Mystery of the Roman Ransom

It seems the boys can get nothing right: Their teacher's fiftieth birthday is long past (they should have done their math homework); the servant they bought as a present for his birthday isn't just your run-of-the-mill Gaul slave but a courier running for his life; and, to top it all off, the message he's carrying requests the assassination of a Roman senator--the father of one of the boys.

But whose?!

Once again, it's up to the seven young detectives to save the day. Can they figure out which senator is in danger and protect him?

Or will they mess that up, too?

This one is a mystery in the sense that "Scooby Doo" is a mystery. You need some sort of plot in which to intertwine the jokes. Set in ancient Rome, "Mysteryof the Roman Ransom" tells the story of seven boys--all classmates and sons of famous senators. They buy a slave, Udo, as a birthday gift for their tutor and it turns out that Udo was unwittingly involved in a plot to murder one of the boys' fathers. But which father is threatened and how will they save him? The book plays out like a good sitcom with lovable characters and amusing twists to the story. 'Tis definitely worth checking out.
--J.