The year is 70 A.D., Rome in the time of Emperor Vespasian. Our hero is an informer, Marcus Didias Falco, in the Emperor's employ and paid by the job and according to the Emperor's will. He lives in a poor neighborhood on the top floor of a tenement which his mother comes to visit and clean up once in a while and berate him for his lifestyle. At the same time he has to search for jobs so he can contribute to his mother's household and to his sisters. Life is not simple. In a warehouse are discovered some silver pigs which really belong to the government but the Emperor has no record of these. The “pigs” are made of iron with a center of silver, mined in Britain, numbered and yet the authorities don't know how they got to Rome. Obviously, this is a job for Falco. He had been in Britain while in the Roman Army, and back he goes to work as a slave in the mines, much to his disgust, since he hates British weather. To add to his misery he has met a lovely young lady, the divorced daughter of a Senator. Although she encourages him, his social status does not allow him to think of marrying her. Status in Rome was determined by one’s monetary situation. If the Emperor saw fit to reward him with a great deal of money he could begin on the upward road. If you love ancient history and mysteries, this is for you. Either way, it’s a great tale. The writer has done a lot of research and this new detective will leave you begging for more. There are already two sequels, but start with this; you won't be sorry.
