As cataclysmic war rages, Gordianus must solve a mystery closer to his heart. In 88 B.C. it seems that all the world is on the verge of catastrophic war, from Rome and Greece to Egypt, where the young Gordianus—born and raised a Roman citizen—is living in the city of Alexandria. When not making ends meet by plying his trade of solving mysteries, he spends time with his slave Bethesda, waiting for the world to regain its sanity. But on the day Gordianus turns twenty-two, Bethesda is kidnapped by brigands who mistake her for a rich man’s mistress. If Gordianus is to save Bethesda he must find the kidnappers before they realize their mistake. Using all the skills he learned from his father, Gordianus must venture into the dangerous Nile Delta, track down the bandits, and somehow free the woman he loves. Praise for Steven Saylor: ‘The Saylor hallmarks are… meticulous recreation of Rome’s grimy bustling streets… and a brilliantly drawn cast of minor characters’ The Sunday Times ‘A compelling storyteller, with a striking talent for historical reconstruction’ Times Literary Supplement ’Saylor’s scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals’ Ruth Rendell