The Tribune's Curse (1996)

A tribune calls down a curse on Crassus as he leaves on his expedition to conquer Parthia. Decius is tasked with finding out who put the tribune up to it and taught him the secret rituals he was not supposed to know.

Nice twisty investigation based on a real incident and very atmospheric with the creepy stuff. Shame about the death of a recurring character. ( )

An amusing little mystery that Roman history buffs may get a kick out of. ( )

Another fascinating view of ancient Rome and Roman life, though this time the novelistic underpinning seemed a little lax to me. Decius, however, is always good company, and the book is well worth reading. ( )

Plot: It's the kind of slightly convoluted mix of ancient Roman politics, ancient Roman gossip, and a crime story that's usual for this series. Good overall pacing, although the crime story itself suffers somewhat by the main character's occasional confusion and tendency to get sidetracked.

Characters: Great characterizations for the historical figures as well as the fictional central character. It builds up over the series, but he has a very distinctive voice here and is easily recognizable, as are most of the recurring minor characters.

Style: The story is set in Rome, which makes for the most entertaining installments in the series. A lot of attention to details of city life, with plenty of daily life scenes. Enough background info to make the setting come alive.

Plus: Plenty of attention for the historical minor characters.

Minus: For a crime story, the essential hints come quite late.

Summary: Excellent entertainment, but better approached as a novel rather than a detective story. ( )