"A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome" is $1.99 right now

at Amazon (been on my wishlist for a while):

“Ms. Southon...has a rare gift for immersing herself in the world of the Romans and embracing its strangeness while keeping the door of critical distance ajar...Her writing gives the impression that she’s having the time of her life and wants to bring us, her besties, along for the ride... At a moment when the study of classics struggles to escape its starchy, imperialist legacy, Ms. Southon’s cheeky enthusiasm feels like the path of salvation.”

―Wall Street Journal

“Emma Southon has found a most rewarding path by focusing on real-life murders of the era to illustrate how Romans saw life, death, and themselves. Julius Caesar, of course, earns a chapter, but the author presents an astonishing docket of cases that bring vividly alive (with a dash of wit) what Romans feared the most.”

―Air Mail