Now caught in a cloak and dagger political struggle for the fate of the Republic, Gordianus finds himself strangely drawn to the controversial candidate. But when his old friend Cicero enlists the Finder in an elaborate plot to control Catilina, Gordianus is drawn back into a familiar world. Gordianus the Finder, retired to his Etruscan farm, is happy to be free of the intrigue and danger of the capital. With the consular election drawing near, Rome is fiercely divided between the conservative Cicero and the tempestuous Catilina, whose followers are rumored to be plotting a blood thirsty siege for power if their leader fails to win office.

Gordianus does not want to know - but then the first headless corpse turns up in his well.Saylor brings the people and the politics of Ancient Rome to convincing life, in the middle of a fast-moving and compelling mystery.Using scholarly historical insight and evocative storytelling that brings to life the glories of ancient Rome, Steven Saylor takes the reader from the bloody lines of clashing Roman armies to the backrooms of the Senate floor, where power hungry politicians wrestle the Fates for control of Rome’s destiny.

Cicero wants him to work against the dangerous, charismatic populist politician Catilina. But he cannot escape from intrigue so easily. Gordianus has washed his hands of politics and moved his family to a farm in Etruria, hoping to get away from the dirt and danger of Rome. Following the success of Roman Blood and Arms of Nemesis, Catilina's Riddle is the third novel in the series to be published in Britain in paperback format. Robinson is publishing the whole series - five novels to date - in the UK. Steven Saylor's historical mysteries set in ancient Rome and featuring investigator Gordianus the Finder enjoy a widespread following in America.

Catilina's Riddle by Steven Saylor