Caesar orders Decius to find the killer -- and quickly.Although evidence points to the son of one of Decius's clients -- a youth who was the particular target of the centurion's brutality, Decius racks his brain to find a way to save him from the sentence of death. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. John Maddox Roberts Awards. ), SPQR XIII: The Year of Confusion: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 13), ( Hardcover Decius Caecilius Metellus is happy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger--highborn commander of the local vigiles--was determined to investigate. 103 Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threates, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves. And that doesn't look good for our hero.For those readers who have met Decius before, the next step is clear: the man is a brilliant detective, and he is certainly now in a position where that skill is needed. It looks like a shoo-in, until a man named Fulvius, of whom Decius has never heard, arrives at the preelection proceedings with a small army of hoodlums and begins to shout to the assembled voters that Decius is a thief and worse. , SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 2), ( The Sacrilege has a clear external date and there is a strong indication that "Statuette" takes place in the same year as, This page was last edited on 30 September 2020, at 23:41. 52 It would take an order of a lawfully convened court even to place me under house arrest.That's Decius Caecilius Metellus speaking---Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus, please. There are unanswered questions. at least one year earlier. Instead he is presented with one young man ridiculously decked out in military parade finery and short on military skills, accompanied not by eager troops but by one callow and reluctant slave, the feckless Hermes.It soon develops, however, that Decius's arrival was fortuitous. He is shown as a playboy son from a prosperous family. Decius and his wife, Julia, are happy for a change of scenery. ), SPQR X: A Point of Law: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 10), ( He was kicked out of college in 1967 and joined the Army. John Maddox Roberts Přihlašte se nebo registrujte a přidejte si autora do oblíbených. The investigation leads Decius to two German slaves of the dead man -- a dwarfish old man and a beautiful woman. Nach seiner Rückkehr ins Zivilleben entschloss sich Roberts, Schriftsteller zu werden. The stakes just keep getting higher in this latest atmospheric puzzle. But the good times end when, in a town near Vesuvius, a priest's daughter is murdered. 38 John Maddox Roberts, rođen 1947., jedan je od poznatijih suvremenih američkih pisaca fantastike i znanstvene fantastike, ali je najveću popularnost stekao upravo svojom serijom SPQR o detektivu amateru koji istražuje okrutna ubojstva u starom Rimu. ), SPQR V: Saturnalia (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 5), ( John Maddox Roberts is on Facebook. ). Fascinating details of Rome's mixed attitudes about the power of magic and the practice of rational politics illuminate this latest of Roberts's strong historical mysteries. ), SPQR III: The Sacrilege: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 3), SPQR XI: Under Vesuvius: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 11), ( It soon becomes clear to Decius that only by finding and punishing the real murderer will it be possible to quiet the rising dissatisfaction with Caesar's unorthodox method of warfare and forestall a mutiny against the mighty Caesar's authority and aims. SPQR V. - Saturnalije. Вырос в штатах Техас, Калифорния, Нью-Мексико. He has lived in various places in the United States as well as in Scotland, England and Mexico. The weather is beautiful and he is standing for office (literally; standing, in the Roman Forum soliciting votes) with a sure chance of winning. ), ( ). In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. His first stop is Campania, "Italy's most popular resort district." 40 A trial for Clodia would be most unwelcome, as it could bring to light some well-kept secrets. He thinks he is merely visiting one of the local sights when he takes a party to visit the Oracle of the Dead, a pre-Roman cult site located at the end of a tunnel dug beneath a temple of Apollo. Decius may have acquired more prestige, but he's also acquired more trouble. Decius has won himself a reputation as both an investigator and, most unfortunately, a bit of a playboy. Po vyloučení z … It was a summer of glorious triumph for the mighty Roman Republic. He lives in New Mexico with his wife. In Deutschland wurde Roberts insbesondere durch seine im antiken Rom angesiedelte Romanreihe SPQR bekannt, in der er fiktive Geschehnisse um den Römer Decius Caecilius Metellus … Together, they establish a connection between the sacrilege and the murders, and track the offenders from the lowest dregs of society to the prominent elite of the upper class, finding corruption and violence where Decius least expects it. This series features the main character as Decius Cecilius Metellus. . 47 The stories range from 70 BC (The King's Gambit) to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices"). He is at an outdoor rally in Rome where he is campaigning for election to the praetorship. Facebook gives people the power to share … Please try your request again later. And Caesar's ongoing dreary war is far off in Gaul. The SPQR series, by John Maddox Roberts, follow the exploits of fictional but plausible Roman Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger. Mit 20 Jahren verließ er das College und trat in die US Army ein. —Publishers Weekly on SPQR XI: Under VesuviusCaius Julius Caesar, now Dictator of Rome, has decided to revise the Roman calendar, which has become out of sync with the seasons. John Maddox Roberts (born June 25, 1947 in Ohio) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy novels, including historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal's Children. Decius begins his investigations and, as the body count increases, it seems that an Indian fortuneteller popular with patrician Roman ladies is also involved. "The Etruscan House" (52 BC): Decius investigates a senator's murder. SPQR XIII: The Year of Confusion (Audible Audio Edition): John Maddox Roberts, John Lee, Audible Studios: Amazon.ca: Audible Canada Decius must find her killer and keep the mob off a young boy who everyone blames but he believes to be innocent. ), SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 12), ( , SPQR VI: Nobody Loves a Centurion: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 6), ( He was in the US Army 1967–70, and did a tour in Vietnam.After he returned, he became a Green Beret.. The above dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts. The novel after that will not … John Maddox Roberts ist ein US-amerikanischer Schriftsteller. Decius is confident that another war looming over Rome, instigated by one Crassus against the Parthians (for no reason but possible worldly gain); will be voted down in the Senate. Decius is just beginning to enjoy the outpost's many exotic pleasures when the suspicious death of an irascible philosopher occurs, coinciding with the puzzling and apocalyptic ravings of a charismatic cult leader. Mystery series set in Ancient Rome. Murder is bad for morale, particularly since it seems quite clear that the murderer was one of Caesar's men. This latest in the acclaimed series is sure to please historical mystery fans. Each book of this series is written in a fast paced, evocative, and accurate way. Early the next morning, however, as Decius and his friends are on their way to the trial, Fulvius's body is found slashed to death on the steps of the basilica, where the court will be sitting. When Vinius, the army's cruelest centurion (so-called because he commands a hundred soldiers), is found murdered, Caesar remembers that his new recruit has successfully come up with the culprit in a number of recent crimes. This is because Romans are civilized people and don't clap suspects into prison like barbarians do. Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography. Not long after the new calendar project begins, two of the foreigners are murdered. Americký spisovatel, který napsal přes čtyřicet knih od klasických detektivek přes fantasy, science-fiction a řadu antických detektivek až po fikce na téma virtuálních dějin. SPQR I: The Kings Gambit: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 1), ( After he returned, he became a Green Beret. To get to the bottom of the corruption that accompanies the intoxicating allure of this ancient city, Decius must form an uneasy alliance with Clodius, Clodia's brother and his sworn enemy, and be extremely careful not to step on any toes. But the vote does not stop Crassus.On the day he and his troops set out from Rome, the Tribune Ateius Capitus, leader of the opposition, shrieks an ancient and terrible curse over the huge crowd assembled -- a curse that frightens not only the man in the street but the highest Romans.