Cicero wants to find out the truth, and that’s where Gordianus comes in. His elderly father, also called Sextus Roscius, was found dead in a Roman alley on his way to a favourite brothel and, although Roscius the Younger was off in the country at the time, taking care of his father’s farms, he has been accused of masterminding the crime. And the man who wants Gordianus’ help is Tiro’s master, a fresh young advocate just starting out on his career, named Cicero.Ĭicero has taken on a case that no one else will touch: the defence of a man named Sextus Roscius, who has been accused of the most heinous of crimes, parricide. And this is why he’s surprised when a very well-bred young slave arrives at the door of his sprawling, shabby old house one morning, offering him work. This is usually reinforced by the status of the go-betweens sent to deal with him. Gordianus has previously worked with some of Rome’s leading advocates, but he’s always been fully conscious of his status as persona non grata in polite circles. It’s 80 BC when we first encounter Gordianus, called the Finder, a man known in a certain section of society for his ability to find not only things but truth. Time to meet another pioneering Roman detective, this one operating some decades earlier than Lindsey Davis’s engaging Falco.
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