Saylor is one of the best historical novelists that we have at this time. When he writes about ancient Rome you feel as if you were there. His command of place and scene is truly magical and without argument, Gordianus is one of the best characters in mystery fiction.
As a lover of ancient history and something in which I received a degree, Saylor gets it right. Historically accurate but oh so entertaining!

In the beginning of The Throne of Caesar, it's just before the Ides of March, 44 BCE. Gordianus the Finder is about to become a senator, and Julius Caesar's getting weird vibes and asks Gordianus to see if anyone's up to anything. I was a bit skeptical of this opening, wondering how on earth a novel about the assassination of Caesar could possibly have any drama or suspense. Here's the 2000-year-old spoiler: He gets stabbed. We know who did it, we know Gordianus doesn't stop it, so where's the suspense?

But it really works, because the novel skillfully blends Gordianus' preparations to become a senator, his investigation in a warning scrawled on Cinna's doorstep, some scandalous poetry, and Gordianus' happy family life. Caesar's warnings seem secondary to all the other things going on. The novel's tension comes from the Finder shopping for a his first senatorial toga, while a world-changing conspiracy unfolds around him, familiar and clear to every reader but completely unknown to Gordianus. And when the inevitable happens, it's actually the least-shocking mob justice in the book...

The book's ending, with Gordianus' daughter Diana offering to record and edit his memoirs of his mysteries, may be a hint that this is the close of Gordianus' adventures.

44 AD was not a good time to be Julius Caesar. It was his fate to be viciously murdered on the foretold Ides of March. “Beware the ides of March.” There would be no escaping the fate the gods had in store for him. Yet, Gordianus the Finder, a man who has solved many a crime in and around Rome, is tasked to discover if there is a plot afoot to murder Caesar. Hired by Cicero, Gordianus is also slated because of his adopted son's closeness to Caesar, to become an esteemed senator. Seems like a monumental task and considering the outcome we all know it was mission impossible.

However, weaving a tale of all the major players in this drama, and throwing out possible scenarios, Steven Saylor created a highly readable and enjoyable book that makes you wonder at all the possibilities.

This is my first Saylor book, and I felt at first a bit behind the curve at the start. Later, however, I was able to pick up the thread while learning a bit about a poet named Cinna. (totally disreputable man with a penchant for macabre poetry), Brutus (not high on the ethics list...“Et tu, Brute?”), Antony (exactly what if any part did he play? "My heart is there in the coffin with Caesar") and Fulvia (a lady who definitely had all her ducks in a row). This book was enjoyable and entertaining, one that people interested in ancient Rome and its delightful citizens might enjoy.
Thank you to Steven Saylor, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

The Throne of Caesar is the latest story in Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series. This time Gordianus the Finder is wrapped up in a murder that occurred in the shadow of the best known assassination in history. Caesar has been murdered and Gordianus. During the funeral of Caesar his friend Cinna the Poet is murdered by a mob who mistakes Cinna for one of Caesar's assassinations. So now Gordianus must navigate the treacherous world around him while trying to find a killer. In the end he will discover much that shocks and horrifies him. It is a great addition to the series. There may not be many more Gordianus books to come as the main character is getting up there in years. Who knows. I am sure that there are more crimes to investigate in the years before Augustus' ascendance..

Another wonderful mystery by Steven Saylor! Gordianus the Finder gets a call from his old friend Cicero. Cicero thinks that something is going on that he needs to know about, and he wants Gordianus to find out what. He gives Gordianus a list of people to talk to, and, off he goes (reluctantly) to meet with his each one. Although Gordianus is allegedly retired, he has recently been raised to equestrian rank and uses the need to find an appropriate toga for the announcement of his promotion as an excuse to talk to those on the list. Then he gets a call from his buddy Caesar, now Dictator for life, who would like to know who, if anyone, is plotting against him. Gordianus's meetings surface no clues (other than where to get his toga) about any plans against Caesar, But the Ides of March are fast approaching, and we all know what happens then!

The Throne of Caesar has the usual politics, conspiracies, back stabbing and plots that we have come to expect from Steven Saylor. It's fun to see Gordianus wrestle with the changes that his new rank will bring to him and his family, and his mixed emotions about what this new success brings. What a fun read!

The latest installment of Steven Saylor's series on ancient Rome. Well written and obviously well researched. It departs somewhat from the usual "detective" genre of his previous books, but the plot still has some surprises.

Steven Saylor has placed Gordianus the Finder hip deep in alligators as the time slips away to the Ides of March. Caesar has decided to make Gordianus a senator; his family is thrilled, but he is nervous. Where does he get a toga? Who is plotting against Caesar? Confusing, colourful and deadly. Will Gordianus survive? Who will die?

the Throne of Caesar by Steven Saylor, a good solid story surrounding the Ides Of March. If you are into the Caesar stories and need another Historical Fiction book, treat yourself to this one.

Where were you on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.?
You and I were not alive, but Steven Saylor makes us feel as if we were on the scene with his new book about Gordianus the Finder. Watch as Gordianus tries to winkle out the plan, listen enraptured to the poet Cinna and to Antony's epic funeral speech. I dare you not to hear Rex Harrison as you read Julius Caesar's parts in this novel. It is so well crafted. I'm a very busy mom of 3 very busy kids, and I couldn't put this book down, even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, even though I knew that I would be sad. Saylor skillfully wraps you, the reader, in the silken gauze of the story that we all know, and adds in twists that disturb and leave you in awe.
This novel is definitely not for children, or even young adults, as it deals with some rather grotesque themes. This was not a novel that I could leave lying around; HOWEVER, when the reader keeps in mind the context of the time period, the story makes perfect sense, and is so good, even when you have trouble wrapping your mind around some of the content. Remember, while reading this novel, that we are in a time far, far removed from that of Julius Caesar, and that we cannot, should not, judge Rome of that time by our modern day Judeo-Christian standards. When you take off those twentieth century glasses, you'll find an awesome story, which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

My thanks to NetGalley for the free advance copy of this novel.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

I've always jumped at books set in ancient Rome and Saylor's novels are at the top of their genre. I loved the backstage view of Cleopatra and Caesar, the mularkey, and all the little touches that make this series a favorite even years into its lifespan.

Is Steven Saylor retiring his long-running series of mysteries starring Gordianus the Finder? Certainly Gordianus himself hopes to retire from ferreting out crime and deceit in the age of Caesar and Marc Antony and Cicero. He's an old man after all and long-time fans of the books will enjoy what feels like a career capper of a book. Saylor spends half his time reminiscing about old jobs and how far Gordianus and his family have risen in society. The other half of the time is spent reminiscing with old friends and touching base with clients past, present (and perhaps future). When those clients include the orator Cicero (the man who prodded Gordianus into his first case) and the wife of Caesar and Cinna (the greatest poet of his age) at least those moments are interesting. For all the nostalgic sense of winding things up with a graceful goodbye, this is a fine entry point for newcomers not ready to start at the beginning. Why? Because the murder at the heart of this story -- the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides Of March -- is so familiar to modern readers. That should make this a pretty dull mystery since most schoolchildren know Brutus of "Et tu" fame will be involved along with a host of politicians. (Those backstabbers.) But Saylor pulls a nifty fast one. While we've been waiting for the assassination of Caesar, Saylor has been setting up another murder right in front of our eyes. He also takes on Shakespeare by offering his own Antony eulogy, not to mention describing not one but TWO epic poems that are masterpieces we would read today...if they hadn't been lost in time. Still, for the all the cleverness this feels like a gentle goodbye, with the aching and elderly Gordianus happy to retire to his garden for a good nap and perhaps a spot of writing.... -- Michael Giltz

Finally, Steven Saylor Returns to Chronological Order For The Next Gordianus Novel

I was wondering when Steven Saylor would return to where he left off with The Triumph of Caesar, written almost ten years ago. When I started to read this novel, my major question was what would be the mystery here. This is not a spoiler—Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, so where is the mystery? This question is answered.

The story starts out with Tiro, Cicero’s secretary, stopping by to ask Gordianus to see Cicero. Cicero fears that there is a plot to assassinate Caesar and wants Gordianus to investigate. Then, Meto, Gordianus’s adopted son and Caesar’s confidant escorts Gordianus to Caesar, who wants him to investigate a list of individuals for the same purpose. Caesar also lets Gordianus know that he is being made a senator on the Ides of March. The main storyline takes off from here with Gordianus interviewing people using an excuse of where to purchase a senatorial toga.

After interviewing the people on the list and others, Gordianus reports back to Caesar and Cicero. The novel settles into Gordianus’s preparations for becoming a senator on the Ides of March Senate meeting.

Now, most of the main storyline up to the assassination deals with two epic poems by the poet and senator, Gaius Helvius Cinna. For most of this section I thought that I may have picked up Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This section was slow but important to main storyline.

One issue I had was Gordianus did see verbal and non-verbal clues given off by the conspirators, he did not realize the significance. Gordianus even acknowledges to Caesar that he does not have any talent for precognition. Gordianus has recognized similar behavior in previous novels’ murderers. But, of course, Gordianus could not discover the conspiracy because Caesar was assassinated, and this bit of history could not be rewritten. Therefore, this precognition fault had to be and explains why he did not see the signs.

The B-storyline supports and integrates seamlessly into the main storyline quite well. Especially interesting was the depth of Gordianus’s relationship with his daughter, Diana. Another interesting aspect of the B-storyline is seeing how Gordianus handles the new aspect thrust upon him in becoming a Senator of Rome. The less confident side of Gordianus is something I do not remember seeing explored so deeply before and found quite interesting.

For those who are sensitive to sex, foul language, and extreme violence, there are not any direct sex scenes or foul language. There is implied incest and some violence described, especially in the two epic poems. There is some detailed description of murder, especially Caesar’s assassination. This is a murder mystery so some violence should be expected. I did not find it excessive.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and could not stop even when it slowed down. The author did tie all of the loose ends by the end. Yes, I found the mystery. I rate this novel with five stars, even though it is not a perfect five. If you have read the novels in this series, this novel definitely is a must read. If you are considering this novel and it would be your first, it may not be the best with which to start.

I have received a free kindle Uncorrected Digital Galley of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this novel early.

Gordianus the Finder is growing old. He does not particularly welcome a new commission from Cicero and is not especially inspired when he receives a similar commission from the dictator Julius Caesar: both men want him to investigate whether there exists a conspiracy against Caesar’s life - and it is only days until Caesar leaves for Parthia on The Ides of March. It should come as no surprise to the reader that Gordianus fails to uncover a plot and that at about half way through this novel, Caesar lies stabbed to death beneath the statue of Pompey.
But this not simply a retelling of the death of Caesar. There was another death too which occurred in the wake of Caesar’s burial, that of Rome’s leading poet, Gaius Helvius Cinna, and it is this death which becomes the focus of Gordianus’ investigation. Cinna’s brilliant but perverse poems become key clues in what appears to have been a case of mistaken identity, but which may have a solution much closer to home.
The Gordianus novels have long been favourites of mine, but I reckon the earlier ones were the best, and the series faltered somewhat with the more recent. This one too could have fallen into the latter group, but for the focus on a lesser known consequence of Caesar’s death and Gordianus’ personal involvement. There is much to enjoy here, not least a lovely coda where we discover when and how Gordianus began to record the stories of his life. I enjoyed this a lot and recommend it to followers of the series.

I love any Roman type stories and I'm happy to add this one to my library.

I've been reading the Roma Sub Rosa series for a long time, and, like Lindsay Davies, Saylor has had to wrangle a key problem of both historical and detective procedural series--how do you deal with the inevitable historical events and aging of your character, and how do you take a scruffy, outsider character into the heart of power because of his success with cases? In this installment, Saylor deals with the obviously not-mystery of the assassination of Caesar by focusing on the murder of Cinna the poet, purportedly mistaken for the conspirator and praetor Cinna. Saylor pulls a neat trick of great contemporary relevance in presenting Poet Cinna as a great buddy right up until Gordianus realizes there was a really good reason the most powerful woman in Rome wanted him dead by Bacchanal frenzy.