A stunningly original detective novel set at the point of Emperor Trajan's death. Gaius Petreius Ruso is a destitute and divorced army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in one of the inclement outposts of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. His arrival in Deva (more commonly known as Chester) does little to improve his mood and, after a straight thirty-six hours on the wards in the Fort, he succumbs to a moment of weakness and rescues injured slave girl, Tilla. Little does he realize how this one act is going to bring nothing but trouble and far too much interaction with the irritating locals.