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|summary=A detective mystery set in ancient Rome that ticks many of the boxes for both genres, making the colder, darker evenings to come seem welcoming.
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Sextus Ingentius Verpa isn't the most popular person in Rome. He may be a high ranking politician with the Emperor Domitian's ear but this also means he's a spy, ambitious and not always using his power and position for good. When Verpa is discovered, unceremoniously and repeatedly stabbed in his well-guarded bedroom, there are many who sigh with relief. However, the murderer must still be found and so Domitian appoints Gaius Plinius Secundus (or Pliny the Younger as history will dub him) to investigate. Pliny isn't a natural but reluctantly takes on the task because Domitian says so; Pliny has not no choice. Domitian also says that the culprit must be found before the end of the Roman Games, giving Pliny 15 days. Over these 15 pressurised days he'll dig into Rome's filthy underbelly of cults, prostitution and other things he wasn't expecting, including practically adopting his own, personal rude poet.
Bruce Macbain came to writing fiction by a circuitous route. He began with a love of ancient Greece and Rome, fuelled by influences like the film ''Quo Vadis'' (having seen it seven times). This then grew into a degree or two and life as a classics expert in academia. It's only fairly recently that he's combined his love of the past with his imagination and ''Roman Games'' (originally published in 2010) is the first fruit.
