Venus in Copper — Lindsey Davis

The way Marcus Didius Falco sees it, no one can claim the monopoly on sleaze and corruption in the Eternal City because the competition is so keen. Most recently a Palace spy for the Emperor Vespasian, Falco is now in private service, trying to prevent a murder before it happens.

Severina Zotica, a savvy, flame-haired temptress, has had the misfortune of marrying men who died-rather quickly and under mysterious circumstances. She has met her match in Falco. He can't be seduced, lied to, or bribed off a case as interesting as this one. But when two people are violently killed under his watch, Falco gets hot under the toga. And just when it looks as if a serious pummeling by trained killers will send him home for good, Falco, the noblest of Romans, has another go at the Gordian knot that will take all his skill to untangle....