Poison

by John M. Burton

Six years have passed since Cicero's forensic triumph in the Sextus Roscius case and his life has been good. He has married and progressed through the Roman ranks and is well on the way to taking on the most coveted role of senator of Rome. Meanwhile his career in the law courts has been booming with success after success. However, one day he is approached by men from a town close to his hometown who beg him to represent a former slave on a charge of attempted poisoning. The case seems straight forward but little can he know that this case will lead him on to represent a Roman knight in a notorious case where he is charged with poisoning and with bribing judges to convict an innocent man. Cicero's skills will be tried to the utmost and he will face the most difficult and challenging case of his career where it appears that the verdict has already been rendered against his client in the court of public opinion.

324 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2017

About the author

Qualified as a Barrister (Advocate) in 1979. Practised as a Criminal Barrister ever since. Awarded Queen's Counsel (Silk) in 2010. Continues to conduct serious criminal work in the Courts including the Old Bailey in London.

Interests include reading; none fiction (mainly history from Ancient to modern times) and fiction (historical fiction, crime and other thrillers).

Passionate interest in history has resulted in writing and publishing four historical novels on Amazon. Two are based on the history of the Spartans, "The Myth of Sparta" and the Return of the Spartans". One deals with the first ever murder trial of the famous Roman orator, Cicero, called "Parricide".
The most recentis "the Trial of Admiral Byng" dealing with the siege of Minorca in 1756, Admiral Byng's sea battle of the shore and his subsequent court-martial. Also published two novels about a Queen's Counsel's conduct of murder trials, called, "the Silk Brief" and "the Silk Head"

Currently working on a sequel to, "the Silk Head".