Last Rites

It is the morning after the nocturnal rite of the good Goddess, an all-female ceremony strictly out of bounds to the male of the species, and the body of a young woman has been found, her throat cut. Suicide or murder? Hoping to avoid scandal, Senator Lucius Arruntius calls in Marcus Corvinus to do some discreet sleuthing. Marcus is helped in his investigations by a feisty flutegirl and by his clever, loyal wife Perilla (even though her attention is somewhat distracted by the acquisition of a revolutionary new clock). But – inevitably – to solve the mystery, Marcus must look beyond the obvious and first untangle a complex web of treachery and deceit.

Reviews of Last Rites

Praise for OLD BONES: 'His learning shines through. He has a feel for ancient times yet uses modern dialogue. This neat trick manages to combine the atmosphere of the ancient world while moving the story quickly and assuredly on. Highly recommended' Yorkshire Evening Express With the toga-wearing sleuths of Lindsey Davis and Steven Saylor prowling the alleys of Ancient Rome, is there room for Wishart's Marcus Corvinus? On this evidence the answer is resoundingly in the affirmative. The Times Praise for THE HORSE COIN: 'enjoyable … an ingenious solution to this ancient mystery.' Sunday Telegraph Praise for SEJANUS: 'Witty, engrossing and ribald … it misses nothing in its evocation of a bygone time and place' Independent on Sunday