Customer Reviews
Not quite as good as some of his others, but still good - By: John Hopper, 17 May 2007 
Perhaps overlong, this is my least favourite of the early Saylor mysteries, as it takes a while really to get going. But still a good read as Saylor has the talent to create believable, rounded characters, even slaves & small children, which carries the story forward.
Third in the Sub Rosa Series - By: J. Chippindale, 17 May 2007 
Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began at an early age. A history graduate & former newspaper & magazine editor, he livesin Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome & featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both herein England & alsoin America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too. Steven Saylor brings Ancient Rome to life, so much so that the reader can lose himselfin the sights & sounds of the ancient city.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill & integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important menin Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet & not susceptible to bribery.
The year is 63 BC & Gordianus has been left every Roman's dream, a farmin the Etruscan countryside. He immediately decides to up sticks & get his family out of the city that is becoming more decadent with every passing day. He is more than happy to escape all the politics & intrigue that surround him. But is anything as simple as that?
Cicero, a man he has worked for before want to hire him to gain evidence against the popular politician Catilina. The politician is a charismatic man, but also a very dangerous one & Gordianus is no longer interestedin putting himself & his family at risk, that is until the first headless corpse is found down his well . . .
The tale of Catilina - By: Nadia Yar, 09 Apr 2007 The Roman private detective Gordianus, called the Finder, seeks to flee the dangers & the corruption of Rome & retires with his family to a farmin the Etruscan countryside. But Rome won't let him go: his benefactor, now arch conservative consul Cicero presses Gordianus to become one of his spiesin order to bring down an alleged criminal conspirator, the radical reformer Lucius Sergius Catilina. When Gordianus tries to refuse this dubious request, a headless body turns up on his farm. At first, Gordianus tries to solve the riddle of this "Nemo" (lat. for Nobody) & to steer clear of both the Ciceronian & Catilina's party. But soon, the powerful Roman elite leaves the hounded Catilina & his desperate supporters no way out except for armed insurrection, & Gordianus' family becomes drawn into this tragic civil & military confrontation.
Please note that "Catilina's Riddle" is notin the first line a mystery novel. It is a political thriller, a human tragedy & a colorful panoramic view of Roman society & politics that seems disturbingly up-to date. The book starts out slowly, so be prepared to give it time. It is, however, not too long. In fact, "Catilina's Riddle" ought to be longer than it is, because Saylor regretfully neglects to discribein proper detail the social misery, poverty, enslavement & sheer human desperation that led to the uprising of Catilina. The historical sources about Catilina's conspiracy are very scarse, very biased & therefore highly contradictoryin themselves. Cicero's speeches against Catilina are not much more than poisonous invectives of a conservative statesman against a popular reformer, & Sallust draws on them heavilyin his book. Many writers that tried to tackle this historical material seem to accept Cicero's statements at face value, completely missing the fact that these speeches are not honest fact-based narratives but sharp political weapons that were intended to destroy Catilina's name & career, to drive him out of Rome & ultimately to get him killed. The results of wide-spread trust into Cicero's intergity are stories told straight from Cicero's papers, keepingin line with his political stance, including all the defamations & the slander that the anscient Roman orator heaped on his opponents.
Saylor's book is a wonderful suprise. The author does not only masterfully tell a tale that is riveting, powerful & moving but goes to great lengths to reconstruct the historical reality. When trying to put together a coherent version of the events of 63 BC, one must perforce arrive at the conclusions Saylor seems to have arrived at: that Catilina's cause was most just, & his alleged crimes probably never took place. Saylor's great historical novel moves one to tears by giving a glimpse of the truth.
Third story in the Sub Rosa Series - By: J. Chippindale, 07 Mar 2007 Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began at an early age. A history graduate & former newspaper & magazine editor, he livesin Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome & featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both herein England & alsoin America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too. Steven Saylor brings Ancient Rome to life, so much so that the reader can lose himselfin the sights & sounds of the ancient city.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill & integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important menin Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet & not susceptible to bribery.
The year is 63 BC & Gordianus has been left every Roman's dream, a farmin the Etruscan countryside. He immediately decides to up sticks & get his family out of the city that is becoming more decadent with every passing day. He is more than happy to escape all the politics & intrigue that surround him. But is anything as simple as that?
Cicero, a man he has worked for before want to hire him to gain evidence against the popular politician Catilina. The politician is a charismatic man, but also a very dangerous one & Gordianus is no longer interestedin putting himself & his family at risk, that is until the first headless corpse is found down his well . . .
Third in the Sub Rosa Series - By: J. Chippindale, 18 Dec 2006 Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began at an early age. A history graduate & former newspaper & magazine editor, he livesin Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome & featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both herein England & alsoin America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too. Steven Saylor brings Ancient Rome to life, so much so that the reader can lose himselfin the sights & sounds of the ancient city.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill & integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important menin Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet & not susceptible to bribery.
The year is 63 BC & Gordianus has been left every Roman's dream, a farmin the Etruscan countryside. He immediately decides to up sticks & get his family out of the city that is becoming more decadent with every passing day. He is more than happy to escape all the politics & intrigue that surround him. But is anything as simple as that?
Cicero, a man he has worked for before want to hire him to gain evidence against the popular politician Catilina. The politician is a charismatic man, but also a very dangerous one & Gordianus is no longer interestedin putting himself & his family at risk, that is until the first headless corpse is found down his well . . .
