“There are rules for private informers accepting a new
case. Never take on clients who cannot pay you. Never do
favours for friends. Don’t work with relatives. If, like me,
you are a woman, keep clear of men you find
attractive.
“Will I never
learn?”
In Ancient Rome, the number of
slaves was far greater than that of free citizens. As a
result, often the people Romans feared most were the
“enemies at home,” the slaves under their own
roofs. Because of this, Roman law decreed that if the
head of a household was murdered at home, and the culprit
wasn’t quickly discovered, his slaves—all of them, guilty or
not—were presumed responsible and were put to
death. Without exception.
When a couple is
found dead in their own bedroom and their house burglarized,
some of their household slaves know what is about to happen
to them. They flee to the Temple of Ceres, which by
tradition is respected as a haven for refugees. This is
where Flavia Albia comes in. The authorities, under pressure
from all sides, need a solution. Albia, a private informer
just like her father, Marcus Didius Falco, is asked to solve
the murders, in this mystery from Lindsey Davis.
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