SPQR III: The Sacrilege

By: John Maddox Roberts

Narrated by: John Lee

When a sacret woman's rite in the ancient city of Rome is infiltrated by a corrupt patrician dressed in female garb, it falls to Senator Decuis Caecilius Metellus the Younger, whose investigative skills have proven indispensable in the past, to unmask the perpetrators. When four brutal slayings follow, Decius enlists the help a notorious and dangerous criminal. Together, they establish a connection between the sacrilege and the murders, and track the offenders from the lowest dregs of society to the prominent elite of the upper class, finding corruption and violence where Decius least expects it.

©1992 John Maddox Roberts. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

I like this narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Sacrilege the most enjoyable?

I have read all the books and I like this narrator

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not the edge of my seat, but I enjoyed it. I don't usually like the edge of seat ones

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They are two different experiences. I like reading better, but I listen to audio books while walking my dogs

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Getting Better

The storytelling in this series is getting progressively better. I am still curious to check the historical accuracy, which I have yet to do. Will definitely continue with the next book in the SPQR series.

the best so far

I liked the first 2 books in the series, but the change of narrators this book alters the whole feel of the books and really gave me a better feel for Decius and now I LOVE the series, They are quick and addicting listens, allowing me to follow more of the adventures of what feels like a new friend in Decius. They allow us to understand the Rome of Decius and his family, how he, like all of us must deal with family politics and find our place in our family and world, takes the reader back to republican rome as it begins to see the future of imperial rome encroach.

Good history fun

The third book in the series is flagging a bit but still fun. Decius is a great character, alternating self-deprecating modern humour and patrician snobbery (equally funny). some quirks are getting predictable - this time there are three irresistible women, not one.

A riveting and pleasurable listening experience

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's a seduction into the endlessly curious world of the romans and all their ways. It's both a detective tale and a political/historical thriller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sacrilege?

The malediction scene.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"And you think Washington is a nest of vipers."

Any additional comments?

You must render all of the SPQR series into unabridged audio books. They are worth it.

Fun story and good telling of that SPQR III

History told in light hearted way. Very easy to listen it brings out Rome in times.

Great Roman Mystery

I am so happy to see this book on audio. For a while we only had the first two books in the series and now comes the third. I hope we will see more of this series on audio.

Let me say this was a great mystery and as always the portrayal of the historical figures are accurate.

This centers around the scandal of Publius Clodius Pulcher sneaking into the Bona Dea rites in femal dress at the home of the Pontifex Maximus and the scandal that ensued. In the course of his investigation Decius meets his love - Julia who is no mean investigator in her own right.

John Maddox Roberts takes the license of embellishing the scandal and adding more participants to the masquerade. And if course Decius Metellus the Younger is in the thick of it all. There are bodies galore and the rivalry between the two gangs headed by Milo and Clodius are front and center.As usual Milo is right there to help Decius escape from Clodius' gang. A great ending with a chase through the forum amidst Pompey's Triumph and elephants running wild.

This is a delightful romp through the period of this scandal and John Lee does a masterful job as the narrator. He strikes just the right tone as narrator.

Fun read! Murder mystery in Ancient Rome.

Pompey, Caesar, and Co. are brought to life as accurately as can be depicted in a novel. There was nothing detracting from history. John Maddox Roberts knows his history. I really enjoyed this story and all the characters. The main character, Decius, is very appealing without being arrogant. As usual John Lee did a wonderful job reading this mystery taking place in Ancient Rome. All of his voices work! He never makes female characters sound silly as he does not force it. He chose a Liverpool accent for Hermes the slave ---which put me off for a few sentences---but it worked! I have been reading ancient roman history books for most of my life and I felt it was time to read something "fun" still in the same era. I highly recommend this series. I am now off to the next!

You feel like you're really there

I love this series for the way it makes you feel like you went back in time. I have no idea whether it's authentic or not, but it feels that way.

Roman Historical Mystery

Would you listen to The Sacrilege again? Why?

I'm enjoying this series very much, John Maddox Roberts is no Robert Graves, but he does a wonderful job at letting the listener know the class distinctions and how the problems of Rome and being a citizen of Rome can be of major interest. There was a distinct difference of being a citizen of "ROME" and being Italian.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The first two books in the series were narrated by Simon Vance who is one of my favorite narrators. I am very pleased that they got John Lee who is also one of my favorites to continue the series. He really does know how to be an aristocrat, with his voice. In this case the change of narrators to me was not a problem since they both were on my top ten list of narrators.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I found it very hard to stop listening to any of the first three books there is so much going on the

Any additional comments?

I did enjoy the mystery and the the time line of the story was well studied by the author. (If anyone saw the "Spartacus" series on "Stars" the brutality and total disregard for humanity by those in power) "Ultimate power corrupts ultimately." readers should be prepared for some intense sexuality, brutality, and total disregard for life. However our hero, is a strong personality and tries to over come much of what his station demands of him, and what the higher up in Roman power structure demand. He is a man of conscious, which is very rare in this time.