A review by staceylynn42
A Point of Law by John Maddox Roberts

5.0

Decius is back in Rome for his 10th outing! He is running for praetor this time but just as he is starting his campaign a young upstart named Fulvius accuses him of corruption while hunting pirates on Cyprus (book #9). Fulvius turns up dead shortly thereafter & Decius is the main suspect. This being the Roman Republic, he isn't locked up and is free to investigate as much as he wants. Though, with this being the Roman Republic there is no guarantee that even finding proof someone else did it will get him off. Roman trials were mostly about slandering the other side, impressing the jury with your rhetoric and straight up bribery. But Decius thinks facts matter. He's still a bit naive that way.
He investigates with the help of his usual band of associates - Hermes, Julia & Asklepiodes.
As he digs further into Fulvius' past and finds a series of letters written in a cipher it turns out Decius has once again uncovered a plot against the Republic and we hear a lot about how the Republic is falling apart and powerful men are too busy aggrandizing themselves at the expense of the state to try and fix it.
The mystery is a solid whodunnit, well written & enjoyable.