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Steven Saylor, Gordianus the Finder series
Saylor actually named it the "Roma Sub Rosa" series fn1 but I always refer to them as "the Gordianus books". The series is set in ancient Rome starting in 80 BCE near the end of the reign of the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Here is Saylor's explanation for why he chose ancient Rome for the setting:
Why ancient Rome for a setting? “The final years of the Roman Republic offer a treasure trove of all the stuff that makes for a good read,” Steven says. “There’s political intrigue, courtroom drama, sexual scandal, extremes of splendor and squalor, and no shortage of real-life murder mysteries. Beginning with RUBICON, the arena extends to open warfare and espionage. Through it all, Gordianus has managed not just to keep his head above water, but to raise a very unconventional family. And always, eventually, he gets to the truth of the puzzle, no matter how great the danger or disturbing the revelation.” link.
Gordianus (the central character of the series) is something of an ancient Roman private investigator. Although deductive reasoning is definitely a tool in his arsenal used to solve the crime or mystery ala Sherlock Holmes, Gordianus's gift is an intuitive ability to connect with people, to understand them at a deeper level than mere external observation would afford, thus leading to a building of trust with others. Gordianus' steadiest patron over the coarse of the series is Marcus Tullius Cicero, sometimes regarded as the world's first modern lawyer although more famous in history as a politician. Julius Ceasar also plays a prominent role in the series as Gordanius' adopted son serves on Ceasar's staff (and is insinuated to be Ceasar's homosexual lover). Gordanius has an interesting home life as well. His wife is a former slave purchased while he was a young man living in Alexandria. She is half Egyptian and half Jewish.
Saylor is an excellent storyteller and solid historian, however, what I most enjoyed about the Gordianus series is the familiarity of these characters from ancient Rome. The author allows us to travel back to their world and see that the wants, desires, concerns of ancient Romans are very familiar to us--social standing, moral values, keeping up with the latest fashion, political advancement, manipulation of the legal system by the lawyers and politicians, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and highly recommend it although my interest level waned as the series dragged on to the 9th book.
Titles in this series:
- Roman Blood
- The House Of The Vestals
- Arms Of Nemesis
- Catilina's Riddle
- A Murder On The Appian Way
- Rubicon
- Last Seen In Massilia
- A Mist Of Prophecies
- The Judgment Of Caesar
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