SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead : A Mystery

Decius Caecilius Metellus, this year's magistrate for cases involving foreigners, thinks he is merely visiting one of the local attractions of southern Italy when he takes a party to visit the Oracle of the Dead, a pre-Roman cult site located at the end of a tunnel dug beneath a temple of Apollo. But there is a bitter rivalry between the priests of Apollo and those of Hecate, who guard the oracle, and when the priests are all killed, the countryside looks to explode in violence as Greeks, Romans, and native Italians of several conquered nations bring out old enmities.

This riveting historical series began with the Edgar Award–nominated SPQR I: The King's Gambit and has gone on to international success in thirteen languages.

“Metellus puts his own life at risk in an exciting case that engages the attention of Pompey himself.” —Publishers Weekly

“The 12th Decius mystery is as crisp and absorbing as its predecessors.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Roberts's 12th Roman mystery is a believable story of murder, greed, and the political nimbleness necessary to stay alive in ancient Rome. Sure to appeal to readers of Lindsay Davis and Albert A. Bell.” —Library Journal