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From Amazon
This is the fifth in Steven Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" series: murder mysteries set in classical Rome just before the fall of the Empire. Once again, Saylor's sleuth is Gordoianus the Finder, a sort of Sam Spade in a toga, who is hired by the rich and infamous of Roman society to solve their personal and political troubles. This time the powerful politician Publius Clodius is murdered on an open road and as riots break out, the fate of the Republic is in doubt. The plotting is deft and the action -- both physical and intellectual -- is nonstop. Most of the characters here are heterosexual but Saylor (who also writes great erotica under the name Aaron Travis) brings a critical gay sensibility to his tales that forms the cultural and emotional crux of his work.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Turmoil strikes Rome in A.D. 52 in this stand-out novel by the author of The Venus Throw. Once again, Gordianus the Finder is put in the delicate position of having to solve a crime and keep his own counsel amid the scheming and duplicitous rulers of Rome. Publius Clodius, a powerful populist politician with an unsavory personal life, is murdered while traveling on the Appian Way. The prime suspect is Clodius's arch rival, patrician Titus Milo, and the repercussions are many-for the state, the judicial system and the military. Gordianus is brought into the case by his neighbor, Cicero, who is defending Milo and needs a bit of discreet detective work. Gordianus doesn't have much use for "lawyers," especially not for the silver-tongued Cicero, whose motives he distrusts, but the case is too intriguing to turn down. An unusual and morally sturdy character, Gordianus is honest without being sanctimonious, a savvy observer of the political scene who never loses his integrity. He's also a clear and faithful narrator. Soon, he finds himself dealing with the likes of Pompey, Caesar and Mark Antony as he unravels the complicated threads of the crime. Meanwhile, Rome is burning as Clodius's followers riot to avenge their murdered leader. The suspense never lags as Saylor spins a sophisticated political thriller that also brings his readers up to speed on their Roman history.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Papa! Wake up!" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Papa! Wake up!" Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing,
By
This review is from: A Murder on the Appian Way: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)
This could have been a blockbuster novel. The characters are far more lively than the cardboard cutouts found in most works. Yet something is missing. That something is plausibility. Problem is that the detective, Gordianus the Finder, is able to get folks to more than fully answer just about every question put to them. This is not realistic and so a most promising novel falls short of making the grade.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Seamless,
By C. E. R. Mendonça "Carlos Eduardo Rebello de ... (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: A Murder on the Appian Way: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)
As always in the Roma Subrosa series, the difficult for the author was to handle the historical material - avaliable mainly in Cicero's speeches - in order to create a "mystery" where historically there was none, the thug-warfare of Late Republican Rome being carried enoughly in the open to preclude the necessity of anyone hiring a sleuth to find out what really had happened. That said, Saylor has made the conversion of History into entretainmant in an almost seamless - and always pleasurable - way.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mysteries aside for a moment,
By TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Murder on the Appian Way: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)
"A Murder on the Appian Way" is less of a mystery novel than Saylor's previous books in this series. There is still a mystery but the resolution is based on accidental encounters more than investigation. However, we get to see Rome as a confused, dangerous, and determined to remain civilized city as the clock counts down on the Republic. We briefly meet some of the big names you've heard of in Roman history courses but only briefly as would make sense for a mere "finder". No, this book is best read as an exploration of Roman society and of Gordianus' family as it grows up and increases in number, complications, and love. Gordianus would be considered a poor Roman father and husband in his day but for us, he is understandable and expressive. This novel made me more interested in him than any of the previous novels.
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