In a detective thriller set in ancient Rome, Marcus Didius Falco goes on an undercover mission into Roman Germany to deal with an uncivil Batavian rebel chieftain. By the author of *Silver Pigs. *15,000 first printing.

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### From Publishers Weekly

In A.D. 71, the Emperor Vespasian sends his reluctant agent Marcus Didius Falco to Germany to bring a rebel chieftain into line and to find a missing legate whose battle-worn legion had surrendered him to a druidic sorceress. In his fourth appearance, after Venus in Copper , the worldly-wise, ever - entertaining Falco journeys up the river Rhenus, encountering hardships and danger, including murder, and resolving puzzles of politics and commerce. In Roman Germany, Falco's military experience in Gaul and his knowledge of historic Gallic battles will help him deal with fort intrigues and the mysterious ways of the forest tribes. His travails in Upper Germany are as much physical as cerebral; indeed, he saves his company from a wild aurochs in a last-ditch leap that recalls ancient Greek bull-dancing practices. Accompanied in part by his lover, the high-born Helena Justina (who has caught the eye of Vespasian's son Titus), and aided by her brother Camillus Justinus, an untried but courageous young officer, Falco stays alive, accomplishes the Emperor's mission and holds on to his girl--feats as accomplished as Davis's seamless blending of humor, history and adventure.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

### From School Library Journal

YA-The adventures of Marcus Didius Falco, a Roman detective, continue in this fourth tale of sleuthing in A.D. 71. Still in love with the patrician Helen, Marcus is sent to the German wilderness to determine the loyalty of the Fourteenth legion to Rome by Titus Caesar, a would-be suitor of Helen's. Carrying a giant iron hand, a gift of the god Mars to the Fourteenth legion, Marcus must contend with barbarians, incompetent army recruits, and a potential scandal over a pottery contract. Falco's never-ending wise cracks, humorous self-abasement, and genuine niceness are more than enough to captivate readers; the rich historical details add a caloric layer of frosting.
*Pam Spencer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA*
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.