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Sometimes murder is only a distraction from the real betrayal.
Pliny, a respectable young senator and lawyer, is the newly appointed governor of Bithynia, a turbulent frontier province rotting with corruption and seething with hatred of Rome. When a high Roman official is found murdered on a desolate hillside miles from the capital, Pliny must untangle numerous threads in the investigation, including a barbarian god whose devotees may include a murderer, a clever and unscrupulous faith healer who knows everyone's secrets, and a boy who struggles toward manhood though stricken with the "sacred disease."
But as Pliny pursues one baffling lead after another, he is being betrayed where he least expects it. His beautiful wife, neglected and lonely in an alien city, falls desperately in love with a handsome young provincial, and the affair threatens to bring not only pain but ruin to Pliny's career.
Bruce Macbain holds a master’s degree in classical studies from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught Greek and Roman history at Vanderbilt and Boston University. He enjoys traveling and was one of the first Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Borneo. He lives with his wife in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. His book, The Overstory, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
Reviews
“Macbain’s love of the ancient world is manifest on every page of The Bull Slayer, and his choice of a sleuth is inspired...The result is a highly atmospheric and absorbing murder mystery that builds to an earthshaking climax.”
“Far from Rome, mass murder complicates a provincial governor’s fight against local corruption…Packed with colorful characters and a strong sense of history…Consistently entertains along the way.”
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