After a hiatus of several years, I found some more Roman Mysteries books! Since I'm not collecting them, I haven't had the opportunity to reread the rest of the series, but jumped straight back in. That this was not a problem is a point in Lawrence's favour.

For a change, the mystery was solved not by careful detective work by Flavia and her friends, but by Lupus, on a different quest, stumbling apon the culprit. There are, I suppose, only so many different crimes that a band of pre-teen sleuths can work on, and it was a little disappointing that we have returned to a theme that has come up more than once in the series - free-born children being kidnapped and enslaved. The fact that most of them work in a sweat shop making "carpets" (I'm not sure what ancient Romans had that might be described as "carpets" - possibly wall hangings?) is a not terribly subtle pointer to modern slavery, but it's a reference worth making.

In all it was an easy read. The characters are portrayed well; one can really feel for Nubia sleeping in the hold of the former slave ship, and there are some laugh out loud moments when Flavia is embarrassed, but I still don't regret my decision not to collect the books.

Previous book: The Gladiators from Capua
Next Book: The Fugitive from Corinth

In the charity bookcase. Not many books there this evening.