In at the Death
Rome, in the reign of the Emperor Tiberius: a young man, with everything to live for, appears to commit suicide and Marcus Corvinius is called in, by the family, to investigate. As always, things are not as they appear. Corvinius is not helped by the fact that Perilla, his wife, has agreed to look after a friend’s dog for a while with devastating results.
There is a great mix of fact and fiction, real people and fictitious characters, and Rome in the 1st century AD comes vividly to life. The plot twists and turns, encounters dead ends, and surprises in plenty before all is satisfactorily resolved.
I have read several of these books now and am gradually getting used to the rather off-beat style of the author who obviously was familiar with Raymond Chandler’s Marlowe. However, as we cannot know exactly how Romans talked to each other it’s as good a way as any.
Marilyn Sherlock
