Gordianus agrees to travel much of the length of Italy with his adopted son Eco, mostly because Crassus has agreed to pay four times Gordianus's daily rate which he inflated for Crassus. Once there, Gordianus begins to conduct a rapid but thorough investigation, on the premise that someone other than a slave committed the murder. And as with any good detective novel, just as the murder is about to be revealed, there is a final surprise, although one that readers may see coming.

Arms of Nemesis, a reissue of one of the earlier Gorianus the finder novels, has a richly described atmosphere of Ancient Rome. All the reader's senses will be immersed in the time period from the stench of the slaves crowded in the hull of a boat to the feasts prepared for honored guests. Steven Saylor has done a wonderful job of making readers feel as if they too are living in Ancient Rome and does nothing to sanitize or apologize for the politics or conditions of the times that might seem inappropriate today.

Gordianus is a very likable hero, a brave, smart man who is also caring and has a strong sense of right and wrong and is willing to put his life on the line for things he believes in. The mystery is well plotted and the use of Spartacus's slave revolt to put the murder in a historical context is very effective. Mystery fans unsure about a novel set in such a time period need not be tentative, as this book is very approachable to all, no matter their familiarity with Ancient Rome.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry