Utterly loveable...Ghote is one of the great creations of detective fiction

A pure delight, with Davis's unique blend of wit and humour brilliantly immersing us in the marvels of ancient Roman life.

Cheerful and informal cynicism in a solemnly detailed classical setting.

As always, Davis wears her research lightly, bringing Ancient Rome to vivid life in a series of delicious vignettes

Lindsey Davis's excellent and funny series [is] a cross between I, Claudius and Mystery!

Davies is a prolific and popular writer ... Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening.

Goddard is a master of the sly double and triple cross

A compulsive read ... ingenious and deftly-handled

It is certainly the best novel I've read so far this year, and should mark Zeh as one of Europe's brightest younger novelists

Interesting and original novel

Clever and gripping

Every chapter is taut, suspenseful, almost Hitchcock-esque. Zeh's style is fluent but also elegantly sparse... An absolute gem of a book.

From every angle - character study, philosophical discussion or straightforward plot - it shines with crystalline intensity, and so far as one can tell, nothing is lost in the translation. Complex and supremely elegant, this is a book to relish

This is a book and a half