Lustrum by Robert Harris

Rome in 63 BC and the first cracks are appearing in the edifice of the old Republic and the cast of characters whose rivalries, jealousies and naked ambition will bring it down and build an Empire on it's rubble are striding on to it's stage. Cicero the lawyer and politician who wants to be rich, Crassus the rich man who wants to be a General, Pompey the General from the provinces who craves the approval of the Patrician elite, Cato the austere fanatic who wants to bring back the ways of the past and Catalina and Clodius two deadly jokers in the pack. Above all there is Julius Caesar whose shadow is beginning to fall across the city. All this is, of course, well trodden territory and it is a tribute to Robert Harris' confidence and skill that he can proceed to guide us here as if it was virgin land. The story is told through the writing of Tiro, slave and confidential secretary to Cicero and ends as the ex-Consul is driven into exile. Surely Mr Harris cannot leave the story there, he owes it to his readers to continue this fascinating saga.