The Rewards of Treachery

Rowe’s brilliant 20th mystery set in second-century Britain (after 2021’s A Dreadful Destiny) stars Junio, the adopted son of previous series lead Libertus, a Celtic nobleman turned Roman citizen who’s been exiled from Glevum (modern-day Gloucester). In Glevum, Junio has succeeded Libertus as an in-demand pavement maker and problem-solver for members of the upper class. Libertus’s former patron, Marcus Septimus Aurelius, once consulted Libertus on the disappearance of minor items from his household. Those thefts now assume greater significance when one of Marcus’s slaves, Letigines, is accused of stealing a valuable brooch pin belonging to Marcus’s wife. Letigines claims he took the jewelry for repair, and he believed that the skilled artisan who worked on it had returned it. Because what the slave handed back to his mistress was a cheap copy, his life is in jeopardy. Junio agrees to look into the matter, only to find it complicated by a grisly murder that bears the hallmarks of Celtic rebels. A mastery of period detail matches the engrossing plot. Rowe doesn’t miss a beat with this transition to a new lead, and it’s also an accessible entry point for newcomers. Agent: Juliet Burton, Juliet Burton Literary (U.K.). (Apr.)