Shortlisted for the inaugural Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction 2010.

Rome 63 BC, power struggles, political machinations, physical intimidation, bribery, assassination and more in an exceptional historical thriller, superbly written.  There is no hint of comparison between then and now but you can’t help feeling it.  Highly recommended.

Comparison: Lindsay Clarke, Simon Scarrow, Valerio Massimo Manfredi.

Synopsis

Rome, 63 BC. In a city on the brink of acquiring a vast empire, seven men are struggling for power. Cicero is consul, Caesar his ruthless young rival, Pompey the republic's greatest general, Crassus its richest man, Cato a political fanatic, Catilina a psychopath, Clodius an ambitious playboy. The stories of these real historical figures - their alliances and betrayals, their cruelties and seductions, their brilliance and their crimes - are all interleaved to form this epic novel. Its narrator is Tiro, a slave who serves as confidential secretary to the wily, humane, complex Cicero. He knows all his master's secrets - a dangerous position to be in. From the discovery of a child's mutilated body, through judicial execution and a scandalous trial, to the brutal unleashing of the Roman mob, Lustrum is a study in the timeless enticements and horrors of power.

About the Author

Robert Harris is the author Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii and Imperium – all of which were worldwide bestsellers. His work has been translated into thirty-three languages. He was born in Nottingham in 1957 and is a graduate of Cambridge University. He worked as a reporter on the BBC’s Newsnight and Panorama programmes, before becoming Political Editor of the Observer in 1987, and then a columnist on the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. In 2003 he was named Columnist of the Year in the British Press Awards. He lives near Hungerford in Berkshire with his wife and their four children. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation