Lawrence has found a new kind of mystery for the children to solve: this story is a courtroom drama, allowing her to show off her research into Roman court procedures.

The eponymous slave-girl is accused of murder, but has she been framed? And can the children find out who actually did it before she is executed? Not surprisingly, the adults step in and try to take over a case that is far too dangerous for the children to investigate unsupervised. Instead, they stay at home learning about Roman law, including an answer to my question several books ago about slaves freed under-age: they become Latins, like slaves freed in a will beyond the maximum number a citizen can free. We get a lot about wills, and witnesses to these, and this helps the children (and their adult friends) discover the motive and uncover the culprit.

Worth adding: I like the author's notes at the back of these later books. And the pronunciations in the glossary don't look half as American as I thought at first

Previous book: The Charioteer of Delphi
Next book: The Beggar of Volubilis

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