Germanicus (a Marcus Corvinus Mystery)

the Last Thing Marcus Corvinus Wants Is To Be Involved Once More With Empress Livia’s Diabolical Intrigues. But The Empress Has A Way Of Asking A Favor That’s Hard To Refuse. When Marcus Agrees To Investigate The Death Of Her Grandson, Germanicus, He Finds Himself Caught Up In A Web Of Treachery And Betrayal.

kirkus Reviews

i, Claudius Provides A Jumping-off Point For The Second Installment In Wishart's Ancient Rome Mystery Series, The First To Appear In The Us, Featuring Apolitical Nobleman And Amateur Sleuth Marcus Corvinus. Rome Is Reeling From The Tragic Death Of The Noble Germanicus, Stepson Of The Emperor Tiberius And Most Likely To Succeed Him, But Mysteriously Poisoned While On A Campaign At Antioch In Syria. Though Piso, Syria's Ex-governor, Has Been Convicted Of The Crime, His Suicide Raises Suspicions Against Tiberius' Grandmother, The Diabolical Empress Livia, Who Summons Corvinus And Firmly Suggests That He Investigate The Death. Bolstered By His Arch Bride Rufia Perilla, Daughter Of The Poet Ovid, Who Quickly Develops A Fascination For The Murder, Corvinus Sheds His Reluctance. Perilla, Proving A Shrewder Sleuth Than Corvinus, Leaves The Legwork To Him, And They Banter Like Nick And Nora. Unfortunately, The Other Likeliest Suspects Befall The Same Fate As Piso. His Widow Plancina And His Alleged Accomplice Martina Also Commit Suicide-or Are They Murdered?-and Regulus, Piso's Lawyer, Likewise Turns Up Dead. There's Nothing Else To Be Done But Go To Syria For A Firsthand Probe. Should Corvinus Be Bothered That Rufus, Perilla's Ex-husband, Commands A Legion There? Silly Question. Though In Rome, Tiberius Is Known As The Wart And Germanicus Was Universally Beloved, Corvinus And Perilla Find A Different Story In Syria, Along With A Whole New Circle Of Suspects. Classics Scholar Wishart Gets A Little Lost In His Labyrinthine Plot But Provides Ample Historical Color To Smooth The Slow Journey To A Solution.

Author : David Wishart

Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton

Published Year : 2003

Edition : 1

Format : Paperback, 320 pages

Dimensions : 4.42 (w) x 7.18 (h) x 0.82 (d)

ISBN : 0340825316

ISBN13 : 9780340825310

Overview :

No good deed goes unpunished. Marcus Corvinus, the party-boy of ancient Rome, hasn't committed many good deeds, but his most recent (see Ovid) was a doozy. And sure enough, here comes punishment. Why else would he have been summoned to see the Empress Livia, never his biggest fan. For now, however, Livia has a job for Corvinus: Her darling grandson, Germanicus, heir-presumptive to the throne, has been most foully murdered, and Livia will not rest until Corvinus finds the killer. Corvinus is glad to oblige, since he'd like to continue breathing. But word on the Appian Way is that Livia herself ordered her grandson's death.