The Blood of Caesar: A Second Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger

by Albert A. Bell Jr.

Assigned by Emperor Domitian to search for blood heirs to the Emperor Augustus, Pliny and Tacitus seek solutions to layers of mysteries. Why is a humble workman's death important to the ruler of Rome,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932158820
• ISBN13: 9781932158823
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Ingalls Publishing Group
• Length: 257 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A well-written, intelligent mystery of early imperial Rome

An invitation to dine alone with the princeps (the historically accurate title used by emperors of this period) Domitian is not necessarily a good thing, and Pliny the Younger's friend Tacitus tells him that an astrologer has predicted that it will change their lives forever. As it turns out, Domitian has heard about Pliny's powers of observation and talent for detection, honed at the feet of his uncle, the naturalist and polymath Pliny the Elder, and has a job for him. Pliny is shown an old letter from Nero's mother to her son taunting him with the fact that other descendants of Augustus, who could be his rivals for power, still live. Domitian, as a representative of a family with no relationship to the Julian-Claudian line whatsoever, is even more concerned, and asks Pliny to ferret out the truth of the matter. This is the second book in what promises to be an enjoyable, well-written series featuring the historical figures of Pliny the Younger and the historian Tacitus. Pliny soon finds out that the dead man he was shown by Domitian as a test of his deductive abilities not only did not die by accident as he was told, but has a connection to the mystery, as well as to his own family. He also must deal with the domestic issues that come with being the relatively new master of a large household, as well as his mother's increasingly close relationship to two of their Jewish slaves and her apparent interest in their religion. The central mystery in THE BLOOD OF CAESAR is not a complicated one to unravel; rather, the enjoyment comes from the author's detailed picture of Roman life in the late first century and anticipation of how what seems like an impossible situation will be resolved. Since I've read about that time period, I'm somewhat familiar with the tortuous complexity of the Julian-Claudian family tree, so I'm not sure how clear it will be to those without such familiarity. There is a helpful glossary and timeline at the back, as well as numerous illustrations scattered throughout the book, but maybe a simplified family tree would also have come in handy.

even better than the first

This is the second in a series of books featuring Pliny the Younger and his friend, the historian Tacitus. This series differs from other Roman mystery series, such as those by Davis, Saylor, and Roberts, in using historical persons as the main characters. The first book, All Roads Lead to Murder, was set as Pliny and Tacitus were travelling. Now they're back in Rome and have been asked by the emperor Domitian to find out if there are any living relatives of Nero who might make a claim on Domitian's throne. They soon realize that Domitian is using them like hounds on a hunt. If they do find a descendant of Nero, they will have to protect him/her from Domitian. The historical details have been painstakingly researched but are not waved under the reader's nose. One can feel and smell ancient Rome. The attitudes of the characters toward issues such as slavery and women's status are true to the time and yet one can see that Pliny is thinking about those issues. This series has far more substance than Davis' Falco series and is as well-written as Saylor's or Roberts' series.

Good Characters in Ancient Rome

This well-written mystery/thriller is set in ancient Rome in the early reign of the Emperor Domitian, already a much feared, murderous and paranoid tyrant. Domitian "asks" Gaius Pliny to determine if any descendants of Julius Caesar's family might still be alive. If any such exist, they or their descendants would have a better blood claim to the throne than would Domitian himself or any of his line, and Domitian will certainly murder anyone with the "blood of Caesar" in his or her veins. Pliny knows this but refusing the assignment would put himself and his family in grave danger, and this he cannot risk. But equally he does not wish to be the cause of some innocent's death. This seemingly insoluble dilemma drives the fast-paced action down to the final twist. Author Bell clearly is familiar not only with the physical details of first century CE Rome, but also with something much more difficult to master: The engrained, often unconscious, attitudes of those living in that culture. The characters in this book, for example, are oblivious of the institution of slavery (although obviously not of individual slaves). They simply make use of their slaves and manage them as if they were tools without any moral questions even arising. A "good" master was one who was kind and reasonable rather than otherwise. Similarly the characters are thoroughly (indeed, unthinkingly) accepting of the extremely hierarchical nature of Roman society, with its marked divisions of class, status and gender. Characters are just as conscious of what they are as of who they are. This kind of skill is rarer than we like to think. In many historical novels the physical aspects of the culture are correct, but too often the mentality of the characters is modern, making them 21st century people who are inexplicably living in a distant time and place. This empties the past of what makes it the past: its innate strangeness, its deep difference from the reader's era. Bell does not make that mistake. This is a very good read.

A mystery set in a place where mystery novels don't typically take place - the world of ancient Rome

What does the Emperor care of the death of an insignificant? "The Blood of Caesar: A Second Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger" is a mystery set in a place where mystery novels don't typically take place - the world of ancient Rome. With a thrilling story with layers going through all stages of Roman society, it grabs the reader and doesn't let go. "The Blood of Caesar: A Second Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger" is a deftly written novel sure to please both historical fiction and mystery enthusiasts alike, and community library collections catering to both.