The Sacrilege - John Maddox Roberts

   1992; 204 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 3 (out of 13) in the “SPQR” series.  Genres : Murder-Mystery, Historical Fiction; Rome.  Overall Rating: 8*/10.

 

    These are busy times for Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (hereafter we'll just call him “Decius”).  He’s just arrived back home in Rome after a stint with the Roman army in Gaul, and thanks to some family string-pulling, he’s now a Senator.  But that’s not why he’s busy; new Senators are expected to show up for sessions, cheer and clap when appropriate, and otherwise keep their mouths shut.

 

    But when a Patrician friend is murdered, people look to Decius to find out who did it, since he’s known to have a flair for asking questions and poking his nose into things.  This will tie up Decius for a while, since no one can think of anybody who’d want to kill the Patrician.

 

    Then there’s that scandal at the recent “Rite of Bona Dea”.  The secret ceremony is off-limits to all males, yet Clodius, who Decius is not on good terms with, somehow wormed his way into it and has now fled the scene, since the penalty for such an infraction is death.  Again, People Decius is expected to look into the matter.  It’s going to be a challenge since Clodius is in hiding and all the women are sworn to secrecy about the ritual.

 

    On top of all that, someone just tried to poison Decius, via a furtive sprinkling of a white powder on his pastry.  How in Jove’s name will Decius solve all these mysteries, especially the one where he was the target?  Can things get any busier?

 

    Yes, they can.  And they do.  When more bodies are found.

 

What’s To Like...

    The Sacrilege is set in the city of Rome in the year 693 via Roman reckoning, or 70 BC via our dating.  It is an era chock full of notable Romans.  Julius Caesar is a youngster on the rise, Cicero and Cato are at the height of their Senatorial careers, and Pompey and his mighty army are camped just outside the walls of Rome, waiting for the Senate to ask him to lead a glorious parade celebrating his recent victories.

 

    The storyline is equal parts murder-mystery, historical fiction, and action-intrigue.  This is a turbulent time in the world – the Roman Republic is threatened by those who wish to turn it into a dictatorship, or even something new and bizarre - a triumvirate.  The ordinary citizens would much prefer to keep it a republic, but there are several nobles who are both powerful ambitious, and would love to rule as Emperor over the whole civilized world.

 

    The story is told in the first-person POV, Decius’s.  This is the book that introduces Hermes, a young slave who will also grow to be a friend that’s both insolent to, trusted by Decius.  I’m not reading the series in order, so it was neat to see how and when Hermes came in.

 

    I always enjoy the historical angle of the book in this series.  John Maddox Roberts uses a slew of Latin words in the text, and the 12-page glossary in the back comes in very handy.  I was surprised to learn the Romans had things like greenhouses and wigs, employed the use of fortune-tellers and Etruscan soothsayers, and even asked philosophical questions such as: “would men stop lying just because they’re dead?”

 

    The ending is good, with an ample amount of thrills-&-spills, including a requisite chase scene, and some always-appreciated plot twists.  Not everyone gets their just desserts, in fact almost no one does.  The plans and schemes of just about everybody, including Decius, fall through.  I loved it.

 

Excerpts...

    “Come here, boy, let’s have a look at you.”  The lad complied.  He appeared to be about sixteen, of moderate growth and wiry.  His face was narrow and foxy, with a long, thin nose that provided far too little distance between his eyes, which were an alarming shade of green.  His dense, curly hair grew to a sharp peak over his brow.  His whole look was shifty and villainous, with a touch of surly arrogance.  I liked him instantly.  (pg. 9)

 

    “Am I to understand that you have taken upon yourself one of your inimitable investigations?”

    “It helps pass the time,” I said.

    He grew very serious.  “Decius, my friend, I have known many men who courted death for the sake of glory.  Others do the same in pursuit of wealth, power or revenge.  You are the only man I know who does so as a sort of intellectual exercise.”

    “Every man finds his pleasures where he will,” I said, quoting an old saying I had often seen carved on tombstones.  (pg. 102)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Recondite (adj.) : esoteric, abstruse, obscure.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.3*/5, based on 44 ratings.

    Goodreads: 4.07*/5, based on 1,079 ratings and 45 reviews

 

“It is always inadvisable to take liberties with the diet of professional killers.”  (pg. 65 )

    There are several nits to pick, none of which are show-stoppers.  For a 204-page book, you meet a lot of people, many of which have compound names, so a Cast of Characters would’ve been quite useful.  I was surprised to find a couple typos – danger/dagger, plaze/plaza, god/good – in this published paperback version.  Perhaps Avon Books needed a better editor; but then again, maybe these errors are all cleaned up in later editions.

 

    I only noted three instances of cussing – two poops and a penis – in the whole book.  There are a couple brief and subtle references to homosexuality (Decius refers to it as the “Greek” way), but they really play no part in the tale.  Homophobes and prudes can pretty much read in peace.

 

    The titular “Sacrilege”, while certainly a factor in the story, is not the main plotline; the four murders are.  Finally, there’s a deus ex machina near the end that conveniently documents all the reasons for the murders.  Without this godsend, Decius would not have solved anything, let alone have any proof.

 

    But that’s okay.  I read John Maddox Roberts stories mostly for the historical fiction and action-adventure, and within those genres, The Sacrilege is one fine novel.  I’ve got one more book from this series on my TBR shelf, which I'm looking forward to.  After that, I’ll either have to hit the used-book stores while braving the pandemic or hope that John Maddox Roberts occasionally discounts the Kindle versions.

 

    8 Stars.  The Sacrilege was my fourth SPQR book, and John Maddox Roberts has yet to disappoint.  If you like murder-mysteries set in ancient Rome, this is definitely a series to get into.