But that kind of conversation always looks contrived. It is tricky to be able to supply necessary back story without it breaking the flow of the story. I did not give it five stars because, well, this is a pet peeve of mine, there were too many conversations of the type I call, “As you know, Bob.” These are the type of conversations where someone says something to another character that they both already know in order to give the reader some background information. It’s a great story with interesting characters popping up throughout. The case puts Gordianus and Eco in the middle of their circles, the skeletons they hide (figuratively and literally), the slaves that run the household (and who are depending on him to save their lives), the cave of the Sybil, and the reputed entrance to Hades.

Roman custom has the funeral a week after the death, but even with the fastest ship available, it takes five days for Gordianus to reach Baiae from Rome, giving him and his mute son, Eco, only two days to A) find out if the two slaves really are the murderers, B) if not them, who?, and C) be able to prove it to Crassus’s satisfaction.īaiae is one of the favorite vacation spots for Rome’s wealthiest and most elite. However, at the request (more like cajoling) of Lucius’s wife, Gelina, he agrees to wait until after the funeral to execute his plan. He plans to kill every slave in the household to set an example for other slaves in the area who may get the same idea. Crassus believes he already knows who killed his cousin – two runaway slaves who were inspired to join Spartacus in his slave revolt. In Arms of Nemesis, Marcus Crassus – the richest man in Rome – hires Gordianus to solve the murder of his cousin, Lucius Licinius, at his villa at Baiae. Now, I definitely want to go back and read more. It’s not the same period I write in, so I was not sure if I wanted to invest myself in the series. It is set in the late Republic, the time of Cicero, Pompey, and Crassus. It appears you don’t necessarily have to read the series in order. I want to go back and read the first one – not because I think I missed anything from not having read it first but because I enjoyed this one so much. This is the first novel I’ve read in the Roma sub Rosa series (featuring Gordianus the Finder), though the second in the series.

In writing a novel versus short story, Saylor was able to do more to develop the characters and ratchet up the tension. It’s interesting how that works sometimes. I guess this means for me, the characters and stories work better as a novel than short stories. I remember reading a collection of short stories around Gordianus the Finder and thinking it was pretty good. I read this as part of my online book club on Goodreads.

Arms of nemesis steven saylor