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Lustrum

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Lustrum

By: Robert Harris
Narrated by: Bill Wallis
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About this listen

Rome, 63 BC. In a city on the brink of acquiring a vast empire, seven men are struggling for power. Cicero is consul, Caesar his ruthless young rival, Pompey the republic's greatest general, Crassus its richest man, Cato a political fanatic, Catilina a psychopath, Clodius an ambitious playboy.

The stories of these real historical figures - their alliances and betrayals, their cruelties and seductions, their brilliance and their crimes - are all interleaved to form this epic novel. Its narrator is Tiro, a slave who serves as confidential secretary to the wily, humane, complex Cicero. He knows all his master's secrets - a dangerous position to be in.

From the discovery of a child's mutilated body, through judicial execution and a scandalous trial, to the brutal unleashing of the Roman mob, Lustrum is a study in the timeless enticements and horrors of power.

 Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Political Thriller & Suspense Fiction Biography Suspense Rome Mystery

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Critic reviews

Harris is the master. With Lustrum, [he] has surpassed himself. It is one of the most exciting thrillers I have ever read
Harris communicates such a strong sense of imperial Rome - the book is awesomely well-informed about the minutiae of everyday life
Thoroughly engaging ... The allure of power and the perils that attend it have seldom been so brilliantly anatomised in a thriller
Harris never makes his comparisons between Rome and modern Britain explicit, but they are certainly there. And that's the principal charm of his ancient thrillers - their up-to-dateness
Magnificent ... Better than Robert Graves's Claudius novels
A read to be savoured
Wry, clever, thoughtful, with a terrific sense of timing and eye for character.

Thrillingly paced and narrated ... What grips most about Lustrum is the seriousness with which the political issues at stake are taken, and the vividness of the characterisation

Offers great insight into the psychology of political calculation
Deeply satisfying, impeccably researched and spectacularly topical ... This is a thriller to die for ... The pace never falters, and the politics are sharply relevant
All stars
Most relevant

If you could sum up Lustrum in three words, what would they be?

Living with Cicero

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tiro - the man is a hero himself !

Which scene did you most enjoy?

All of it!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes! laughed out loud!...some of Cicero's scathing sarcasm to his enemies

Any additional comments?

It is so well written but even so well narrated ! Bravo!! the different characters come alive and it feels like you are actually there, witnessing it all, feeling all the emotion and skulduggery and being part of the plot !! an excellent narration

In the footsteps of a hero...

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You have to hand it to the author and narrator. The performance is fantastic and the book's detail is staggering. Both at the top of their craft. It has a slow start but once it gets going you are drawn in to the characters political agonies. Theres not a whole lot of action but that's not what this book is about. Superb!

Like a fine wine. it just got better and better!

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Robert Harris is a brilliant writer and I am loving his Cicero trilogy. Bill Wallis, the narrator, is also incredibly talented. He gives a distinct voice to each character, and there are so many. Tiro feels like a fixture in my day after all this time he has accompanied me on my commute - i will miss him and Cicero when I finish the series.

Outstanding book with the perfect narrator

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Loved the second part even more than the first, can’t wait to listen to the third.
Bill Wallis is an excellent narrator I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.

Second part of great trilogy....

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What a masterpiece this narration by Bill Wallis is! Robert Harris’s excellent book deserves no less.

Magnificent!

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