The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts

The back of the soft cover version of Roberts’s first novel featuring Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger states that this mystery was nominated for an Edgar Award, a prestigious honor for authors of the genre. Although it is an exciting book, it read more as a historical novel than a mystery.

Set around 70 B.C., The King’s Gambit is rich in facts about ancient Roman culture, lifestyles and public opinion and attitudes. Roberts even includes a glossary of terms for those readers not as intimately familiar with Italy before Christ as he.

Decius Caecilius Metellus is elected to the Commission of Twenty-Six and is in charge of Subura, a dangerous and seedy district of Rome. When a freed slave and a foreign merchant are murdered in his ward the same evening arson claims a warehouse, he suspects that there is something more than just random gang killings which were frequent during that era. While investigating, he discovers corruption and conspiracies at the highest level of the Roman government, where the officials are more interested in gaining personal wealth and power than the administration and protection of the great city. His life is threatened numerous times and he falls under the spell of a beautiful seductress and her physically multi-talented slave girl.

As I mentioned before, The King’s Gambit is a great read, but it often becomes formulaic and cliché in its flavor. Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has his family name going for him, which is a major advantage since he is at the bottom of the hierarchy of public officials trying to bring down the upper elite. He is the ancient Roman counterpart to the down-on-his-luck American gum shoe of detective noir fiction. The underdog takes on the top dog. David versus Goliath, etc.

Roberts weaves a great story with plot twists and turns against the backdrop of actual events but the dénouement is unsatisfying as Decius is given temporary exile for his efforts in routing the corrupt officials behind the complicated conspiracy, instead of becoming vilified. The guilty parties are not and will never be brought to justice.

Still, The King’s Gambit is a must read for fans of historical whodunits. Although there are a number of authors who base their mysteries in ancient Rome, John Maddox Roberts is among the best of them.