The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome [Kindle Edition]

Steven Saylor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Saylor (Catilina's Riddle) has established a fine reputation with his mystery novels set in ancient Rome and starring Gordianus the Finder, an early PI. In his fourth adventure, in 56 B.C., Gordianus is visited by Dio, his teacher of Greek philosophy 30 years earlier in Alexandria, who is now on an Egyptian delegation to Rome. Dio, whose fellow delegates are being killed, fears being poisoned; so Gordianus offers him an untainted dinner. Poor Dio dies that night anyway, stabbed and poisoned. Gordianus looks into the doings of his late teacher's companion, the eunuch priest Trygonion, who had accompanied Dio that evening. A beautiful, sex-hungry widow accuses Gordianus's neighbor, a young, loudmouthed lawyer, of murdering Dio, and she hires Gordianus to prove her charges. Saylor gives the widow a gloriously handsome, incest-inclined brother and sets his tale simmering with eroticism, adding engrossing historical filler about Roman law, politics and goddess cults. The result is a talky, absorbing brew of Rome's decay. The title refers to luck at dice.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author of Catalina's Riddle (LJ 9/15/93) re-creates the corrupt Rome of 56 B.C., when Egypt still remains free. Because several Egyptian envoys have been murdered, the Egyptian ambassador asks series "sleuth" Gordianus the Finder for assistance.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 5718 KB
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1 edition (March 31, 1995)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001C33S30
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Steven Saylor is the author of EMPIRE: THE NOVEL OF IMPERIAL ROME, a follow-up to the international bestseller ROMA: THE NOVEL OF ANCIENT ROME. These two epic novels comprise a multi-generational saga that spans the first 1200 years of the city, from Iron Age trading post to the height of empire under Hadrian.

Steven is also the author of the ROMA SUB ROSA series of historical mysteries featuring Gordianus the Finder, set in the ancient Rome of Cicero, Caesar, and Cleopatra. To read the series in chronological order, begin with ROMAN BLOOD, then THE HOUSE OF THE VESTALS (short stories), A GLADIATOR DIES ONLY ONCE (short stories), ARMS OF NEMESIS , CATILINA'S RIDDLE, THE VENUS THROW, A MURDER ON THE APPIAN WAY, RUBICON, LAST SEEN IN MASSILIA, A MIST OF PROPHECIES, THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR, and THE TRIUMPH OF CAESAR.

Steven is currently at work on the next volume in the Roma Sub Rosa series, a prequel that follows the 18-year-old Gordianus on his journey to the Seven Wonders of the World; publication is scheduled for summer 2012.

Outside the Roman books are two novels set in Steven's native Texas. A TWIST AT THE END is based on America's first recorded serial murders, which terrorized Austin, Texas in 1885. The chief protagonist is young Will Porter, who later became famous as O. Henry. HAVE YOU SEEN DAWN? is a contemporary thriller set in a small Texas town not unlike the one where Steven grew up.

Steven's books have been published in 21 languages, and book tours have taken him across the United States, England, and Europe. He has appeared as an expert on Roman life on The History Channel, and has spoken at numerous college campuses, The Getty Villa, and the International Conference on the Ancient Novel.

Steven was born in Texas in 1956 and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics. He divides his time between homes in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas. When not using his brain, he likes to keep in shape running, swimming, and lifting weights.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very clever twist on a proven theme..., February 11, 2002

By 

lazza (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)

Firstly, readers of this review who have not read any of Saylor's novels should proceed directly to 'Roman Blood', the first of the Gordianus mystery series (set in ancient Rome). Saylor's books are best read in sequence in order to capture the essence of its private eye hero (Gordianus the finder).

Unlike the other Gordianus novels, The Venus Throw is a mystery involving murder and intrique close to and in (!) the Gordianus household. An old Egyptian friend of Gordianus is murdered and, of course, Gordianus is hired to find the killer. The outcome is very surprising, and all along we are entertained by Saylor's excellent prose. And true to form, Saylor also sprinkles in copious sauciness (orgies, boys behaving badly, etc) without being crude.

Bottom line: one of the best of a fine historical mystery series. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gordianus is finding out he doesn't know very much in Rome, October 27, 2002

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)

I've liked Saylor's books in the past because of two principle reasons: the mystery is solved in a plausible way for that period and the dynamics of the institution of slavery are played out well. In the past, Gordianus is dealing with political struggles and economic gains but in this book something is tackled: the unequal dynamic between the .... Almost everything Gordianus thinks he knows about women is challenged and thrown out in this one book. This is where Saylor himself is stepping out of the "historical knowns" and stepping into spectulation. However, the spectulation is also reasonable given what is know about gender, ... and ... dynamics for the late Roman Republic. Also this is a very urban and family focused book, reflecting again the increasingly personal nature of the arguable decay in politics and society during this time. This book is more explicit so if the directness of Saylor's writing has been uncomfortable for you in the past, be forewarned; for those of us who could handle even more expliciteness, its a bit better.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder Follows Roman Gumshoe to the Shores of Baie..., August 20, 2001

By 

E. Rothstein "erothstein" (STUDIO CITY, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome (Mass Market Paperback)

(OOPS - SORRY, THIS ACTUALLY REFERS TO "ARMS OF NEMESIS" - MY BAD...) O.k., I'll admit it: I love Gordianus the Finder. Forget Marcus Didius Falco (of Lindsay Davis fame), Gordianus is the only man in Rome for me. Pegged as a "finder", Gordianus ferrets out the truth about scandals, mysteries, murders and more. In this lively tale set against the Spartacan slave revolt, the lives of 100 slaves hang in the balance while Gordianus tries to untangle a gordian knot of a murder. The master of the house is murdered, and two slaves are implicated. Every slave in the household will be put to death in the gladiator's ring unless Gordianus finds out the real truth. I love that Saylor takes Gordianus out of Rome, into the pleasure villas of the idle Roman rich, and gives us a tantalizing glimpse into yet another facet of Roman life. All of Saylor's novels are gorgeously researched, and the writing crackles with humor and menace in equal measures. Beware: once bitten by the Gordianus bug, you'll be hooked for life...