Caesar and Cleopatra, intrigue and loss....another good Saylor outing! Bethesda disappears early on in the book, as they journey to Alexandria in hopes of curing her mystery ailment....and I spent the whole novel wondering if she was dead or not. Fear no spoiler here; read this book yourself. ( )

Corre el año 48 a.C. Y Julio César se halla involucrado en las querellas dinásticas entre Ptolomeo y Cleopatra, hermanos rivales por el trono de Egipto, mientras sostiene un apasionado romance con la reina del Nilo. César continúa enfrentado políticamente con el general Pompeyo, quien a su vez planea un violento ataque a ese reino. Allí también se encuentran Gordianus, el detective romano, con su esposa Bethesda, quien padece una enfermedad y espera curarse en ls aguas del río sagrado.

Em A DECISÃO DE CÉSAR, acompanhamos Júlio César e sua luta para se manter no poder, envolvido com Ptolomeu e Cleópatra, rivais na disputa pelo trono do Egito.
Com a incrível e lendária Alexandria como cenário, no ano de 48 a.C., os generais César e Pompeu, inimigos, decidem o destino do mundo. Cada um em busca de alianças capazes de fortalecer seus exércitos. Do encontro de César eCleópatra, no entanto, surge a mais perfeita das sociedades: os dois se apaixonam perdidamente e protagonizam um dos romances mais comentados da História.
Naquela sufocante atmosfera de intriga e trapaça chega Gordiano, o Descobridor, na inocente busca de uma cura para sua mulher, Bethesda, nas sagradas águas do Nilo. Mas quando seus planos dão errado, ele se vê envolvido numa busca ainda mais desesperada ? provar a inocência do filho que outrora ele renegara e que é acusado de assassinato.
A decisão de César irá determinar o destino do filho de Gordiano a escolha que César fizer entre Cleópatra e seu irmão Ptolomeu irá definir o futuro do império romano

POTENTIAL SPOILERS


The latest in a mystery series by Steven Saylor, with the ancient Roman detective Gordianus the Finder.


The novels are OK, but not great. The thing I like about them, though, is that they make Roman history much more memorable than a textbook. Although I've read dozens of Roman history books, I never made the connection that the same person could live through the Dictatorship of Sulla, the Servile Rebellion, the Cataline Conspiracy, and the Civil War until I read these. Admittedly, Gordianius is getting a little long in the tooth - I think he's right around 65 in this latest novel.


Caesar meets Kleopatra and Ptolemy, and predictibly can't decide between them (both in terms of who he's going to put on the throne of Egypt and who he's going to sleep with). Gordianus is dragged into it in a somewhat convoluted manner - he just happens to be in Alexandria instead of Rome because his wife, the ex-slave Bethesda, wants to visit home. Our hero finds himself in the right (or perhaps wrong) place at the right time, witnessing the assassination of Pompey and the famous arrival of Kleopatra in a rolled-up carpet. The actual mystery is a relatively minor one, involving the poisoning of Kleo's food taster, and is dealt with in a chapter or so. If you're interested, you probably want to start with the first in the series, Roman Blood. ( )

Saylor is recognised for his historical veracity and deep knowledge of the Roman period, but he wears this learning lightly and never resorts to lengthy or incongruous exposition (none of this 'Oh, look, here comes Pompey, great general of Rome and enemy of Caesar, who has just...' malarkey). This is an involving look into the world of Egyptian Alexandria and the end of the great conflict between Caesar and Pompey that leaves Julius Caesar as undisputed leader of Rome and sees him start his relationship with Cleopatra. The political wrangling between Caesar, Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy for primacy in Egypt is well told.

The mystery element of the story does not show itself until half way through the book and is unravelled with very little tension or investigation, even though the jeopardy is heightened by having our hero, Gordianus, having to save his adopted son from a death sentence having been accused of the attempted murder of Caesar.

The all-loose-ends-gathered-everybody's-happy ending was unsatisfying and did not reflect the gritty reality of the historical elements of the book. ( )