CONSPIRATA

The sword-and-sandal movies taught us that ancient Rome was ruled—as America had once been—by English snobs. Thus, English actor Simon Jones has the right pipes for Cicero and the backstabbing ancients he tangled with. IMPERIUM saw the great orator rise. CONSPIRATA—the second novel in a planned Rome trilogy—ends as his vertiginous fall begins. Recorded by Cicero's secretary, Tiro, this history reveals an eloquent and courageous politician who was sometimes a hypocrite and even vain. One can't help but imagine how tickled the silver-tongued Cicero would be to hear his story brought to vivid life by the full-throated, golden-voiced Simon Jones. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2010]