Most Popular Books by Steven Saylor

Roma, 52 a.C. Una fredda notte senza stelle viene all''improvviso illuminata dalle torce di una folla inferocita che, dopo aver occupato il Foro, minaccia di marciare sul Senato per darlo alle fiamme. Il motivo di quella sollevazione popolare è la morte di Publio Clodio Pulcro, amatissimo ex tribuno della plebe, barbaramente accoltellato sulla via Appia. E tutti puntano il dito contro Tito Annio Milone, il suo avversario politico, che infatti viene subito accusato d''omicidio. Tuttavia, assecondando la sua natura diffidente e indagatrice, Gordiano il Cercatore sospetta che la faccenda nasconda molte zone oscure e, poco prima che il processo abbia inizio, decide d''investigare, mandando così su tutte le furie Cicerone, che vuole chiudere il caso al più presto. Ma perché tanta fretta? Per evitare che scoppino nuove rivolte? Per timore che possa emergere qualche segreto imbarazzante? In effetti, grazie al prezioso aiuto del figlio Eco, Gordiano si troverà sulle tracce di una verità molto diversa da quella sostenuta in tribunale, una verità agghiacciante, che lo farà dubitare non soltanto del proprio ruolo di Cercatore al servizio della giustizia, ma anche del futuro della Repubblica...

ROMAN BLOOD 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... HOUSE OF THE VESTALS Wonderfully entertaining mystery stories set in the world of the acclaimed ROMA SUB ROSA series. It is the Rome of the Late Republic, and Gordianus the Finder has a knack for finding trouble - and dead bodies. Known to many as the one man in the ancient world who can both keep a secret and uncover one, Gordianus lays bare some of his most intriguing adventures in this new volume in Steven Saylor''s highly acclaimed mystery series. In ''Little Caesar and the Pirates'', Gordianus must act as a go-between for kidnappers, but he begins to wonder who is really being held hostage; in ''The Alexandrian Cat'', a mischievous girl and a tell-tale sneeze reveal an ingenious plot of murder and thievery; and in ''The House of the Vestals'', blackmail goes horribly wrong and there is no one to take the blame. The result is an engrossing collection of finely wrought mystery tales with all the suspense and craft that are the trademark of Saylor''s work. A GLADIATOR DIES ONLY ONCE Gordianus the Finder, famed detective of Ancient Rome, returns in a riveting of stories. Nine tales of murder and intrigue take him from the seamy streets of Rome to elegant villas on the Bay of Naples, from the spectacular backdrop of a chariot race to a domestic dispute with his Egyptian concubine Bethesda. In the title story a beautiful Nubian actress begs Gordianus to solve an impossible problem: how can she have just seen her beloved brother in the market place when she had previously watched him die a gruesome death as a gladiator? ARMS OF NEMESIS South of Rome on the Gulf of Puteoli stands the splendid villa of Marcus Crassus, Rome''s wealthiest citizen. When the estate overseer is murdered, Crasus concludes that the deed was done by two missing slaves, who have probably run off to join the Spartacus Slave Revolt. Unless they are found within five days, Crassus vows to massacre his remaining ninety-nine slaves. To Gordianus the Finder falls the fateful task of resolving this riddle from Hades. In a house filled with secrets, the truth is slow to emerge and Gordianus realizes that the labyrinthine path he has chosen just may lead to his own destruction.

Janvier 52 avant notre ère. Rome tremble, Rome gronde. Par bandes et partisans interposés, le populiste Publius Clodius et son ennemi juré, le patricien Titus Milon, se disputent le contrôle des élections populaires. Et lorsque Clodius se fait assassiner sur la voie Appia, la ville s''enflamme. Embuscade ? Attaque préméditée ? Au milieu de cette tourmente, un seul homme saura rester droit et intègre Gordien, que le général charge de l''enquête. " Le Texan Steven Saylor est un champion du péplum thriller. Le détective Gordien est confronté à l''une des grandes affaires politico-criminelles de la période susdite [...]. Meurtre sur la voie Appia se lit surtout comme un passionnant gros polar. " Le Progrès

En 48 avant J.-C., le chaos règne sur le monde romain tandis qu''une guerre sans merci oppose les partisans de César et de Pompée. C''est dans ce contexte troublé que Gordianus le limier navigue vers Alexandrie avec sa femme, dans l''espoir d''y soigner l''étrange maladie dont elle est victime. Mais ce périple n''aura rien d''un voyage d''agrément ! Avant même d''avoir posé le pied en terre d''Égypte, Gordianus tombe entre les mains du plus acharné de ses ennemis, celui que tous nomment encore le " Grand Général " et qui a juré sa perte, Pompée... Pour sauver ceux qu''il aime, le limier aura besoin de toute son intelligence, mais a-t-il toujours la faveur des dieux ?

Rome, 48 avant J-C. Elle est belle, prétend avoir oublié son passé, est considérée comme folle, et entre dans des transes spectaculaires avant de proférer d''impressionnantes prophéties. On l''appelle Cassandre. Le jour où, sur le marché du Capitole, la jeune pythie expire dans les bras de Gordianus, en murmurant " elle m''a empoisonnée ", le limier le plus célèbre de Rome décide d''enquêter. Sa curiosité redouble lorsque sept femmes parmi les plus riches, les plus éminentes et les plus puissantes de Rome, dissimulées derrière les rideaux de leur litière, arrivent à la nécropole avec leur suite pour assister à la crémation. Quel était donc le lien entre ces patriciennes et la mystérieuse inconnue ? Tandis que Jules César et Pompée continuent de se livrer une guerre sans merci dans les territoires les plus éloignés de l''empire que menace le chaos, la capitale est livrée aux espions, aux intrigues et aux trahisons. La huitième aventure de Gordianus, le privé le plus sagace de l''ancienne Rome.

Gordien doit élucider le meurtre de Licinius, notoire trafiquant d''armes, dans la Rome dépravée de César. Humour décapant et fidélité à l''Histoire dans ce polar au royaume de Ben-Hur.