SPQR: The Detective and the Toga

Bell214: The SPQR Series by John Maddox Roberts

With his SPQR novels, John Maddox Roberts has written a satisfying and entertaining historical mystery series. It is a collection of detective stories set in the time of the Roman Republic. SPQR (the original title of the first book, until the sequels came out) is a Latin initialism for Senatus Populusque Romanus (“The Senate and People of Rome“ ), the official name of the Republic. Roberts’ novels are historically accurate and delightful in their dry humor. His hero is a junior member of one of the great and most conservative Senatorial families of the time, the Caecillii Metelli.

1. The King’s Gambit (1990)
2. The Catiline Conspiracy (1991)
3. The Sacrilege (1992)
4. The Temple of the Muses (1999)
5. Saturnalia (1999)
6. Nobody Loves a Centurion (2001)
7. The Tribune’s Curse (2003)
8. The River God’s Vengeance (2004)
9. The Princess and the Pirates (2005)
10. A Point of Law (2006)
11. Under Vesuvius (2007)
12. Oracle of the Dead (2008)

The stories are told in first–person form by a fictional character, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (born 95 BCE), nephew of Metellus Pius and member of an important family of the Roman Senate. A Roman Senator during the waning days of the republic, Decius solves mysteries, while at the same time working his way steadily up the cursus honorum (Latin: “course of honours“ ― the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire).

The stories are told in flashback–form by the old Decius, writing during the reign of Augustus Caesar, when he has outlived all his friends and enemies, and no longer cares whom he offends or what anyone might do to him.

Decius’ companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greek gladiatoral physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politician Titus Annius Milo; and his staunch enemies, the siblings Clodia and Clodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as by Cicero and a young Julius Caesar. In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. The dates are all listed at the end of each book in the ab urbe condita calendar system.

About the author: John Maddox Roberts (born June 25, 1947 in Ohio) is an author who has written many science fiction and fantasy novels, including his successful historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal series: Hannibal’s Children (2002), The Seven Hills (2002).

Bell214: The King’s Gambit (1990)

John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey ― routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex–slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger ― high–born commander of the local vigiles ― was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes and sinister threats, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.

Bell214: The Catiline Conspiracy (1991)

It was a summer of glorious triumph for the mighty Roman Republic. Her invincible legions had brought all foreign enemies to their knees. But in Rome, there was no peace.

The streets were flooded with the blood of murdered citizens and there were rumors of more atrocities to come. Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger was convinced a conspiracy existed to overthrow the government ― a sinister cabal that could only be destroyed from within. But admission into the traitorous society of evil carried a grim price: the life of Decius’s closet friend ... and maybe his own.

Bell214: The Sacrilege (1992)

When a sacred women’s rite in the ancient city of Rome is infiltrated by a corrupt patrician dressed in female garb, it falls to Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, whose investigative skills have proven indispensable in the past, to unmask the perpetrators. When four subsequent and brutal slayings occur, Decius enlists the help of a notorious and dangerous criminal. 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.

Bell214: The Temple of the Muses (1999)

When Roman Junior senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has a chance to join a diplomatic mission to Alexandria, he welcomes the opportunity to temporarily elude his enemies in the Eternal City ― even though it means leaving his beloved Rome. 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.
Intrigued, Decius requests and is given permission by the Egyptian Pharaoh to investigate the heinous crime. But what he discovers is beyond shocking. And when the corpse of a famous courtesan mysteriously turns up in his bed, Decius suddenly finds himself entangled in a web of conspiracy far more widespread and dangerous than he ever imagined ― one that threatens to bring about the downfall of the entire Empire.

Bell214: Saturnalia (1999)

Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has won himself a reputation as both an investigator and, most unfortunately, a bit of a playboy. Having been banished by his family for sometimes embarrassing activities to a rather leisurely lifestyle on Rhodes, he is puzzled to be suddenly and unexpectedly recalled to Rome when they suddenly have a need for his peculiar skills.

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, a relative of Decius and his family and the head of a powerful political clan, has been poisoned, and his infamous wife Clodia is immediately suspected of disposing of her rather inconvenient husband.
It happens every day. But nothing is ever simple about murder among Rome’s ruling classes. Poisoning is more serious than, say, stabbing or strangulation. Poisoning involves the laws against witchcraft. There is a secret, forbidden cult of the old Earth gods that flourishes right alongside the official State cult of the Olympians, and Decius discovers that some very highborn people are involved in it. A trial of Coldia for poisoning could embarrass some of Rome’s most important families.

Not entirely convinced of Clodia’s guilt (of this particular murder, anyway), Decius delves into the intricacies of Rome’s ruling class and discovers that a clandestine, forbidden witches cult is inextricably intertwined with some very highborn people. A trial for Clodia would be most unwelcome, as it could bring to light some well–kept secrets. 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.

Bell214: Nobody Loves a Centurion (2001)

Decius’s arrival to Gaul disappoints the great Julius Caesar. He has been waiting for promised reinforcements from Rome, an influx of soldiers to restart his invasion. 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. When Vinius, the army’s cruelest centurion, is found murdered, Caesar remembers that his new recruit has successfully come up with the culprit in a number of recent crimes. Murder is bad for morale, particularly since it seems quite clear that the murderer was one of Caesar’s men. 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. The investigation leads Decius to two German slaves of the dead man ― a dwarfish old man and a beautiful woman. They are puzzling; the man is arrogant, the woman haughty ― very unlike slaves. There are unanswered questions. 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.

Bell214: The Tribune’s Curse (2003)

“I was happier than any mere mortal has a right to be, and I should have known better. The entire body of received mythology and every last Greek tragedy ever written have made one inescapable truth utterly clear: If you are supremely happy the gods have it in for you. They don’t like for mortals to be happy and they will make you pay.”

An entire city, versed in literature, music, and the other arts, democratically ruled for its rime, is thrown into panic by an enraged man’s curse.
The Consul Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome, is frustrated by the Senate’s vote against his leading Rome in a war against Parthia, and he plans to march his private army to invade tile country, himself. Almost all of Rome turns out o watch him carry out his threat and lead his troops our of the City.
But before he can, a powerful tribune called Ateius Capito leaps to the top of the city’s gate and invokes all the gods to put a curse on Crassus and his army.
Rome is terrified. Ateius Capito has called down a forbidden curse ― the worst and most frightening blasphemy ever perpetrated. Worse, even ― someone kills Ateius, perhaps in the vain hope that this will lighten the curse.

After joining the other men of the dry in a day–long punishing cleansing ritual, Decius discovers that he has been enlisted to uncover the person responsible for the murder. The culprit must be found in order to complete the cleansing, and there is no one better equipped to do that than Decius.

Bell214: The River God’s Vengeance (2004)

In the waning days of the Roman Republic, the adventures of Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger have taken him from one end of the empire to the other, usually fleeing from trouble just to find himself in more trouble wherever he ends up going. Decius’s heart belongs to Rome, however. With a family as impressive as his name sounds, a close friendship with the leader of one of Rome’s most powerful street gangs, and a marriage to the niece of Julius Caesar, he has finally taken the first step on Rome’s political ladder, with an election to the lowly office of aedile.

As aedile, Decius’s most important responsibility is to buy the people’s love by staging elaborate games, filled with wild beasts and ferocious gladiatorial combat, all enormously expensive and paid for out of the aedile’s own pocket. Decius does have to squeeze in his more mundane obligations, though, such as maintaining records, clearing the sewers, and generally keeping Rome from falling apart.

When Decius’s official responsibilities require him to investigate the collapse of a tenement building, his sense of duty won’t allow him to write it off as just another example of greedy slumlords using shoddy materials. As Decius’ hunt for justice implicates some of Rome’s most powerful figures, so powerful that even Cicero can’t help Decius, he must turn for help to a most unlikely ally.

Bell214: The Princess and the Pirates (2005)

His two years of aedileship over, Decius is ready for his next adventure. He would rather do anything than join the war with Caesar in the dismal forests of Gaul, so he and his slave–protégé Hermes find themselves on a mission to rid the Mediterranean of pirates. They set off with shoddy ships and sailors to the island of Cyprus, where a young Cleopatra is staying. Between her impressive crew and the ex–pirate Ariston providing insider knowledge of that cutthroat occupation, Decius thinks he stands a good chance of bringing himself some glory.

That would be too simple, though. The ruler of the island, Silvanus, is murdered in a most peculiar fashion and Decius, as a guest in his home, has a sacred duty to find and punish the guilty party. Because world relations are already strained, he would rather not suspect Cleopatra, heir to the Egyptian throne. But she has plenty of reasons to hate Rome and murder runs in her family. Another guest and suspect is Gabinius, who is in exile and could have easily given up loyalty toward his friend if it meant a quicker return to Rome. In the meantime, Decius is being humiliated in his pirate hunt, and as if this weren’t enough, Aphrodite herself seeks Decius’s help by appearing to him in a dream vision. As Decius investigates world trade, the island history, and the new kind of piracy plaguing the waters, he is finding connections more menacing than he had ever imagined possible.

Bell214: A Point of Law (2006)

Being under suspicion of murder did not hamper my freedom. This is because Romans are civilized people and don’t clap suspects into prison like barbarians do. It would take an order of a lawfully convened court even to place me under house arrest.

That’s Decius Caecilius Metellus speaking. He is at an outdoor rally in Rome where he is campaigning for election to the praetorship. 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. While this is not an unknown effort used to ruin a candidate’s chances, it is enough to have Decius’ father call a meeting of family and friends ― a meeting that ends with the participants going home determined to find some answers to stop Fulvius’s efforts to ruin Decius’ chances.

Early the next morning, however, as Decius and his friends are on their way to the trial, Fulvius’ body is found slashed to death on the steps of the basilica, where the court will be sitting. 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. So it’s doubly important for Decius, with the help of his wife, Julia, and the ex–slave Hermes, to find the solution to the most personal ― and possibly most difficult ― puzzle that has come his way.

Bell214: Under Vesuvius (2007)

Things are going well for Decius Caecilius Metellus. He is Praetor Peregrinus, which means he has to judge a case or two, but those cases are outside of the City. His cases will be those dealing with foreigners, and all of Italy is his province. His first stop is Campania.
Decius and his wife, Julia, are happy for a change of scenery. But the good times end when, in a town near Vesuvius, a priest’s daughter is murdered. Decius must find her killer and keep the mob off a young boy who everyone blames but he believes to be innocent. Decius may have acquired more prestige, but he’s also acquired more trouble.

Bell214: Oracle of the Dead (2008)

Decius Caecilius Metellus, this year’s magistrate for cases involving foreigners, is living the good life in southern Italy, happy to be away from Rome, a city suffering war jitters over Caesar’s impending actions. 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. He quickly learns that there is a bitter rivalry between the priests of Apollo and those of Hecate, who guard the oracle.

When the priests of Apollo are all killed, the countryside looks to explode in violence as Greeks, Romans and native Italians of several conquered nations bring out old enmities. Decius is caught squarely in the middle, desperate to find a way out that will pacify the district and, incidentally, save his own skin.