This is an enjoyable story set in the context of an important historical event, as most of Saylor's books are. In this case the context, although kept at some distance, consists of the slave rebellion of Spartacus and the rise to prominence of Marcus Crassus.

The author is a classist who loves to give his readers a view of the Roman world. This is an important quality of the books but it also becomes a bit of weakness, as the protagonist Gordianus becomes more a wandering witness, a historical travel guide, than someone whose actions propel the story forward. In fact Gordianus blunders about quite a bit while he guides us through a long series of interesting locations and events (a trireme, an underground temple, a private bathhouse, a temporary arena, a funeral, a seashore cave, and a rich villa, in no particular order). It is all fun and the scenery is great, but the scenery can overwhelm the story.

The ending is a bit unsatisfactory to me. The denouement of the plot is presented in conversation by Marcus Crassus, while the culprit vanishes from the scene into a closed room (and a violent death). I think this comes about because, in defiance of the conventions of the genre, the criminal turns out to be a fundamentally uninteresting person. ( )

Much better than the first Gordanius novel, this book takes us inside Crassus' villa and makes us root for his slaves. The mystery was well thought out; I could not figure it out before it came to the conclusion, which is a good thing. I have read some reviews that found the presence of Eco annoying, but I enjoyed Gordanius having a sidekick.
I'll be looking forward to the 3rd book in this series. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical murder mystery; perhaps more for the history than for the mystery. An ancient 'detective' or finder is charged with finding the truth about a murder within a few days and thus might succeed in cancelling the slaugher of every slave in the victim's household.
Set against the backdrop of the Spartacan Slave Revolt, this book was thoroughly researched and managed to bring history alive in a most entertaining way. I was so impressed in the epilogue about the sources the author used.
I give it high marks within the mystery genre too. It had a strong, well-structured plot with a forceful conflict, and interesting characters. A few times I felt the physical desciptions of landscapes and background overtook the plot and while the resolution might have been predictable and the solution more by circumstances than by the detective's wit, overall the book was a real page turner. I eagerly look forward to reading more of Saylor's books. ( )

Not quite up to the first one. Thought Crassus in particular was not well defined. But loved the Baiae details. I was confused about the series sequence: this one was the second written but then he wrote two more that occur in the time between this one and the first (Roman Blood). So I am satisfied with the order I'm reading them in. ( )

Interesting read, but it would have been better if Gordianus had actually solved the mystery rather than have another character identify the murderer. ( )