Rating: 
Summary: Superb Mystery, subtle wit and a good history lesson as well
Review: In "A Murder on the Appian Way", Saylor takes the reader on a ride through some turbulent times in Rome, using his subtle humor and wit to a most satisfying conclusion. In this novel, Rome is the battleground for the rival gangs of the populist politician Publius Clodius, and his political enemy Titus Milos. Clodius is murdered on the Appian Way under mysterious circumstances and Milo is accused of the crime. The city explodes and the skills of Gordianus the Finder and his unique family are brought out to expose the truth -- which just possibly is not what anyone wants to know! A most compelling addition to Saylor's continuing Roma Sub Rosa series
Rating: 
Summary: A great addition to Saylor's ancient Rome detective series
Review: Steven Saylor's fifth detective novel, set in 52 B.C.
Rome, continues the gripping series of exploits of one
Gordianus the Finder. This novel follows Gordianus and
his son Eco as they travel the famed Appian roadway, searching for clues in one of the most consequential events
in history - the murder of Publius Clodius - which set
into motion the dissolution of the Roman republic. Gordianus
encounters most of the major figures of Rome at the time,
including Cicero, Pompey and Caesar. With effortless writing
bolstering the historical details, "Murder on the Appian Way" makes ancient Rome seem as close as today's headlines.
Rating:
Summary: Twists in the mystery and the family
Review: I am a devoted reader of the Roman Sub Rosa series. Saylor has a formula going for these books which works very well. The reader gets an intriguing history lesson and a thrilling mystery at the same time. It's amazing how Mr. Saylor can flesh out these novels from actual events and extant speeches. Of course his fictitious private eye Gordianus enables him to do this. The reader experiences legendary people and events through the eyes of a "regular" Roman citizen and his family. And family is important. Saylor always seems to find a way to make the mystery have a twist as well as Gordianus' family story. Mysteries are revealed on more than one level, and that's an important mark of a great novel. I can't make myself give the book 5 stars because I reserve those for books that are life-changing. I didn't feel that way about Murder on the Appian Way, but I did highly enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This could have been a blockbuster novel. The characters are far more lively than the cardboard cutouts found in most works. Yet something is missing. That something is plausibility. Problem is that the detective, Gordianus the Finder, is able to get folks to more than fully answer just about every question put to them. This is not realistic and so a most promising novel falls short of making the grade.
Rating:
Summary: Mysteries aside for a moment
Review: "A Murder on the Appian Way" is less of a mystery novel than Saylor's previous books in this series. There is still a mystery but the resolution is based on accidental encounters more than investigation. However, we get to see Rome as a confused, dangerous, and determined to remain civilized city as the clock counts down on the Republic. We briefly meet some of the big names you've heard of in Roman history courses but only briefly as would make sense for a mere "finder". No, this book is best read as an exploration of Roman society and of Gordianus' family as it grows up and increases in number, complications, and love. Gordianus would be considered a poor Roman father and husband in his day but for us, he is understandable and expressive. This novel made me more interested in him than any of the previous novels.
Rating:
Summary: Another Triumph
Review: This series gets better with each novel. Unfortunately, I only have three more to go. What will I do then? Gordianus is also getting a bit old at this point, so I hope that, when the time comes, Mr. Saylor will continue his Roman Sub Rosa series with Gordianus' son Eco taking his place as the Finder. My only question is as to why the author seems to ignore the development of Eco's wife as a character - she is never given much attention. These stories are totally involving and a great pleasure to read. Start with the first one (Roman Blood) and keep going!
Rating:
Summary: A good historical fiction
Review: As a student of Roman history, I found this book to be captivating. It was hard to put it down also.I look forward to reading more of the author's books on ancient rome.
Rating:
Summary: Murder is the Roman way.
Review: So one would be led to believe after reading this book. Though the "mystery" in this mystery novel isn't quite as strong as I would have hoped, A Murder on the Appian Way" still counts in my eyes as one of Steven Saylor's better works. The story takes place in the year 52 BC, at a time when Rome was just beginning its slide into civil war and was inching towards the eventual fall of the Republic. Publius Clodius, a patrician turned plebeian demagogue, was brutally murdered on the road linking the capital to southern Italia: the great Via Appia (which, curiously enough, was built by one of his own ancestors, Appius Claudius Caecus). Called upon to look into the matter by Clodius' wife Fulvia and by no less a personage than Pompey the Great, an ageing Gordianus the Finder and his son Eco ride into the shadows beneath Mount Alba to discover the truth about the death of Rome's most controversial political luminary in years. The problem with using historical events as themes for mystery novels is that one looks at things with the benefit of hindsight. (A little research of your own will tell you just about everything that happens in the book.) Saylor's skill lies in his ability to make even foregone conclusions seem uncertain, especially with the introduction of possible alternatives and suspects one would not have even considered after reading the ancient sources. Hence, even though the mystery element tends to get swallowed up by the vastnesss of the novel's rich historical backdrop, one could always expect something interesting to happen towards the end. Although Saylor explains characters and concepts fairly well, knowing a tidy bit about such things as daily life, architecture and the politics of late Republican Rome will help a lot (when, for example, one tries to visualise such places as the Clodius house on the Palatine and the grand, rather cramped space that is the Forum Romanum). Having some prior knowledge about the political factions that existed at the time should also assist the serious reader when it comes to understanding the circumstances surrounding Clodius' death . . . but in the end, don't let the nitty-gritty details spoil your reading experience. Historical the basis may be, but the novel is a work of fiction nonetheless and is meant for entertainment above all else. And of course, you'd pick up a lot of things about Roman history at the same time. All told, "A Murder on the Appian Way" may seem more like a Colleen McCullough than an Agatha Christie: more history, less mystery. But that does little to dent the excitement and anticipation that builds up as one courses through this book, for one would feel as though he were right there on the Appian Way with Gordianus himself, riding into the face of danger and bearing witness to a murder that is not quite what it seems to be.
Rating:
Summary: Saylor Strikes Again
Review: Yet another fine novel from Steven Saylor. Despite an awkward beginning (a contrived explanation by Gordianus to his daughter about the Roman government), Murder on the Appian Way quickly throws the reader into the turmoil that marked Rome in the 50s B.C. Much better written than McCullough's Masters of Rome series, it also provides a point of view of major events from someone other than the major players, while still showing us the human side of such figures as Cicero and Marc Antony. As others have commented, this one is less mystery than some of its predecessors, but it is historical fiction at its best.
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