Part 1, High and Low: Chapters 1 -15 Summary

Gordianus the Finder, a citizen of Rome, is called upon to investigate a murder. Cicero the advocate has been enlisted to defend Sextus Roscius (filius) in the matter of parricide. Roscius (filius), the son of a wealthy landowner from Ameria, is accused of devising a plot to kill his father in order to inherit the family's farms and substantial wealth. Gordianus goes in search of answers. His investigation brings him in contact with some of the most powerful people in the Roman empire. With each question Gordianus answers, two more are asked. Ancient Rome becomes a place of intrigue, secrets and lies before justice is finally served.

In chapter one, Marcus Tullius Cicero sends his slave, Tiro, to the home of Gordianus the Finder. Gordianus is a detective of sorts and Cicero has...