4 Stars

Set in the early days of Nero's Rome, this murder mystery takes us on an epic journey through everyday Rome, with all the political machinations of the time. Each Character had their own secrets and the murder mystery was well played out. I'm not sure if it was because I was enjoying the story and immersing myself in the culture but I never once worked out the killer, and I did like how actual events were woven into the story and the conclusion of the case.

You can tell the author has done a lot of research as the characters came alive, whether they were of the affluent class or the slaves; each character had their own personality and place within the story. I loved reading all the interactions between Valerius and his slaves - His jokes with Hursa to the banter with Juba, who was smarter than a bodyguard but stuck in the position anyway. Everyone liked to think that the man ruled the house but Valerius was under no illusion that the women folk ran his life. He accepted it and was quite happy in the way it was.

I did find it hard at the start with a lot of the characters being addressed in different ways depending on who they were talking to, I believe this would have been correct forms of address but with them each having their name and family name, our main character himself was Valerius or Quintus depending on who was speaking to him.

Valerius was a hard character to like at the start as he came across as a wastrel and a drunk. Once he found something to put his mind to he became a much better narrator and showed off his intelligence.

I very much liked Atreus. He was a quiet achiever who stuck to his guns and did the right thing. He was frustrated at being blocked from investigating properly at times and the doors that Valerius could open for him due to his status. The friendship that developed between the two men was really nice to read.

Looking forward to the next case these guys look into. 

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