The third novel in the bestselling Gaius Petreius Ruso series. Formerly published as Ruso and the Root of All Evils.


At last Gaius Petreius Ruso, doctor to the Legions, is to return home to Gaul. Little does he realize the letter summoning him back has been forged, and that the sunny Mediterranean lifestyle conceals dark threats. His family are in terrible debt to dangerous men and when the principal creditor, Severus, is poisoned in the Ruso home, they become the primary suspects in his murder.


But the crimes go far deeper. What role did Severus play in the deliberate sinking of a cargo ship? Who are the brutal investigators sent by Rome? And how worrying is the outbreak of the new religion, Christianity, in the neighbourhood?


When Ruso takes a job stitching up gladiators in the local amphitheatre, matters come to a head. Even Tilla, his loyal companion, may not be able to save him from the clutches of a most devious killer...