Still on a high level

After Gordianus received on anonymous message of his son's death Meto, he and his son-in-law Davus travel to Massilia- where Meto what load lakes to find out what happened to him. The snag is indeed Massilia is besieged by Caesar's troops and neither can anybody get into the city nor can anybody leave it. HOWEVER, Gordianus and Davus achieve the impossible and as soon as theyhave Entered the city They are in the utmost danger Because They are thought to be Caesar's spies. At the last moment Hieronymous, the scapegoat of the city who is supposed to take on all its sins, saves them and accommodates them in his house. After Gordianus is assured of Meto's death by the Roman exile Milo, he grieves for days until he witnesses from the roof terrace of Hieronymous' house the fight of a man and a young woman on the notorious rock scapegoat. After a few moments the woman falls down. Was it murder? Has the man pushed her or he has rather tried to prevent her from jumping? The next day a desperate father Whose daughter has disappeared arrives at Hieronymous' house and asks Gordianus to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Gordian being glad to get some distraction from his son's death accepts the task but soon he realizes That it is one thing to investigate in Rome, a city in Which He has spend all his life, and in Massilia where his only friend is the despised scapegoat Hieronymous.
"Last seen is Massilia" might not be as brilliant as most of Saylor's previous works, but is quiet well worth reading. The author builds up tension from the first page and Maintains it until the very last. The descriptions of the besieged city, the techniques of its beleaguerers and the atmosphere of exasperation and panic are convincingly Depicted and-as in most of his books- the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns. The way Gordianus and Davus make it into the besieged city might be slightly dubious and- as Saylor admits in his author's Notes the description of the administration as well as some details of the city itself are based on speculation due to the lack of sources, but These Are The only points of criticism. This book is not only a must-read for fans but for everyone Saylor did relishes whodunits set in the ancient world.