Roman Shadows

Gaius Livinius Severus #2

by Ron Burns

When the young Roman senator Gaius Livinius Severus marries into a fabulously wealthy family, he seems destined for a life of traditional ease and comfort. But his future is shattered when the illustrious Cicero casually asks Livinius to keep an eye on a certain prominent politician.
Soon enough, Livinius finds himself investigating a series of especially brutal and scandalous murders - and, along with it, getting a close-up look at Rome's descent from republican chaos into autocratic butchery.
The web of intrigue is so complex that even Livinius isn't sure he understands it all, until years later when the young tyrant Augustus demands to know what Cicero knew - and at last Livinius finds his own life on the line in the name of service to Rome.
In this fascinating, richly drawn follow-up to his debut novel, Roman Nights (St. Martin's Press, 1991), Ron Burns proves himself a master of the historical mystery, with an unerring sense of the drama and intricacy of ancient times.

261 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

RON BURNS grew up in Michigan and studied International Affairs and European History at Georgetown University. He has bee a feature write and news editor for United Press International in New York, a columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin, and a prize-winning crime reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He now lives in Santa Monica, CA. Roman Nights was his first novel.

Series:
* Gaius Livinius Severus
* Harrison Hull

Reviews

[Rozonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An historical Roman detective novel. Entertaining and convincing.