{"product_id":"spqr-i-the-kings-gambit-a-mystery-9780312277055","title":"Spqr I: The Kings Gambit","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlackmail, corruption, treachery, murder--the glory that was Rome.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger--highborn commander of the local \u003ci\u003evigiles\u003c\/i\u003e--was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threates, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Maddox Roberts\u003c\/b\u003e has written numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. \u003ci\u003eSPQR XIII: The Year of Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e was published in 2010. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Minotaur Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50526955012370,"sku":"9780312277055","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9ecc48d5-3422-4754-ac40-e07ad97c92a8.jpg?v=1731287619","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/spqr-i-the-kings-gambit-a-mystery-9780312277055","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}