This book is aptly named — a good deal of Roman blood is indeed spilled when Gordianus the Finder agrees to help a young lawyer named Marcus Tullius Cicero with his first case.
A hard-boiled and clear-eyed detective-narrator, Gordianus the Finder is the perfect guide to Rome, bringing its mysteries to light and its monumental characters to life, even as he cuts them down to size. He’s fluent, logical, and easy to follow as the story unfolds casually, without any over-indulgences and plenty of detail.
What makes this book stand out from the pack is that Saylor immerses the reader into the Roman world in a most convincing manner. You see, hear, and smell Rome in a way that makes you feel you’re there.
Saylor bases most of his novels on real cases – such as Cicero’s first case in the trial of Sextus Roscius against the charge of patricide. The historical figures who make appearances (including Cicero and his slave Tiro, both in starring roles) are well drawn and believable.
My Amazon link Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome
