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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780312957780
ISBN number: 0312957785
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 416
Printing Date: April 15, 1996
Publishing house: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Sale Popularity Level: 95836
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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On a chill January evening in 56 B.C. , two strange visitors to Rome—an Egyptian ambassador and a eunuch priest—seek out Gordianus the Finder whose specialty is solving murders. But the ambassador, a philosopher named Dio, has come to ask for something Gordianus cannot give—help in staying alive. Before the night is out, he will be murdered.Now Gordianus begins his most dangerous case. Hired to investigate Dio's death by a beautiful woman with a scandalous reputation, he will follow a trail of political intrigue into the highest circles of power and the city's most hidden arenas of debauchery. There Gordianus will learn nothing is as it seems—not the damning evidence he uncovers, not the suspect he sends to trial, not even the real truth behind Dio's death which lies in secrets—not of state, but of the heart.
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Rated by buyers -
Venus Throw is a multi leveled story that involves: the murder of the Egyptian Ambassador Dio, investigation into the murder conspiracy, exacting preparation for the trial of the accused, presentation of he trial, and the gender education of Gordianus.
The conspiracy to murder Dio, the ambassador and former teacher of Gordianus, contains several missed murder attempts. The investigation by Gordianus is suspenseful and very difficult for the "finder". The trial is brilliant with possibly Cicero's best oration.
The fun theme in Venus Throw is the many sexual allusions. He visits a run down bar that has a phallus symbol for it's sign (a very large penis). He listens to a detailed discusion of how eunuchs castrate their new members. He finds himself in a bathhouse where men are propositioned. And his new employer, Clodia is blatantly explicit sexually .
For me, it is Gordianus' struggle with women that steals the show. Gordianus finds he is puzzled by his interactions with several females: His wife Bethesda, his daughter Diana, his client Clodia, and the slave girl Zotica. Gordianus has lived with Bethesda for many years and thought he knew her, but suddenly her behavior is unpredictable. His daughter Diana, who he saw as a child, now acts more like her mother's co-conspirator. Clodia is forward and openly manipulates men. Gordianus finds himself walking the streets of Rome in the middle of the night pondering women. As any male who has attempted to understand women will agree, Gordianus is just beginning a long journey toward appreciating the female gender.
This theme could be even more appreciated after reading the following: The House of the Vestals: The Investigations of Gordianus the Finder (Novels of Ancient Rome)A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder (Novels of Ancient Rome)
Rated by buyers 
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It appears from some study I did after reading this novel
that the Roman morals portrayed are one to two centuries ahead of the actual
decay that did happen.
The Dio mentioned is probably roughly based on Dio Chrysostom of the very first century AD
not the very first century BC. The incipient decadence of the Roman Empire had it's origin in this era
of the Republic , but wasn't as strongly manifested as this novel portrays.
In later life Cicero was a stoic convert of the Diodotus school
which was diametrically opposed to the Epicurean traits portrayed here.
As the moral turpitude of the Egyptian philosopher is one of the major plot devices
the issue is important to the credibility of the plot.
In a stoic dominated era where the leaders were short haired and clean shaven,
this novel justs fails to be historically accurate.
During the Republic the morals portrayed would
have sentenced the people involved to capital punishment
by a magistrate. The Romans were actually a very conservative heterosexual
society at this time and even allowed only one marriage as the Caesar Cleopatra affair
has written clearly in history.
It was the effects of the bread and circuses of the Empire
that led to the later laxness in morality.
A Study Of History (Abridgement of Vols. 1-10, 2-vol. set)
Rated by buyers 
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There are only a handful of historical mystery writers who have the knack of putting their readers right into the time and place that they are creating. I would count Steven Saylour as one of those. Others that come to mind are Ellis Peters and her Brother Cadfael series, Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, Lindsey Davis and her Falco and Saylour with his Gordianus. He is such a good writer that I forgot that we were in 56 B.C. and was following the story like we follow lurid headlines on today's news. In this book Gordianus stays in Rome, but he gets involved in a family feud that snares him and his family. He also gets thrown into Roman and Egyptian politics, where he really doesn't want to be. They're all here - all the historical names we know - Caesar, Pompey, Cicero, and many others, and I truly enjoyed watching Gordianus find his way among these great historcial people. This was a brilliant book, and this is a truly brilliant series. I have no higher praise to give it.
Rated by buyers -
Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began at an early age. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both here in England and also in America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too. Steven Saylour brings Ancient Rome to life, so much so that the reader can lose himself in the sights and sounds of the ancient city.
Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill and integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important men in Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet and not susceptible to bribery.
The Sub Rosa series is very quickly growing in popularity and it is easy to see why. The main character Gordianus the Finder is both a likeable and believable character and the author's descriptive talents bring the sights and sounds of Ancient Rome leaping off the pages. In this novel set in the period 50 BC Gordianus is hired to investigate a murder and he must follow a trail of intrigue to places that no one in their right mind would go, into the realms of political power. Nobody is more devious than the men who rule Rome. Men who, on the surface are the height of respectability, but rub the surface . . .
Rated by buyers -
Saylour has a knack for producing gripping plots. He also knows Rome--its topography, archaeology, and culture--thoroughly. Nevertheless, the story is anachronistic. For instance, he builds up Clodia as a protofeminist at the expense of the poet Catullus, who is portrayed as a disturbed stalker.
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