The year is 49 BC. Gordianus and his son-in-law, Davus, find Pompey’s cousin, Numerius Pompeius, dead in the garden. Before reporting to the Great One, the two inspect the body and find a secret message. With Diana’s help, the two discover a coded message containing a dossier on Gordianus. Soon after, Pompey himself comes to visit. Upon seeing his dead kinsman, Pompey orders Gordianus to solve the murder and takes Davus as collateral.
Soon after, Gordianus pays Cicero, the person Numerius went to see prior to seeing Gordianus, a visit. On his way back, Gordianus encounters traffic thanks to Caesar’s impending arrival since crossing the Rubicon.
After a sleepless night, Gordianus awakes to a summon by Numerius’ mother, Maecia. Donning his toga, he crosses town to meet the matron who reveals that her son may not have been as loyal to Pompey as one may think. After finding her son with a mysterious box of gold, Maecia shares her belief that Numerius may have been a spy.
Over the next few days, Gordianus’ search reaps few rewards until he goes back to the Salacious Tavern—where he first went with the poet Catullus. One of the eunuchs working there reveals that Numerius did frequent the tavern, often meeting with a man named Soscarides.
Days later, Gordianus spies Tiro in the crowd—despite reports that he’s convalescing in Greece. Trusting his instincts, he goes to Cicero’s house and demands to meet with the former slave. Leading Gordianus back to the Salacious Tavern, it’s revealed that the Soscarides mentioned earlier is Tiro himself. Gordianus deduces that the dossier on his family came from Cicero. Tiro then confides that Numerius had allegedly discovered a plot to murder Caesar—originating from Caesar’s own camp.
In the days that follow, Aemilia, daughter of TItus Aemilius, pays Gordianus a visit. She reveals herself as Numerius’ secret lover, and tells him of their secret rendezvous. Upon learning the location, Gordianus sets out to explore it. While rummaging through the room, Tiro surprises him. With their search leading to nothing, Tiro convinces Gordianus to accompany him to Formiae and then to Brundisium to meet with Cicero and Pompey, respectively.
Stopping at Cicero’s villa in Formiae, Gordianus is surprised to see Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, last known to be a captive of Caesar’s. After a couple days with Cicero, Gordianus and Tiro set out for Brundisium. On the way, the pair are waylaid by Caesar’s soldiers. Suspecting them as spies for Pompey, the soldiers bind them. Fortunately for Gordianus, they are led to Marc Antony who immediately releases them and takes them to Brundisium.
With Tiro disguised as Soscarides, Gordianus prepares to see Caesar—and Meto. Afterwards, Tiro and Gordianus sneak away on a stolen skiff to reach inside the city, barely escaping Caesar’s men. Once within the city walls, Gordianus and Tiro seek out Pompey and the finder is finally reunited with his son-in-law. The trio then face the siege of Brundisium by Pompey’s side.
Convincing Pompey to leave Davus behind in exchange for the name of the murderer, Gordianus follows the Great One aboard his ship. Chased by Caesar’s men, Pompey demands that Gordianus tell him the murderer’s name only for the finder to confess that he did it. Gordianus reveals that Numerius had blackmailed him with a document proving an assassination plot against Caesar—with Meto’s name on it. Unable to meet Numerius’ demands, Gordianus murdered him. Running from an enraged Pompey, Gordianus leaps into the water.
Waking up three days later, he finds himself in a room with Davus who was able to find him after the battle. After a few days of rest, the two head for Rome, trailing after Caesar. Once back home, Gordianus sends a message to Meto asking to meet at the Salacious Tavern. Confronting Meto about the plot, his son doesn’t deny it and merely says that he cannot say more. He leaves soon after, leaving Gordianus to drink alone. Tipsy, Gordianus realizes where Numerius hid the incriminating documents—right below his seat. Rushing home, Gordianus burns the documents and looks for Meto. While searching, one of Caesar’s guards reports that Meto has deserted and fled to Massilia.
Soon after, Gordianus receives a secret message from Meto in which he reveals that the assassination plot was a ploy of Caesar’s to plant Meto as a spy. Thanks to Gordianus’ confession to Pompey, Meto has now successfully infiltrated enemy lines as a spy in Massilia.
A few days later, Gordianus visits Maecia and is surprised to find Aemilia there. The two reveal that they told everyone that Aemilia and Numerius had been married in secret, thus allowing Aemilia to have her baby.
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of Rome from republic to empire. Early in his career, he was a partisan and protégé of the Roman general and dictator Sulla; later, he became the political ally, and finally the enemy, of Julius Caesar.
This article concerns the period 49 BC – 40 BC.
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was a general and politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BC.
Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus was a Roman general and politician of the late republican period and one of the leading instigators of Julius Caesar's assassination. He had previously been an important supporter of Caesar in the Gallic Wars and in the civil war against Pompey. Decimus Brutus is often confused with his distant cousin and fellow conspirator, Marcus Junius Brutus.
Steven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and classics.
Roma Sub Rosa is a series of historical mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in ancient Rome and therefore populated by famous historic roman citizens. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose." If a matter was sub rosa, "under the rose," it meant that such matter was confidential.
Gaius Trebonius was a military commander and politician of the late Roman Republic, who became suffect consul in 45 BC. He was an associate of Julius Caesar, having served as his legate and having fought on his side during the civil war, and was among the tyrannicides who killed the dictator.
The "Pro Tito Annio Milone ad iudicem oratio" is a speech made by Marcus Tullius Cicero in 52 BC on behalf of his friend Titus Annius Milo. Milo was accused of murdering his political enemy Publius Clodius Pulcher on the Via Appia. Cicero wrote the speech after the hearing and so the authenticity of the speech is debated among scholars.
Roman Blood is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by Minotaur Books in 1991. It is the first book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery novels set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul in 54 BC, was an enemy of Julius Caesar and a strong supporter of the aristocratic party in the late Roman Republic.
Marcus Tullius Cicero Minor, or Cicero the Younger, was born in 65 or 64 BC. He was the son of Marcus Tullius Cicero, who as a distinguished orator and consular senator was one of the leading figures of the Roman Republic during the 1st century BC, and his first wife, Terentia. Cicero Minor had an elder sister, Tullia, who was born in 79 BC and died in 45 BC.
Imperium is a 2006 novel by English author Robert Harris. It is a fictional biography of Cicero, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Tiro, beginning with the prosecution of Verres.
The political career of Marcus Tullius Cicero began in 76 BC with his election to the office of quaestor, and ended in 43 BC, when he was assassinated upon the orders of Mark Antony. Cicero, a Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, and Roman constitutionalist, reached the height of Roman power, the Consulship, and played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. A contemporary of Julius Caesar, Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.
The Venus Throw is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 1995. It is the fourth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery novels set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
A Murder on the Appian Way is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 1996. It is the fifth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery novels set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
Last Seen in Massilia is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2000. It is the eighth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
A Mist of Prophecies is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2002. It is the ninth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
The Triumph of Caesar is a historical mystery novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2008. It is the twelfth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.
Dictator is a historical novel by British author Robert Harris, published in 2015, which concludes his trilogy about the life of the Roman lawyer, politician and orator, Cicero. Dictator follows the first novel Imperium (2006) and the second novel Lustrum (2009). It is both a biography of Cicero and a tapestry of Rome in the time of Pompey, Crassus, Cato, Caesar, Clodius and ultimately Octavian.
The siege of Brundisium was an early military confrontation of Caesar's Civil War. Taking place in March 49 BC, it saw the forces of Gaius Julius Caesar's Populares besiege the Italian city of Brundisium on the coast of the Adriatic Sea which was held by a force of Optimates under the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. After a series of brief skirmishes, during which Caesar tried to blockade the harbour, Pompey abandoned the city and managed to evacuate his men across the Adriatic to Epirus. Pompey's retreat meant that Caesar had full control over the Italian Peninsula, with no way to pursue Pompey's forces in the east he instead decided to head west to confront the legions Pompey had stationed in Hispania.
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