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The King’s Gambit  By  cover art

The King’s Gambit

By: John Maddox Roberts
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's summary

Blackmail, corruption, treachery, murder - the glory that was Rome.

In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, highborn commander of the local vigiles, was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threats, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.

©2007 John Maddox Roberts (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The King’s Gambit

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Great start to a series

This is the first book I tried in the series and it is a great Sherlock Holmes style detective story - there's a young man from a noble family charged with clearing up crime in a district of ancient Rome, a Greek physician who helps him, dark conspiracy in high places, etc. You get the idea. And you are not sure exactly how it will turn out till the very last page.

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16 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Falco comparison inevitable

Here goes...

If you've read those, this one is more hard-boiled, less snarky; although, Decimus isn't bad with apt commentary. Technology hadn't changed that much in the century between the series, so day to day life remained pretty similar.

Pirates feature in this story, which I don't recall much in Falco's travels, with one exception and that I recall more as smuggling. I'm a fan of the sidekick Milo, as well as being drawn by John Lee's narration.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent performance King’s Gambit

Historical fiction and intrigue! John Lee is one of my favorite narrators always makes listening a delight!

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5 people found this helpful

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like a Cadfael story

I enjoyed both the book and the performance very much! John Lee is just tremendous. I recommend his work on the Priest of Bones series. Robert's command of the ancient Roman culture and nomenclature is a real treat!

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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A confused, pretentious book.

Free wouldn't cut it to get me to read another by this author. I'd have to be paid quite a bit. Too many better choices in the world.

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3 people found this helpful

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too wordy

author spend too much time describing rome and not enough developing plot. way too wordy!

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A fantastic series!

I stumbled upon this series recently, and have since listened to the first ten books. All have been excellent, both in quality of story and performance. Each offers a more nuanced view of the great historical figures, as well as glimpses of what life was like for more ordinary people of the time.

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The SPQR Series is Brilliant

This is the first book in the brilliant SPQR series, narrated in the first person by John Lee. This series follows a fictional character,Decius Caecilius Metellus, who is living in Rome during the declining years of the Republic. There are about 14 or 15 novels in this linear series, and I loved every one of them. While sticking to the factual history, we follow Metellus from his youth to his marriage to Julia, a relative of Caesar, and on through his career and his many adventures along the way. We meet Pompey, Caesar, and many other historical persons, as well as hilarious fictional charterers, like his cheeky servant and very stern father. I often found myself laughing out loud at Metellus's ironic comments. Both the author and the reader are wonderful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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Freaking Excellent,!

Excellent story and narration. Would recommend this to my friends and family. read it, y'all.

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Great fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical mystery. The author creates a compelling mystery and plenty of excitement, weaving historical events and famous Romans into the plot in a credible way. He also creates occasions for explanations of Roman religion, customs and so on in a pleasantly didactic way. The reading is clear and pleasant to listen to, though some of the imitation accents were a little dubious.

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