Alan Scribner

Judge Severus goes to Egypt with family and usual entourage to investigate the accidental[?] poisoning of a high-level postal employee. The poisoning was intended for the prefect. He finds that a person has been convicted of the murder and executed. He finds the man was innocent and the previous judge has acted too hastily, and an innocent man has died. Something doesn't sit right with him, so he digs deeper. So, he looks for the real culprit and discovers a ring of crooks stealing books from the Great Library, and selling them, as well as fake antiquities. He tries the leader but on appeal the story moves to Rome with everyone [alleged crooks and Severus] appear before the emperor. The final reveal and ending were ingenious. Another worthy entry in this series. I enjoyed descriptions of the family's sightseeing before returning to Rome.… (más)

Another in the Judge Severus series. Severus takes on a case involving a shipwreck and stolen bales of silk. He feels the man convicted of running the ship aground and leaving the way open for thievery of the silk, the captain, may not be the perpetrator of the crime. So, he, his wife, and usual team of assistants, help him sort everything out. There is a whole conspiracy involved. Although the writing style was nothing special, I learned a lot about the silk trade during Marcus Aurelius's reign and the author's specialty in this whole series: Roman law.… (más)