En la nueva aventura de Decio Cecilio Metelo el Joven, al que encontramos esta vez encargado de la tesorería imperial, se suceden los asesinatos de personas a las que no unen la menor relación, salvo su condición de acreedores. Al mismo tiempo, Decio detecta en los círculos que frecuenta el inicio de una conspiración para acabar con la república y sustituirla por una dictadura. Todo indica que Catilina está detrás de la conspiración. Cicerón encarga a Decio que se infiltre en la organización y haga fracasar la conjura. Decio cultiva la amistad de Catilina y los favores de la hijastra de éste, Aurelia, y poco a poco descubre que los crímenes forman parte de la conspiración.

This is a good series. Our protagonist once again sets out to right some wrongs. In this case the rising Roman Empire could easily be toppled by hidden forces and not so hidden agendas. ( )

I just adore the Simon Vance audible versions of these books. Roberts' knows his Rome through and through and the characters come to life in the series. I'm sure I'll be listening to them all in time. ( )

On his way to his duties in the temple of Saturn, Decius Caecilius Metellus passes a murder scene. As the number of corpses mounts and there seem to be mysterious comings and goings in the temple, he decides to investigate.

Comparisons with Steven Saylor's version of Catiline are inevitable, and it has to be said Saylor's is a more nuanced and also more memorable character. By comparison John Maddox Roberts's Catiline is something of a cardboard cut-out villain. I do hope DCM is not going to fall victim to the wiles of a sexy, scheming, villainess in every installment. ( )

Read this because we had talked about Catiline in our Latin class. A fun mystery. Not sure how historically accurate everything was, but it certainly felt realistic. ( )