SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 2)

An interesting and informative ramble into ancient Rome (circa 63-62 BC) complete with a surfeit of chicanery, betrayal and several murders to spice up the mystery. Into this backdrop, we find our young protagonist, Decius Caecilius Metellus, a quaestor assigned to the treasury, who will stumble into a dangerous plot of conspiracy. The author enables us to see Rome in all of its bloodlust and glory in the late republic era including the spectacular Triumph of Lucullus; the pageants, games and numerous festivals that the Romans enjoyed. It is important to note the belief that the Romans had in the power of their gods and goddesses: the animal sacrifices made to them, and in augury as interpreted by priests and seers. There was nothing that a Roman would undertake without first verifying omens as to favorability. It suggests of a society fraught with fear of the future and the power of the gods and omens to help with the uncertainty.

While investigating a murder, Decius discovers a treasure trove of mismatched weapons in the temple of Saturn which disturbs our hero. At the same time, he is invited to an extraordinary gathering at Catilina's home which makes him aware of a potential conspiracy. There are 4 more murders to add to the mystery as well as the complicity of conspirators involved. On the whole, the mystery is skillfully blended into the real historical event of the Catiline affair with the exception of the characterization of Lucius Sergius Catilina. He comes across as nothing more than a patrician who will do whatever necessary to reclaim the lost stature of his family. While the author believes he is no better or worse than the other power seekers of his time, there is no attempt to further enlighten the reader as to the complexity of Catilina.

After reading Robert Harris' CONSPIRATA and Steven Saylor's CATILINA'S RIDDLE, one gets a more nuanced interpretation of the man. There is no doubt that he was charismatic: possibly also a charlatan. His chief aim might have been to reestablish his family, but he was also concerned with the cancellation of debts and land reform for veterans and plebeians. The one thing that stands out for me is the inspiring speech (which can be found in CATILINA'S RIDDLE) that he gave to his men just before that last battle: he knew that they were probably doomed, yet he was able to convince them of the ultimate sacrifice they must make to justify their beliefs. Needless to say, history recorded this as an heroic Roman death for Catilina and for the soldiers who followed him into full frontal assault.

I am hooked on this series set in ancient Rome. I love the historical references and accuracy of the novel. The main character is sometimes lovable, often a rascal, but justified in many of his actions because of the time in which he lives and survives. I think what I like best about these novels is the attention to detail about how ancient Romans lived, for example, how the wealthy resided on the lower floors for access to water and sometimes sewage removal while the upper levels of tenement style buildings housed poorer residents who would have to carry water and sewage up and down stairs (except when thrown out of the window). The opposite today when it comes to who lives in the penthouse and who lives on the first floor. Politics, family and neighborhood intrigue, games in the coliseum, expectations for women, slaves, manumission, ancient foods, and of course the murder mystery make for non-stop reading. I can't put them down and just finished SPQR VII. Will follow up with VIII very soon.

I again enjoyed this read from the SPQR series. His main character, Decius , is a no nonsense type. And, while I feel JMR does a good job connecting the reader to the time period, I feel him to be a bit lacking when it comes to really connecting the reader compellingly ... emotionally to any of the characters. The conclusion of the book is symptomatic of that as it just abruptly ends. Some kind of inclusion of what happened between Decius and his love interest, Aurelia, would have been fitting. But then again, maybe that will occur in Book 3.

I enjoyed the first edition of this series, and was happy to purchase the second. But WHY CAN'T SOMEONE DO A BETTER JOB EDITING FOR THE KINDLE??? I've seen it in other books as well, but this time I've got to rant. Do a search for the number '1' and you'll get 8 (Kindle-sized) PAGES of occurrences where it was substituted for a capital 'I.' There's even an instance of a right bracket ( ] ) being substituted for the letter 'I.' Almost as annoying are the hard hyphenation breaks in words in the middle of lines.

Don't get me wrong: I love my Kindle, and I love eBooks. Amazon has made the whole process of finding, ordering, and reading new books so easy and enjoyable. I just expect publishers to do at least as good a job proof-reading their electronic editions as they do their print ones and not to simply OCR their print editions without taking the time to check for accuracy.

Once more Decias finds himself in the middle of history. Mysterious deaths are occurring all across Rome. Bored with his current position at the treasury, he starts snooping again and finds his neck at risk....again.

Very entertaining. Decius is a great character.

My son Nicholas memorized Cicero's denunciation speech against Cataline in prep school.and can still recite it with vigor. Love the book. Now i don't like Catiline either. Everyone of the seven SPQR books that I have read has been absolutely wonderful. Thank you Author.

Ok light reading

Very good reading. It is a very entertaining, has a good pace, funny, and with likable characters. I enjoyed very much.

My husband Brian is loving this series of books (I think there are 13). He can't put them down. He finds them fascinating, the story line is great, and from time-to-time I hear him laughing out loud while he reads parts of the book. Based on his enjoyment, and of course his love for anything Rome or Roman, we would recommend this series of books.