Marcus Didius Falco is a private informer, the closest thing that first-century Rome has to a detective.A new emperor, Vespasian, has ascended to power. The tides of money and power are in flux, and Rome"s vicious games swirl more ferociously than ever.When Falco rescues a young girl in trouble, he catapults himself into a dangerous game involving stolen imperial ingots, a dark political plot and, most hazardous of all, a senator"s daughter connected to the traitors Falco has sworn to expose.The rule of law is tenuous for ordinary citizens of Rome. Only a man with a mind as sharp as a gladius can prevail.