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Roman Blood (Gordianus the Finder Book 1) Kindle Edition
| Steven Saylor (Author) See search results for this author |
A thrilling puzzle from the ancient world with real historical characters and based on a case in Cicero's Orations - Roman Blood is a perfect blend of mystery and history by a brilliant storyteller.
On an unseasonably warm spring morning in 80BC, Gordianus the Finder is summoned to the house of Cicero, a young advocate and orator preparing his first important case. His client is Umbrian landowner, Sextus Roscius, accused of the unforgivable: the murder of his own father.
Gordianus agrees to investigate the crime - in a society fire with deceit, betrayl and conspiracy, where neither citizen nor slave can be trusted to speak the truth. But even Gordianus is not prepared for the spectacularly dangerous fireworks that attend the resolution of this ugly, delicate case...
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherC & R Crime
- Publication date24 Mar. 2011
- File size1008 KB
Product description
Review
"A modern master of historical fiction."
-- "USA Today""From the arrival of an articulate slave on the doorstep of sleuth Gordianus to the riveting re-creation of an actual oration by Cicero, Saylor's remarkable first novel takes the reader deep into the political, legal and family arenas of ancient Rome, providing a stirring blend of history and mystery, well seasoned with conspiracy, passion and intrigue...a story greatly enhanced by its vivid characters...A classic historical mystery, in every sense."
-- "Publishers Weekly""Saylor evokes the ancient world more convincingly than any other writer of his generation."
-- "Sunday Times, London""Saylor has acquired the information of a historian but he enjoys the gifts of a born novelist."
-- "Boston Globe""Saylor puts such great detail and tumultuous life into his scenes that the sensation of rubbing elbows with the ancients is quite uncanny."
-- "New York Times Book Review""Saylor's evocation of ancient Rome is vivid and realistic. Within its compelling story, one tours Roman life from bottom to top in what is both good history and good mystery...A novelist whose future work will be worth reading."
-- "Austin Chronicle""The detail is meticulous."
-- "Archaeology Magazine"Gripping...A combination of Hitchcock-style suspense and vivid historical details.
-- "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"Steven Saylor's engrossing series of popular novels centered around Gordianus the Finder-a kind of Roman Sherlock Holmes.
-- "Wall Street Journal" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.From the Inside Flap
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
One unseasonably warm spring morning in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is summoned to investigate a murder. Sextus Roscius is accused of killing his own father. This, in a society rife with deceit, betrayal, and conspiracy, where neither citizen nor slave can be trusted to speak the truth. But even Gordianus is not prepared for the spectacularly dangerous fireworks that will attend the resolution of this ugly, delicate case.... --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Steven Saylor is a freelance writer, editor, and the author of novels set in ancient Rome. He studied history at the University of Texas at Austin. Saylor's writing has appeared in the Threepenny Review, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He lives in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.
Scott Harrison is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater Institute in Massachusetts and founder of Ironweed Productions, a theater company in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Book Description
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Product details
- ASIN : B005QMP2DM
- Publisher : C & R Crime (24 Mar. 2011)
- Language : English
- File size : 1008 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 404 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 58,942 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 195 in Political History of Fascism & Nazism
- 1,077 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- 1,841 in Historical Thrillers (Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Steven Saylor is the author of the ROMA SUB ROSA series of historical mysteries featuring Gordianus the Finder, set in the ancient Rome of Cicero, Caesar, and Cleopatra. The latest book is THRONE OF CAESAR, in which Gordianus confronts the Ides of March, 44 B.C., and the most famous murder case in history.
There have also been three prequels—THE SEVEN WONDERS, which follows the 18-year-old Gordianus on his journey to the Seven Wonders of the World; RAIDERS OF THE NILE, in which young Gordianus, living in Egypt, finds himself drawn into a plot to steal the golden sarcophagus of Alexander the Great; and WRATH OF THE FURIES, in which young Gordianus finds himself in Ephesus on the eve of King Mithridates' mass slaughter of every Roman man, woman, and child.
To read the books of the ROMA SUB ROSA series in chronological order, begin with the prequels, and then ROMAN BLOOD, THE HOUSE OF THE VESTALS (short stories), A GLADIATOR DIES ONLY ONCE (short stories), ARMS OF NEMESIS , CATILINA'S RIDDLE, THE VENUS THROW, A MURDER ON THE APPIAN WAY, RUBICON, LAST SEEN IN MASSILIA, A MIST OF PROPHECIES, THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR, THE TRIUMPH OF CAESAR, and THE THRONE OF CAESAR.
Steven is also the author of the international bestseller ROMA: THE NOVEL OF ANCIENT ROME and its follow-up, EMPIRE: THE NOVEL OF IMPERIAL ROME. These two epic novels comprise a multi-generational saga that spans the first 1200 years of the city, from Iron Age trading post to the height of the empire under Hadrian. A third volume (making this series a trilogy) is on the way.
Outside the Roman books are two novels set in Steven's native Texas. A TWIST AT THE END is based on America's first recorded serial murders, which terrorized Austin, Texas in 1885. The chief protagonist is young Will Porter, who later became famous as O. Henry. HAVE YOU SEEN DAWN? is a contemporary thriller set in a small Texas town; Steven calls it "autobiography done with mirrors."
Three "chapbooks" published as e-books collect Steven's scattered essays and short stories: A BOOKISH BENT; FUTURE, PRESENT, PAST; and MY MOTHER'S GHOST: THREE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAYS & A SHORT STORY.
Steven's books have been published in 22 languages, and book tours have taken him across the United States, England, and Europe. He has appeared as an expert on Roman life on The History Channel, and has spoken at numerous college campuses, The Getty Villa, and the International Conference on the Ancient Novel.
Steven was born in Texas in 1956 and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics. He divides his time between homes in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas. When not using his brain, he likes to keep in shape running, swimming, and lifting weights.
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The Latin original does not include a verdict and Cicero’s defence appears full of innuendo, speculation and the amazing argument that parricide is so monstrous that no true Roman would consider it. Saylor deals with that weakness by involving Gordianus the Finder anticipating Philip Marlowe in how to uncover the truth. Is this gilding the lily? As far as I can remember there were no brothel visits, wild parties, abducted slaves, paedophiles and randy teenage girls. But there was a dictator who terrified everybody, a freed slave enriching himself on the proceeds of ‘authorised’ murder and a system struggling to deal with an enormous import of loot in the form of treasure and slaves, lightly managed by a rigid practice of legalism. Saylor blends all this in with a masterly touch and in the process, like any good thriller/detective writer, sending the reader down the wrong ‘Suspect Alley’ adorned with enticing motivations and opportunities – time and time again almost up to the last page.
I’d met Gordianus before in two short stories which encouraged me to read ‘Catilina’s Riddle’, in which the would-be Roman revolutionary is given sympathetic treatment (most undeserving in my opinion): while the prosecutor, Cicero again, is full of weaknesses and vindictive actions (quite possible AFTER his triumph in THAT case). So the second motive for reading ‘Roman Blood’ was examining the treatment of Cicero at the start of his career. And the characterisation is there in its infancy – pedantic posturing, rigid behaviour and secret inner conspiracy against the judgement of his fellows.
I well remember, as a teenager, reading ‘I Claudius’ by Robert Graves and wondering where fact and fiction parted company. With maturity and greater knowledge, Saylor doesn’t that trick – and I’m sure his picture of Sulla is coloured by ‘The Sword of Pleasure’ (Peter Green) but I must give Steven Saylor 5 stars – if only through flooring me with the last twist.
Bob Hyslop
Roman Blood by Steven Saylor introduces Gordianus, a type of Philip Marlowe of the ancient world. Does it work? In an answer no. Cicero is defending Sextus Ruscius a Roman citizen farmer from the province Ameria. In 80 BC he was tried for patricide by the senate and his case was successfully fought by a young enthusiastic advocate Cicero in his first major trial. Saylor uses these known facts as the basis of Roman Blood. The result is a rather overlong story with the uniquely named investigator Gordianus the Finder. The setting for this novel need not necessarily have been in Rome, it could have been King Arthur’s England, or Napoleon’s France. and in that respect, it is nothing more than a drab procedural police investigation. The final chapters do however show Cicero the dynamic advocate in full adversarial flow. This adds a dash of much needed excitement! and is of course helped by using the content from Cicero’s own memoirs.
So I end this review where I started. If you want an insight into Rome at the time of the Republic look no further than the superlative trilogy by Robert Harris, exciting, informative and so brilliantly executed. By comparison Roman Blood is a colourless long-drawn out second-hand murder investigation.
Historical novels success depends on the believable positioning of the characters into events of history and Steven Saylor has done a great job positioning Gordianus along side Cicero and the documented history of his trials.
As a roman sleuth Saylor has a character who is different but compares well with Morse , Spenser and Holmes a man who looks at beyond the obvious, seeking the truth.
This is my second time of reading these books after a gap of 5 years and the test is passed , they are just as good second time.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.





