SPQR I: The King's Gambit
John Maddox Roberts
Oct 2025 · The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 1 · Macmillan + ORM
4.2star
8 reviewsreport
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292
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About this ebook
Blackmail, corruption, treachery, murder--the glory that was Rome.
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger--highborn commander of the local vigiles--was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threates, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger--highborn commander of the local vigiles--was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threates, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.
Ratings and reviews
4.2
8 reviews
Timetraveling Necromancer
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December 14, 2017
A well written book that did a fantastic job of pulling me into the time period and giving a well informed glimpse into the world of the Roman Republic.
A Google user
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February 7, 2009
I liked it.
About the author
John Maddox Roberts has written numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. SPQR XIII: The Year of Confusion was published in 2010. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.
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