his living.
Gordianus is called the Finder because he’s an investigator. Can be read as a stand-alone but it’s the first book in the Roma Sub Rosa mystery series. A historical murder mystery set in 80 BC in the Roman Republic.
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