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Editorial Review:
Suspecting a plot against Julius Caesar, his wife Calpurnia calls on Gordianus the Finder to head it off.Now that he's resolved his Egyptian problems (The Judgment of Caesar, 2004), the Dictator of Rome has returned for four days of no-holds-barred festivals celebrating respectively his Gallic, Egyptian, Asian and African triumphs. Urged on by dire hints from her Etruscan soothsayer Porsenna and her agent Hieronymus, Calpurnia believes that someone is planning her husband's death. Her suspicions harden into certainty when Hieronymus is slain. Since Gordianus has been so successful for so long at finding the truth, she charges him to identify the ringleader Hieronymus was frightened to name even in his private notes. Mingling among a cast that includes the most illustrious people in the world - Julius Caesar, his grandnephew Octavius, his general Marc Antony, the defeated Gallic chief Vercingetorix, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her captive sister Arsinoe - Gordianus swiftly realizes that virtually everyone who's ever dealt with Caesar has sufficient grounds to wish him dead.Gordianus doesn't distinguish himself as a detective, and readers possessed of historical hindsight will easily eliminate most of the high-profile suspects. Still, no contemporary novelist approaches Saylor's continued ability to bring ancient Rome to life. (Kirkus Reviews)
The eagerly awaited first full length Gordianus novel for four years.
The new novel in the "Roma Sub Rosa" series is set against the background of Caesar's stupendous quadruple triumphs in Rome in 46 BC, full of colour and spectacle. Having obliterated the opposition, Caesar is now dictator for life. In the upcoming celebrations, "Vercingetorix the Gaul" is scheduled to be executed, as is Arsinoe, the sister of Cleopatra...and Cleopatra herself is in Rome on a state visit, trying to convince Caesar to acknowledge their son as his heir.Marc Antony and Caesar are at odds; Cicero is making a fool of himself with a new teenage bride; and Caesar's wife Calpurnia, having fallen under the spell of an Etruscan soothsayer, is convinced of a plot on her husband's life. Murder and intrigue again draw Gordianus into the vortex of history. Praise for Stephen Saylor: 'Saylor's gifts include authentic historical and topographical backgrounds and...sombre themes set off the brilliant scenery and clever plotting' - "Times Literary Supplement". 'Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched...this is entertainment of the first order' - "Washington Post". 'Saylor has acquired the information of a historian but he enjoys the gifts of a born novelist' - "Boston Globe".
The new novel in the "Roma Sub Rosa" series is set against the background of Caesar's stupendous quadruple triumphs in Rome in 46 BC, full of colour and spectacle. Having obliterated the opposition, Caesar is now dictator for life. In the upcoming celebrations, "Vercingetorix the Gaul" is scheduled to be executed, as is Arsinoe, the sister of Cleopatra...and Cleopatra herself is in Rome on a state visit, trying to convince Caesar to acknowledge their son as his heir.Marc Antony and Caesar are at odds; Cicero is making a fool of himself with a new teenage bride; and Caesar's wife Calpurnia, having fallen under the spell of an Etruscan soothsayer, is convinced of a plot on her husband's life. Murder and intrigue again draw Gordianus into the vortex of history. Praise for Stephen Saylor: 'Saylor's gifts include authentic historical and topographical backgrounds and...sombre themes set off the brilliant scenery and clever plotting' - "Times Literary Supplement". 'Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched...this is entertainment of the first order' - "Washington Post".
'Saylor has acquired the information of a historian but he enjoys the gifts of a born novelist' - "Boston Globe".
Steven Saylor is the author of the critically acclaimed historical mystery novels set in ancient Rome, the Roma sub Rosa series, featuring Gordianus the Finder. He divides his time between Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Minor Saylor Steven Saylor returns to his Gordianus series and the result, although welcome is something of a disappointment. A somewhat slender and short story offers only transitory pleasures. But Saylor is a master storyteller and sage on all things Roman, so a sub par Roma Sub Rosa novel still eclipses his many rivals. A minor entry in the series and not the best starting point for newcomers, but for completists and fans a must buy.
A poor ending for a great character This was a real disappointment. The beauty of Saylor's books was always the sensitive and intricate way he used the mystery stories of Gordianus the Finder to inform and enlighten the reader about Roman society and history. But Gordianus was - to me - always the heart and soul of the story. Saylor clearly knows Rome back and forward, in and out. But its fair to say recent entries in the series have begun to use Gordianus as the device rather than Rome. The low point came with Roma (not a Gordianus book)... more info
Book Eleven in the Roma Sub Rosa Series Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California and has a huge number of fans of the Sub Rosa series he has written featuring Gordianus the Finder. For avid readers of Saylor's books, this one will have been well worth waiting for, particularly as it features the return of the wonderful character of Gordianus the Finder, Ancient Rome's answer to the modern day private detective. Gordianus,... more info
