The Temple of the Muses: An Spqr Mystery [Anglais] [Broché]

SPQR IV is JMR's best offering of Decius Metellus the Younger. Having so often referred to circumstance or snooping imposed periods of exile we finally get to see how well Decuis travels.
And the result is as well as Todd's Claudia Seferius and better than Davis' Didius Falco.
This installment finds our erstwhile hero appearing as a Roman diplomat at Alexandria, in the Eyptian province. Ably supported by his slave Hermes and the great physician character, Asklepodies he is quickly joined by his now-confirmed betrothed Julia Minor and the female half of Sulla's twin children, Fausta.
As Decius and Julia wrly note towards the end, Decius gets tangled in a web of murder simply because it is, as Ptolemy the Flute-Player notes, his hobby. The murder, mayhem and rioting that he brings as part of his investigatory technique disrputs an entire city to the point that his denouement and great service to the Roman state is swiftly followed by him being tossed on the nearest ship to Rhodes. Never mind.
No venture into Alexandria can occur without philosophical ramblings (Decius' dry comments on the death of Archimedes to Antigones is extremely humorous) and they abound here in plenty, beginning with the death of the mathematician turned secret mechanics-dabbler Iphicrates.
The only thing that slightly disappoints and echoes the previous novel, is that the 'uncovering' is always lame. In this case the three culprits get together, write everything down and neatly recount everything they've done to the listening Decius. These people deserve to be caught if that's the case. You get the feeling JMR hadn't quite yet mastered the art of the murder mystery denouement in the same vein as that master of such - Agatha Christie.
Nevertheless, aside from a poor murder mystery ending, the rest of the tale is extremely good and the dry sardonic innocence of Decius 'snooping' is now firmly established making this tale very humorous.
Buy it.

As an avid reader of ancient history, historical fiction, and mystery novels, I was pleased to stumble upon the SPQR series, which combines all three. No historical fiction I have ever read brings Republican Rome to life better than SPQR. The mysteries through the first four books haven't been all that mystical, but the excitement moves the stories along quite well.

Decius Metellus the Younger is a minor Roman Senator who serves in a series of menial government jobs and finds murder, mayhem, and mystery everywhere he goes. Each of the first three books of the series has ended with Decius fleeing Rome to escape the homicidal fury of those he has angered.

This story is different in that it takes place during one of Decius' many enforced absences from Rome. He goes to Egypt with a diplomatic mission headed by his uncle, Metellus Creticus. The book reads somewhat like a 'Lonely Planet' guidebook as Decius explores the city of Alexandria, visiting the Jewish Quarter, the Palace of the Ptolemies, the Pharos lighthouse, the Library, and many other long forgotten landmarks including the Temple of the Muses.

Decius encounters murder in the Temple, and being offended that so vile a crime could occur in so holy a place, he sets out to solve the murder and avenge the Muses. He manages to get on the wrong side of almost everyone he comes in contact with, evades a number of attempts on his own life, and uncovers a plot to overthrow the Roman influence in Egypt. When he wakes up one morning with a hangover and a murdered courtesan in his bed, things really get complicated. Not only does he get himself arrested for murder, he has a very hard time explaining things to his fiance. Not surprisingly, the story ends with the murder solved, the plot foiled, and Decius leaving the city in a very undignified manner.

How wonderful that this book has finally reappeared in English! I've had to read volumes 4-8 of the SPQR series in German translation (they seem to be very popular in Germany). It's in The Temple of the Muses (vol. 4 of the series) that the hero, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, really starts showing his development as a character. In the first volumes, he's a brawling, rather juvenilely endearing figure. Here, however, he grows up. From this volume on, he starts showing the basic quandary of a decent, patriotic Roman in the final years of the Republic. Not only is the story good, the historical background is well done, completely convincing (and accurate where I've checked) without rubbing the history side in the reader's face too much.