From Publishers Weekly
Set in 72 B.C., during the slave revolt led by Spartacus, Saylor's ( Roman Blood ) second historical mystery follows Roman PI Gordianus the Finder to the resort of Baiae on the Bay of Naples. The cousin and factotum of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome, has been bludgeoned to death, apparently by two slaves who have run away. An ancient Roman law decrees that when a master is killed by a slave, the remainder of the household's slaves must be slaughtered. Gordianus and his adopted son Eco have three days to find the real murderer and save the villa's other 99 slaves. A convoluted plot reveals fraud, embezzlement and arms smuggling (spears and swords traded for silver and jewels); sensuously written subplots hinge on arcanic poisons and clandestine love affairs among a cast that includes a Crassus's second-rate philosopher-in-residence and a retired actor who doubles as a female impersonator. Richly detailed bacchanalian feasts and mesmerizing visits to the Sybil at Cumae lead to the spellbinding conclusion, reached during fierce gladiatorial combat. 35,000 first printing; BOMC alternate; paperback rights to Fawcett; author tour. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Gordianus the Finder, detective par excellence of the Roman world, narrates the story of his attempts to find the murderer of a Roman patrician, cousin to Marcus Crassus; find the two missing slaves accused of the patrician's murder; and avert the slaughter of the remaining 99 slaves in the household. Harrison differentiates among the characters by using slight changes in inflection and by reading the narrative in a loud, matter-of-fact tone, which reflects the caustic nature of Gordianus. Saylor's elaborate description of Roman villas and countryside illustrates the tale, while Gordianus's use of logic and deduction brings the mystery to its inevitable conclusion. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Review
A compulsively entertaining whodunit."—The New York Book Review

"Saylor interweaves history and suspense into another seamless thriller . . . A marvelously authentic slice of antiquity that will serve as a savory treat for fans of both mystery and historical fiction."—Booklist

"Steven Saylor impeccably recreates life in Imperial Rome . . . an intriguing mix of historical accuracy and tense drama."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Sensuously written . . . Richly detailed baccanalian feasts and mesmerizing visits to the Sybil at Cumae lead to the spellbinding conclusion."—Publishers Weekly

"Captivating descriptions of Roman customs and mythologies, and interesting characters, enlivened from the pages of history."—San Francisco Sentinel



Review
A compulsively entertaining whodunit."—The New York Book Review

"Saylor interweaves history and suspense into another seamless thriller . . . A marvelously authentic slice of antiquity that will serve as a savory treat for fans of both mystery and historical fiction."—Booklist

"Steven Saylor impeccably recreates life in Imperial Rome . . . an intriguing mix of historical accuracy and tense drama."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Sensuously written . . . Richly detailed baccanalian feasts and mesmerizing visits to the Sybil at Cumae lead to the spellbinding conclusion."—Publishers Weekly

"Captivating descriptions of Roman customs and mythologies, and interesting characters, enlivened from the pages of history."—San Francisco Sentinel



Book Description
The hideously disfigured body was found in the atrium. The only clues are a blood-soaked cloak, and, carved into the stone at the corpse's feet, the word Sparta . . . The Overseer of Marcus Crassus's estate has been murdered, apparently by two slaves bent on joining Spartacus's revolt. The wealthy, powerful Crassus vows to honor an ancient law and have his ninety-nine remaining slaves slaughtered in three days. Gordianus the Finder is summoned from Rome by a mysterious client to find out the truth about the murder before the three days are up.



From the Publisher
My high school Latin teacher -- Sister Ethelreda, are you out there in cyberspace? -- enthralled her class for four years with her tales of ancient Rome, from culinary trivia to the deeds of the noble generals and the great Roman patriots. It was her hope, as she said, not only to teach us this beautiful language but to be able to bring to life for us the people who formed the vibrant culture that was Rome's. I heard an echo of her words many years later when I read THE FAR ARENA, in which the protagonist wished earnestly to be able to turn a doorknob in time and find the Roman behind the door.

With Steven Saylor's mysteries, we have that Roman behind the door. Set in ancient Rome before the rise of Julius Caesar, these are not your usual cozy reads. His detective, Gordianus the Finder, seems a scruffy sort, not a noble Roman from the history books by any means, and his Rome is a rough-and-tumble place full of noisy street vendors and con artists as well as more well-to-do, upstanding citizens, a city full of gossip and intrigue and nasty politics as vicious as anything we see today. The noble Romans do appear in his books, of course, but they're a far cry from the bloodless statues who watch serenely from the covers of Latin books as students painstakingly translate their dry speeches. Marcus Tullius Cicero, for one, appears in CATILINA'S RIDDLE not as a statesman but as an underhanded schemer obsessed with destroying Lucius Sergius Catilina, who has gone down in history, rightly or wrongly, as a man who attempted to bring down the Roman Republic. You, the reader, will be left to judge.

--Margaret Sanborn, Senior Publicity Copywriter

ANNOTATION

Second in the acclaimed mystery series set in Ancient Rome, starring Gordianus the Finder. The estate overseer of Rome's wealthiest citizen has been murdered. Unless the killer is caught, 99 slaves will die. To Gordianus falls the task of finding the perpetrator. Martin's.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is 72 B.C. and the Spartacus Slave Revolt is raging through the countryside of southern Italy, terrorizing the citizens of Rome, when Gordianus the Finder receives an urgent summons from a mysterious client, calling him to the luxury resort of Baiae on the Bay of Naples. The overseer of a great villa has been killed and all the evidence seems to point to two slaves believed to have since run off to join Spartacus. The master of the house is Marcus Crassus, the richest man in Rome, and he has invoked an ancient Roman law: When slave kills master, justice demands the death of every slave in the household. So in three days, as a part of the funeral games, ninety-nine slaves will be slaughtered in the arena. Crassus has been asking the Senate to grant him a special military command against Spartacus; by decreeing the harshest possible punishment against the remaining slaves, he has turned a potential political embarrassment into a political coup. The truth of the murder is more complicated than it appears; its twisted path leads Gordianus on an extraordinary journey, from a hellish descent into the hold of a Roman slave galley, to an eerie visit to the Cumaen Sibyl, ending at a harrowing gladitorial match. As the hour of the slaughter nears, Gordianus finds himself caught in a web of tantalizing but elusive evidence. But as he begins to discern the solution, he realizes the truth may lead to his own destruction.

FROM THE CRITICS

BookList - Margaret Flanagan

Saylor interweaves history and suspense into another seamless thriller featuring Gordianus the Finder, the savvy ancient Roman detective who debuted to rave reviews in "Roman Blood". In 72 B.C., at the zenith of the Spartacus slave revolt, Gordianus, a native Roman, is summarily summoned south to the elegant coastal resort of Baiae on the Bay of Naples. Though two slaves stand accused of the murder of Lucius Licinius, the cousin and employee of Marcus Crassus, one of the richest and most ambitious men in the empire, Gordianus is commissioned to unmask the real culprit. If he fails to do so within the prescribed three days, Crassus has decreed that all of the slaves serving his estate will be sacrificed as retribution during the course of the traditional funeral games. Constrained by time, circumstances, and the political realities spawned by the success of the Spartacan army, Gordianus works feverishly in order to prevent the wholesale slaughter of 99 innocent men, women, and children. A marvelously authentic slice of antiquity that will serve as a savory treat for fans of both mystery and historical fiction.

AudioFile