The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits

I continue on my kick of reading short-story anthologies featuring historical detective fiction, most recently with “The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits,” edited by Mike Ashley, which covers the history of the Roman Empire from Octavian to the so-called Dark Ages. Most of the 20 stories here are original to this 2003 anthology, aside from one from 1952, another from 1966 and a third, anonymous tale that might have been published as early as the 1860s. As ever, readers will differ on their favourites, but here are mine: “A Gladiator Dies Only Once,” by Steven Saylor, featuring Gordianus the Finder; the 1952 tale “De Crimine,” by Miriam Allen deFord, in which Cicero saves the day; a John Maddox Ford entry in his SPQR series, show more “The Will”; Michael Kurland’s “Great Caesar’s Ghost,” in which Orator Quintilian solves Vespasian’s ghost problem; the anonymous tale from, possibly, the 1860s, “The Missing Centurion”; the long-titled “Some Unpublished Correspondence of the Younger Pliny,” by Darrell Schweitzer, an epistolary story concerning early Christians and a conman; “The Lost Eagle,” by Peter Tremayne, featuring Sister Fidelma, who is asked to find the lost Eagle of the Ninth; and my favourite overall, Marilyn Todd’s “Honey Moon,” wherein wine seller Claudia exacts appropriate revenge. Mike Ashley’s introductions to each story are entertaining and useful, providing information about the authors and the time period in which they have set their story, and while the above are my personal favourites, there really isn’t a bad story in the batch; recommended! show less

An anthology of short stories centered around crime, all set in ancient Rome of one period or another. Interesting as a sampler, but I find that the short story genre doesn't allow the development of the absorbing Roman atmosphere that characterizes several of the "Roman Detective" series.

I used this to get an idea of which authors of Roman mysteries I liked. It didn't have my favorite Lindsey Davis, but got me started on a few I will keep reading.