‘Him and his fancy fish farm, raking it in hand over fist. He’s a bastard. A greedy bastard. Some people, they’d be better off dead, know what I mean?’

Trebbio was in his cups when he bad-mouthed Licinius Murena, but in vino veritas, as the saying goes. So when Murena was found the next morning, drowned in one of his own eel tanks, not many tears were shed. Certainly not by Trebbio, who had just been booted out of his cottage by the landowner. Nor by the widow, a little stunner half Murena’s age who allegedly spent an inordinate amount of time under the doctor. Nor by his daughter or his farm manager. With friends like these, who needs enemies? Marcus Corvinus is the man to find out. With the help, of course, of his clever wife Perilla – if she can spare the time from her newly acquired passion for gambling…

read the 1st chapter