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Agent Strabo's Roman Mysteries #7
Acta Est Fabula
Ancient times, modern tragedies!
Demagogues, hypocrites, you name it, the Romans had it!
Enters our hero, an irreverent investigator with a major character flaw—decency.
"Acta Est Fabula" is a tongue-in-cheek historical mystery that allows a glance into the precarious life of ancient performing artists at the height of the Roman Empire. Perfect for Lindsey Davis, David Wishart, and Steven Saylor fans.
When a talented young actress disappears, her colleagues' noisy protests prompt a reluctant investigation.
Was she the victim of a random crime, or was there a wider conspiracy at play?
Join Lucius Lucretius Strabo, an agent of the Imperial Special Service, as he gets a second chance to deliver justice.
Demagogues, hypocrites, you name it, the Romans had it!
Enters our hero, an irreverent investigator with a major character flaw—decency.
"Acta Est Fabula" is a tongue-in-cheek historical mystery that allows a glance into the precarious life of ancient performing artists at the height of the Roman Empire. Perfect for Lindsey Davis, David Wishart, and Steven Saylor fans.
When a talented young actress disappears, her colleagues' noisy protests prompt a reluctant investigation.
Was she the victim of a random crime, or was there a wider conspiracy at play?
Join Lucius Lucretius Strabo, an agent of the Imperial Special Service, as he gets a second chance to deliver justice.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2023
32 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2025
"He set out in the world with only one goal in mind: to avoid the life of a small-town, country gentleman. Yet, he repeatedly found himself in the center of momentous events. He fought in the largest battle the world has ever seen, played a role in settling a potentially explosive political situation during the previous elections, uncovered a Parthian spying ring, stopped religious zealots from igniting a bloody rebellion, and unwittingly involved himself in the power politics of the Imperial family. Now, the bumpkin from Dacia was called again to tilt the balance between the powerbrokers of the day."
Yes, that’s Strabo!
"“One moment, young man!” Cornelia’s voice came from the kitchen. “Haven’t you forgotten something?” Strabo hesitated, not sure what she meant. Should I kiss her goodbye? He stopped at the kitchen door, ready to make his escape in case his housekeeper turned nasty. Cornelia turned toward him, a plate in her hands. “Ientaculum, the most important meal of the day!” He reached out, trying to snatch a piece of cheese, but she was faster. “Decorum, Young Master!” The housekeeper stormed past him and into the dining room. “A proper Roman eats his breakfast in the triclinium, standing instead of stretching out on the couch.”"
Our Man, Strabo, has now returned to Dacia. He immediate superior in the “secret police” is away so he must deal with his replacement: "Fulgentius was a caricature of a man, a petty, small-minded, vindictive little shit with the charisma of a damp rag and the leadership skills of a particularly mindless sheep. Yet, he believed himself to embody some kind of a master race, the best the Empire had to offer, just because his great-great-great-grandfather was born within walking distance from a hovel that overlooked a village that was on a road that led to the city of Rome. Never mind the weak jaw, the absence of a chin, the oversized Adam’s apple, and the asymmetrical halves of his face, all signs of generations of inbreeding—when he glanced at his reflection, Fulgentius saw a veritable Adonis looking back at him. As for his skills and abilities, Strabo suspected the Tribune considered himself a modern-day Iulius Caesar, no less. To his mind, everyone else was inferior."
"The fact that the missing person was an actor didn’t help either, Strabo guessed. While the public highly appreciated the performing arts, the performers themselves were looked down upon and avoided by the general populace—in public, at least. Privately, their services were sought after, highlighting once again the utter hypocrisy of Roman society."
Strabo is doing his best to resolve this before an important local election. He finds that there is a vocabulary (new to him) that is used in these circles.
"Everyone is so sensitive nowadays! He rolled his eyes in exasperation, wondering what happened to yesteryear’s good old descriptive words. Not so long ago, the cities of the Empire teemed with barbers, prostitutes, and cooks, to mention just a few. But, due to some miraculous cosmic event, these people were replaced by stylists, personal escorts, and culinary artists—service providers, in short."
Plenty of social commentary, as always, goes with Strabo’s investigations. He’s still in his mid-twenties and there’s a lot he (and the reader) have yet to learn. The process is, at least, fun for us!
Yes, that’s Strabo!
"“One moment, young man!” Cornelia’s voice came from the kitchen. “Haven’t you forgotten something?” Strabo hesitated, not sure what she meant. Should I kiss her goodbye? He stopped at the kitchen door, ready to make his escape in case his housekeeper turned nasty. Cornelia turned toward him, a plate in her hands. “Ientaculum, the most important meal of the day!” He reached out, trying to snatch a piece of cheese, but she was faster. “Decorum, Young Master!” The housekeeper stormed past him and into the dining room. “A proper Roman eats his breakfast in the triclinium, standing instead of stretching out on the couch.”"
Our Man, Strabo, has now returned to Dacia. He immediate superior in the “secret police” is away so he must deal with his replacement: "Fulgentius was a caricature of a man, a petty, small-minded, vindictive little shit with the charisma of a damp rag and the leadership skills of a particularly mindless sheep. Yet, he believed himself to embody some kind of a master race, the best the Empire had to offer, just because his great-great-great-grandfather was born within walking distance from a hovel that overlooked a village that was on a road that led to the city of Rome. Never mind the weak jaw, the absence of a chin, the oversized Adam’s apple, and the asymmetrical halves of his face, all signs of generations of inbreeding—when he glanced at his reflection, Fulgentius saw a veritable Adonis looking back at him. As for his skills and abilities, Strabo suspected the Tribune considered himself a modern-day Iulius Caesar, no less. To his mind, everyone else was inferior."
"The fact that the missing person was an actor didn’t help either, Strabo guessed. While the public highly appreciated the performing arts, the performers themselves were looked down upon and avoided by the general populace—in public, at least. Privately, their services were sought after, highlighting once again the utter hypocrisy of Roman society."
Strabo is doing his best to resolve this before an important local election. He finds that there is a vocabulary (new to him) that is used in these circles.
"Everyone is so sensitive nowadays! He rolled his eyes in exasperation, wondering what happened to yesteryear’s good old descriptive words. Not so long ago, the cities of the Empire teemed with barbers, prostitutes, and cooks, to mention just a few. But, due to some miraculous cosmic event, these people were replaced by stylists, personal escorts, and culinary artists—service providers, in short."
Plenty of social commentary, as always, goes with Strabo’s investigations. He’s still in his mid-twenties and there’s a lot he (and the reader) have yet to learn. The process is, at least, fun for us!
March 13, 2025
An excellent series.
I read a lot of Roman mysteries, I love the historical aspect long with the mystery it's the best of both worlds for me. Sometimes though I Get very sad, Roman society was so structured and strict, never mind the slavery (that's it's own hell) for a poor citizen life was incredibly hard and the suffering never-ending. Roman citizens were at the mercy of an extremely corrupt system of government including no police force and a legal.system that favoured the rich and popular a person could be raped and murdered in the middle of the arena for entertainment with no justice. There's the reason for my sadness I imagine these poor ordinary people trying to just make it day by day and counting themselves fortunate if they went to.sleep with a full belly somewhere safe, we can never imagine such a life. In this episode Strabo looses his innocence as to the dirty world of Roman politics as will have to see how this changes him going forward...................
I read a lot of Roman mysteries, I love the historical aspect long with the mystery it's the best of both worlds for me. Sometimes though I Get very sad, Roman society was so structured and strict, never mind the slavery (that's it's own hell) for a poor citizen life was incredibly hard and the suffering never-ending. Roman citizens were at the mercy of an extremely corrupt system of government including no police force and a legal.system that favoured the rich and popular a person could be raped and murdered in the middle of the arena for entertainment with no justice. There's the reason for my sadness I imagine these poor ordinary people trying to just make it day by day and counting themselves fortunate if they went to.sleep with a full belly somewhere safe, we can never imagine such a life. In this episode Strabo looses his innocence as to the dirty world of Roman politics as will have to see how this changes him going forward...................
July 20, 2024
Short
Short, but filled with complexity. Much confusion and revelation lead s to a bitter sweet ending for Strabo. Such are the lessons and revelations of life.
Short, but filled with complexity. Much confusion and revelation lead s to a bitter sweet ending for Strabo. Such are the lessons and revelations of life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews