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Ancient Roman sleuth Marcus Corvinus uncovers a treasonous plot in this witty and intriguing new mystery
November, AD 40. When a wealthy consul’s wife asks Corvinus to investigate the death of her uncle, killed by a block of falling masonry during renovations on his estate in the Vatican Hills, a sceptical Corvinus is inclined to agree with the general verdict of accidental death. But his investigations reveal clear evidence of foul play, as well as unearthing several skeletons among the closets of this well-to-do but highly dysfunctional family.
Who could have wanted Lucius Surdinus dead? His vengeful ex-wife? His ambitious mistress? His disillusioned elder, or his estranged younger, son? Or does the key to the mystery lie in the dead man’s political past? But when Corvinus’s investigations draw him to the attention of the emperor, a dangerously unpredictable Caligula, his prospects of surviving long enough to solve the mystery look slim to say the least.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With the opening sentence, "November in Rome sucks," Wishart wastes no time in introducing modern colloquialisms into his 16th Marcus Corvinus mystery set in first-century Rome (after 2013's Solid Citizens). For readers who can look past the jarring contemporary idiom, Wishart presents one of his better plots. When masonry falls on Naevius Surdinus, a former consul, crushing his head, his subsequent death appears to be accidental. But the ghost of Alexander the Great tells Surdinus's niece, Naevia Postuma, that foul play was involved. Despite the bizarre source of Naevia's suspicions, Marcus investigates and finds them justified. He must also figure out why the dead man sent his wife a letter, accompanied by a scroll, that contained erroneous information about Surdinus's relationship with Marcus's father. Wishart unfortunately doesn't make the most of setting the action during the reign of the sadistic and capricious Caligula, which has been depicted better elsewhere.
