During Saturnalia, the captured Germanic seer Veleda escapes from guarded accommodation in Rome, leaving a dead man behind. Helena's brother Justinus, who had known Veleda in Germania, also disappears.
Falco and Anacrites search the city while holiday disorder frustrates surveillance and investigation. The case returns to the Batavian Revolt and to Roman plans to display or punish a woman whose religious authority had supported rebellion.
The festival gives Falco’s investigation unusual difficulties because ordinary rules of hierarchy and behaviour are temporarily loosened. Crowds, drinking and role reversal create opportunities for concealment while officials are distracted by celebration.
Veleda’s escape also revives unfinished business from the Batavian Revolt. Rome wants to control what she represents as much as the woman herself, because her religious authority once helped legitimise resistance. Finding her therefore becomes a political problem disguised as an urban manhunt.
Steven Saylor
19 books
Amanda Cockrell
10 books
Anthony Riches
20 books
Christopher Lee Buckner
4 books
Alex Gough
15 books