Spqr III: The Sacrilege: A Mystery

John Maddox Roberts is the pseudonym of Mark Ramsay, author of numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. He lives in New Mexico with his wife. There are more secret societies and strange rites than you can shake a stick at in the Ancient city of Rome, most of them admittedly for the male section of the population, but as in any other period of history the female of the species hates to be left out and so they have their own secret rites and woe betide any man seen taking an interest in these events. Naturally when one of the women's sacred meeting is infiltrated by a corrupt patrician dressed in female attire, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger is brought in to unmask the suspects. When four brutal killings occur it becomes obvious that the infiltrators are not just peeping toms and Decius enlists the help of a notorious criminal. Between them the pair establish a link between the infiltration of the women's sacred rites and the murders and this leads Decius from the long rung of the ladder of society up to the heights of the upper class, finding violence and corruption along the way . . .

When I was a young assistant state attorney, a wise old lawyer told me that a prosecutor had to be like Caesar's wife--above suspicion. Good advice, but where did the aphorism come from? "SPQR III" gives a humorous answer to that question, and also gives us a rolicking good story of love, murder, and political intrigue. One engaging aspect of the SPQR series is the ensemble of remarkable characters who reappear book after book. Quintus Caecilius Metellus the Elder, a battle scarred, no-nonsense soldier and politician who is both proud of and embarrassed by his eccentric son. Metellus Creticus, a dour man who happens to be one of the most powerful soldier-politicians in Rome. Titus Milo, a handsome, muscular organized crime boss who doesn't need weapons to defend himself. Asclepiodes, a talented physician who specializes in stitching up gladiators and performing autopsies. Fausta and Clodia, two women who are as heartless as they are beautiful. Publius Clodius, a reprobate who has only two ambitions--to become the most powerful man in Rome and to kill Decius Metellus the Younger. In this book Roberts makes two exemplary additions to the ensemble: Julia, niece of Julius Caesar, love of Decius' life, and no mean detective in her own right. And finally, Hermes, a lazy, hungry, insolent slave whose cupidity sometimes interferes with his loyalty to Decius his master. "SPQR III" follows the same plot as the first two offerings in this series. Decius investigates a sacrilege, becomes embroiled in a series of murders, uncovers a plot which threatens the very existence of Rome, dodges repeated attempts on his life as he pulls off a caper which saves the Republic, and flees Rome pursued by assassins. The mystery is not so much "whodunnit" as "how's Decius going to keep from getting himself killed?" It's all good fun.

Decius Caecilius Metellus, scion of an old and noble Roman family, and a snooper with the best of them, is now a Senator. That only means he now can pry more easily into matters that bring him to the really dangerous attention of truly powerful opponents who are playing the lethal end game of the Roman Republic (c. 61 B.C). Here he comes up against the most powerful triumvirate Rome ever produced, but inexplicably he has the protective respect of Julius Caesar, one of its members. This story revolves around a sacred secret women's rite and why an up-and-coming popular rabblerouser, Clodius, would want to spy on it. As usual, from such a minor incident Decius gradually uncovers a colossal conspiracy against the Republic. I found it hard to keep track of the minor but crucial characters not only because they are numerous, but also because they frequently have similar names and certain of them are also busy changing those names during the action (practices explained in the highly useful end-glossary of the Latin terms Decius drops into the narrative). One unique aspect of these Roman mystery stories is that they are purportedly narrated long after the events by Decius in his old age, thus allowing him amusing and droll comments (in the manner of Suetonius) benefiting from historical perspective. Roberts has a light touch on otherwise grim happenings, many of which he is not making up. His use of Caeasar's famous quote about how his wife must be above supicion is deliciously ironic. I'd guess the more one knows of classical history the more fun is this genre of mystery novels (cf. McCullough's biographical use of Caesar, Saylor's use of Cicero's law cases). The current St. Martin series has a much nicer presentation than the original Avon pulps, but has no more "Roman" an appearance (e.g., no Roman numerals). A useful map is included although its central parts disappear into the book's gutter. Incidentally, a computer mystery game titled "S.P.Q.R." was published in 1996 (has an amazing virtual Rome and gameplay a la MYST I, but is unrelated to the Roberts stories).

The Metellus stories are always enjoyable "on the bus" reading. I enjoyed this book particularly because of Decius irreverent attitude toward Julius Caesar. My only frustration is that there are several Decius Metellus short stories scattered about and I don't know where most of them are. I think I've seen one or two in anthologies called "Historical Whodunnits" and "Historical Detectives" and "Crime Through Time". I hope someday they will be gathered into a volume of their own.

I like the Decius metellus stories. I recommend as well books by Steven Saylor. There are based in the same time of history.