A review by jbleyle63
Arms of Nemesis by Steven Saylor

4.0

There was a certain poignancy in reading this one following the recent passing of Kirk Douglas which prompted another viewing of one of my favorite films Spartacus. The slave revolt of Spartacus looms large in this one as our protagonist Gordianus the Finder is summoned from Rome to an estate on the Gulf of Naples where the cousin of Marcus Lucinius Crassus has been bludgeoned to death. Since the body was left prominently in the atrium of the villa with "Sparta" etched nearby on the floor, primary suspicion falls on two runaway slaves who are presumed to have joined the Spartacan revolt. The calculating Crassus [one can readily imagine Laurence Olivier's performance of this historical character from the Douglas film] reluctantly employs Gordianus at the urging of his cousin's widow to investigate the murder. This inquiry is made all the more pressing because Crassus plans to execute the household's 99 remaining slaves as the grand finale to gladiatorial games in honor of dearly deceased just two days away.

Another well researched and entertaining novel in Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series!