A review by raptorimperator
The River God's Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts

4.0

Another fine edition in the SPQR series. In this one, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger is starting off his term as aedile, expected to sponsor some plays and games at his own expense. He busies his days with seeing to his duties as aedile, with Hermes by his side. The mystery for this story is picked up earlier than most. While in the course of his duties, Decius lands upon a scheme of corruption that he cannot abide, thus launching himself into an investigation that turns dangerous when Decius discovers he is unable to rely on some of his normal allies to assist him.

JMR did a fine job showing just how much of a thankless job it was to be aedile, not to mention the personal expense it pushed upon the office holder. I also liked how none of the murders or mysteries surrounding the story had anything to do with any major historical event, leaving the culprits unknown until Decius has pieced enough clues together for me to make a logical guess--just around the same time as he does. Father Tiber makes his presence known in this story, and I thought that added element made for some interesting atmosphere for the climax, which was a thrilling one, and I enjoyed the denouement, especially since Julia was present for this one.

As I get further and further into the series, I'm liking and enjoy the characters more and more.