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"Macbain's debut novel convincingly re-creates everyday life in ancient Rome, weaving real and fictional characters with aplomb."—Kirkus ReviewsWhen the body of Sextus Verpa, a notorious senatorial informer and libertine, is found stabbed to death in his bedroom, suspicion falls on his household slaves—a potential death sentence for all.
The cruel emperor, Domitian, orders Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus—known to history as Pliny the Younger—to investigate. However, the Ludi Romani show more (the Roman Games) have just begun, and for the next fifteen days the law courts are in recess. If Pliny can't identify the murderer in that time, Verpa's entire slave household will be burned alive in the arena.
Pliny teams up with Martial, a starving author of bawdy verses and hanger-on to the city's glitterati, to unravel a plot that involves Jewish and Christian "atheists," exotic Egyptian cultists, Rome's own pantheon of gods, and a missing horoscope that forecasts the emperor's death....
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Member Reviews
In the last days of the reign of Domitian, one of his informers, Verpa, is found murdered in bed. Can Pliny find the murderer before all of the dead man's slaves are executed on suspicion for the crime?
Quite a gripping climax but otherwise not terribly interesting. If I hadn't been reading it for my online book club I probably wouldn't have persisted
Quite a gripping climax but otherwise not terribly interesting. If I hadn't been reading it for my online book club I probably wouldn't have persisted
Though dealing with approximately the same period, this first entry is much drier than Lindsey Davis' Flavia Alba series.
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ThingScore 75
"Macbain's debut novel convincingly re-creates everyday life in ancient Rome, weaving real and fictional characters with aplomb."
added by bookfitz
Author Information
7 Works 158 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Roman Games
- Alternate titles
- Roman Games: A Plinius Secundus Mystery
- Original publication date
- 2010
- People/Characters
- Pliny the Younger; Sextus Ingentius Verpa; Titus Flavius Domitianus; Marcus Valerius Martialis; Martial; Domitian
- Important places
- Rome, Italy
- Important events
- Assassination of Domitian (96-09-18)
- Epigraph
- ...inopia rapax, metu saevus
Need made him rapacious,
Fear made him cruel.
Suetonius, Life of Domitian
Lasciva est nobis pagina, vita proba
My ditties may be dirty,
But my life is oh, so pure!
Martial, Epigrams - Dedication
- To Carol, with love and gratitude
- First words
- A brassy sun beat down on the barren rock that for six weeks and four days had been Flavia Domitilla's prison.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He shook himself and went below.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 86
- Popularity
- 369,899
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.38)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 4
