By Paul Carrier
Many mysteries have been set in ancient Rome, but the protagonist usually is a fictitious detective, rather than someone to be found in the history books.
Not so in Bruce Macbain’s Roman Games, which takes us back to 96 A.D. and the reign of one of the empire’s more ruthless and loathsome emperors, Domitian. The reluctant investigator in this case is none other than Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, a real-life lawyer, senator and author known in our day as Pliny the Younger.
When a wealthy senator who served as one of Domitian’s informers is murdered in his own home, the mild-mannered Pliny is coerced by none other than the emperor into investigating the crime. He finds himself allied with Marcus Valerius Martialis, aka Martial, a well-known Spanish writer of bawdy verses who was somewhat friendly with Pliny while Martial lived in Rome.
At first, it’s assumed that Sextus Verpa, a libertine known for his cruelty, was killed by his slaves. In particular, the evidence seems to point to Verpa’s Jewish slaves, thanks to a Jewish weapon and a drawing of a menorah found in Verpa’s bedroom, where he was murdered.
But when it becomes clear that the slaves are Christians rather than practicing Jews, the initial theory falls apart. Suspicion then falls on Verpa’s son Lucius and a young male slave named Ganymede. But their guilt comes into question when an undertaker reveals that Verpa was murdered before Ganymede stabbed him. In fact, the wounds inflicted by Ganymede were too superficial to cause much harm.
Add to the mix Verpa’s concubine Scortilla, and Amatia, a mysterious woman who was living in Verpa’s household at the time of the murder, and the task of identifying Verpa’s killer becomes even more difficult. Rumors of a plan to assassinate Domitian, which may involve possible conspirators who are on the sidelines of the murder investigation, give the case a much higher profile than it otherwise would have.
The interplay between the upright Pliny and the roguish Martial lightens the tone of Roman Games, while Macbain’s depiction of Domitian as a sadistic, and possibly mad, tyrant makes it clear that everyone is playing for high stakes. The action builds to a crescendo as Pliny finally solves Verpa’s murder, only to find himself torn between supporting Domitian to avert a civil war or joining his enemies as they contrive to destroy the emperor.
Roman Games neatly blends plot and setting, giving the reader a glimpse of day-to-day life during Domitian’s reign. Macbain sprinkles his story with Latin terms, such as mentula (penis), palla (a woman’s cloak) and the exclamation mehercule (by Hercules!). Pliny's contemporaries roundly condemn Jews and Christians as atheists because they refuse to worship the Roman gods. The empire's bureaucrats and functionaries wield more power than senators. And Roman physicians concoct bizarre theories to disguise their ignorance.
Macbain knows his stuff. He holds a bachelor’s degree in classics from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania. He indicates on his web site that he appreciates it when authors of historical fiction include a note “telling me exactly what is true and what is invention,” a practice that he follows at the close of Roman Games. He also has added an appendix, a glossary and a bibliography listing primary and secondary sources of information about the period.
“The Romans are not an easy people to like,” Macbain explains on his web site, www.brucemacbain.com. “The Greeks hated them. They found them to be humorless, arrogant, cruel, corrupt, and utterly lacking in artistic taste. It's hard to argue with that verdict . . . . That said, there are a few individual Romans—and Pliny the Younger is certainly one—who come across as genial, tolerant, and intellectually curious. The kind of person you would actually like to have had dinner with.”
In fact, Macbain makes it clear that he admires Pliny, who is well-known to historians because he was a prolific letter writer. Pliny was “rather vain, rather fussy,” but also conscientious and honest, Macbain explains. “His most endearing qualities are his love for his young wife, Calpurnia, his generosity . . . and his humanity towards his slaves and freedmen in an age when that was not common.”
Roman Games marks the start of a new series. A sequel entitled The Bull Slayer is scheduled to be released soon. Perhaps the likable but somewhat opaque Pliny will come into sharper focus then.
Not so in Bruce Macbain’s Roman Games, which takes us back to 96 A.D. and the reign of one of the empire’s more ruthless and loathsome emperors, Domitian. The reluctant investigator in this case is none other than Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, a real-life lawyer, senator and author known in our day as Pliny the Younger.
When a wealthy senator who served as one of Domitian’s informers is murdered in his own home, the mild-mannered Pliny is coerced by none other than the emperor into investigating the crime. He finds himself allied with Marcus Valerius Martialis, aka Martial, a well-known Spanish writer of bawdy verses who was somewhat friendly with Pliny while Martial lived in Rome.
At first, it’s assumed that Sextus Verpa, a libertine known for his cruelty, was killed by his slaves. In particular, the evidence seems to point to Verpa’s Jewish slaves, thanks to a Jewish weapon and a drawing of a menorah found in Verpa’s bedroom, where he was murdered.
But when it becomes clear that the slaves are Christians rather than practicing Jews, the initial theory falls apart. Suspicion then falls on Verpa’s son Lucius and a young male slave named Ganymede. But their guilt comes into question when an undertaker reveals that Verpa was murdered before Ganymede stabbed him. In fact, the wounds inflicted by Ganymede were too superficial to cause much harm.
Add to the mix Verpa’s concubine Scortilla, and Amatia, a mysterious woman who was living in Verpa’s household at the time of the murder, and the task of identifying Verpa’s killer becomes even more difficult. Rumors of a plan to assassinate Domitian, which may involve possible conspirators who are on the sidelines of the murder investigation, give the case a much higher profile than it otherwise would have.
The interplay between the upright Pliny and the roguish Martial lightens the tone of Roman Games, while Macbain’s depiction of Domitian as a sadistic, and possibly mad, tyrant makes it clear that everyone is playing for high stakes. The action builds to a crescendo as Pliny finally solves Verpa’s murder, only to find himself torn between supporting Domitian to avert a civil war or joining his enemies as they contrive to destroy the emperor.
Roman Games neatly blends plot and setting, giving the reader a glimpse of day-to-day life during Domitian’s reign. Macbain sprinkles his story with Latin terms, such as mentula (penis), palla (a woman’s cloak) and the exclamation mehercule (by Hercules!). Pliny's contemporaries roundly condemn Jews and Christians as atheists because they refuse to worship the Roman gods. The empire's bureaucrats and functionaries wield more power than senators. And Roman physicians concoct bizarre theories to disguise their ignorance.
Macbain knows his stuff. He holds a bachelor’s degree in classics from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania. He indicates on his web site that he appreciates it when authors of historical fiction include a note “telling me exactly what is true and what is invention,” a practice that he follows at the close of Roman Games. He also has added an appendix, a glossary and a bibliography listing primary and secondary sources of information about the period.
“The Romans are not an easy people to like,” Macbain explains on his web site, www.brucemacbain.com. “The Greeks hated them. They found them to be humorless, arrogant, cruel, corrupt, and utterly lacking in artistic taste. It's hard to argue with that verdict . . . . That said, there are a few individual Romans—and Pliny the Younger is certainly one—who come across as genial, tolerant, and intellectually curious. The kind of person you would actually like to have had dinner with.”
In fact, Macbain makes it clear that he admires Pliny, who is well-known to historians because he was a prolific letter writer. Pliny was “rather vain, rather fussy,” but also conscientious and honest, Macbain explains. “His most endearing qualities are his love for his young wife, Calpurnia, his generosity . . . and his humanity towards his slaves and freedmen in an age when that was not common.”
Roman Games marks the start of a new series. A sequel entitled The Bull Slayer is scheduled to be released soon. Perhaps the likable but somewhat opaque Pliny will come into sharper focus then.
