Books

How many young men, men of talent and courage, had given up their lives to honour the gods, supposedly, but really in pursuit of fame, wealth and all the joys their wealth and fame could bring?

Murder in Purple and Gold

Flavia Albia, book 14

Bodies of murder victims are often found by dog walkers. Albia should not go down to the valley of the Circus Maximus after dark: in the dangerous shadows Barley starts barking at a corpse. It’s a youthful driver for the Purple faction of charioteers, a future celebrity, trained by a very famous, famously pushy previous champion. A driver from the Golds is immediately fingered – and the Golds are her husband’s team…

A rapid drive around Formula One showed striking parallels between then and now, from technicalities of vehicles and horses to drivers’ skills and temperaments, team dynamics, team rivalries, fanatical supporters, naff merchandising, and intricacies of race procedure. Even black magic is suspected. In Rome drivers start young and they are mainly slaves, though with golden hopes. Surrounding them are many vested interests, with huge finances at stake; since three vehicles from each faction enter races, do even team mates really support their lead driver or their own self-interest?

As she tries to exonerate the suspect, Albia gains insights from elderly pundits; snooker fans may catch nuances. But when she unravels the true story, even they can’t forecast a winner in a race in front of the Emperor (still paranoid), where there will be smashes, fatalities, dangerous or illegal manoeuvres – and I have no information that they ever used a safety car. Pick your team, pick your favourite driver – then sit back for thrills.