The Gods Help Those: A Seventh Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger

Set in 85 CE, Bell’s seventh whodunit featuring real-life ancient Roman magistrate, lawyer, and author Pliny the Younger (after 2017’s Fortune’s Fool) opens with a strong setup. Days of heavy rain have weakened the banks of the Tiber, and Pliny is alerted that a storehouse he owns on the river has collapsed, with six dead people inside. When Pliny arrives at the scene, he finds that one of them, a woman, is still alive, and his lover and servant, Aurora, manages to rescue a baby trapped in the building. Furthermore, one of the corpses shows signs of foul play—an unidentified man, dressed in a tunic with a stripe, has been stabbed in the back and had his lips sewn together. When Pliny is able to examine the body more carefully, he discovers that the murder victim’s mouth contains 30 silver coins. His search for the man’s identity and murderer leads in surprising directions involving some powerful Romans. Unfortunately, the mystery’s resolution is a letdown, and Pliny is an underdeveloped lead. (Sept.)