This collection follows Gordianus through cases set mainly between 80 and 73 BC, after Roman Blood and before Arms of Nemesis. The mysteries range from theatre murder and disputed inheritance to piracy, blackmail and an accusation involving a Vestal Virgin.
The stories also show how Gordianus meets important members of his household and encounters a young Julius Caesar, Catiline and Publius Clodius Pulcher. Together they portray everyday crime during the aftermath of Sulla’s dictatorship and the opening years of the slave revolt led by Spartacus.