Product Description

Caesar is marching on Rome: his intent, civil war. Pompey and the terrified Senate prepare to flee the city. The murder of a visitor to the house of Gordianus the Finder could not occur at a worse time - especially since the dead man is Pompey's favourite cousin and may have been a very dangerous spy. Pompey commands Gordianus to find the killer, threatening terrible penalties for failure. Amid the chaos overtaking Rome, through the worsening conflict, torn himself by conflicting loyalties, Gordianus must pursue the trail on a deadly journey into the thick of war - although what he finds will shake his sense of right and wrong to the core. Steven Saylor recreates a world without certainties, an empire destroyed by intrigue and internecine war, where murder and espionage pollute the ways of power and the towering figures of history are also the engineers of the empire's destruction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67509 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Steven Saylor's seventh instalment in his Roma Sub Rosa series begins with a character saying, "Pompey will be mightily pissed." Scholars might argue that there is no evidence of this particular synonym for anger ever being used in 49 BC, but the author would no doubt respond that poetic license includes doing whatever it takes to bridge the gap for modern audiences. And indeed, the head of the Roman Senate is mightily pissed. Rome is on the verge of another civil war and the forces of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony have crossed the Rubicon River and are marching toward the capital. To top it all off, one of Pompey's favourite cousins has been garrotted to death.

Before Pompey flees the city, he asks Rome's greatest detective, Gordianus the Finder, to solve the murder. But Pompey has reason to distrust Gordianus, who may have an allegiance with Caesar. To force his loyalty, Pompey seizes the detective's son-in-law and makes him join his household army. By doing so, he ensures that Gordianus's involvement in the coming conflict will be a very personal one. Confused and troubled, Gordianus walks through Rome toward the house of his former friend and mentor, the poet Cicero. "All around me, I felt the uneasiness of the city, like a sleeper in the throes of a nightmare." Awakening from the nightmare, surviving the chaos and solving this whodunit will be the Finder's toughest battle yet. --Dick Adler

Review
"Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking, his writing enthrals." Ruth Rendell "Engrossing... Simmering with eroticism... An absorbing brew of Rome's decay." Publishers Weekly on The Venus Throw "How wonderful, to have a scholar write about ancient Rome; how comforting, to feel instant confidence in the historical accuracy of a novel." Sunday Times on A Murder on the Appian Way"

About the Author
Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he has now completed numerous novels featuring Gordianus the Finder. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Customer Reviews

Opens a window few history books manage
It's like you're meeting an old friend, but this older, mellowed Gordianus still keeps the Sherlock touch from the outset. As before, the everyday detail of ordinary life (often shocking and surprising in itself) and familiar style are what makes these Roman citizens really come to life. The historical figures too are cleverly rounded to show both weaknesses and strengths. By the end of the book you almost feel you want to climb into the pages and beg him for the answer to the problem that he has been dangling in front of us, and you're not let down - it's an explosive ending that will leave you genuinely stunned for days. It's also been a personal inspiration to go on and read original accounts of say, Caesar's own 'Conquest of Gaul' which, thanks to Steven Saylor, reads more like Caesar's European Tour than a translated Latin text. Veni, vedi, I got the T shirt!

A wonderful evocation of life in ancient Rome
Having read all of Steven Saylor's previous novels, I couldn't wait to read this his latest offering. I was not disappointed. Once again the detective story is set against the backdrop of actual historical events. However, in addition to allowing us to meet such luminaries as Cicero and Caesar, Saylor also gives us an insight into the minutiae of Roman Life - the reader is really made to appreciate what it was like to live in those times. It would not be fair to discuss the plot, but suffice to say there is a brilliant twist in the tale.

Good but not his best
Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series is one of the best of the current crop of detectives in the ancient world. His mission is to plot the decline and fall of the Roman Republic from around 80BC to 40BC, through the life of one man - Gordianus the Finder - and his family.
Gordianus ages from 30 to 70 during the process -- which is quite a novel step for a whodunnit character (most of them either seem to age not at all, or do so very slowly). So to get the best out of them, you really do need to read them in chronological order.
All his novels are firmly grounded in the historical background of the crumbling political scene, and Rubicon is no exception - the final outbreak of civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
However, unlike earlier books in the series, it is not strictly a whodunnit. Indeed it reads a bit like an expanded short story -- the plot is brief - especially when compared to other works in this series.
I think it's a bold departure by Steven Saylor from the earier books, but for me it did not work quite as well because of this. However I will certainly read subesequent books in the series.