Relentless, brutal, brilliant. 24 hours in Ancient Rome

This latest Ballista novel is heads above the others in the series, especially the later ones. This one is a happy marriage between the thriller and the 3rd century historical fiction genres. I was enthralled all through from the very first pulse-pounding page to the last. Ballista gets wind of a conspiracy to kill Emperor Gallienus and has from sunset to next day sunset to foil the plot. He races through all parts of Rome, obstacles put in his way, which he overcomes, often with brutal fighting. He often disguises himself and uses other subterfuges to reach the emperor at the games in the Coliseum. A final standoff, with minutes to spare, had my heart in my mouth.

A stark, laconic style fit right in with the urgency and breathlessness of the plot. Description of Rome made me feel I was right there along with Ballista. The identity of the leader of the plot wasn't given, except an alias--"the peasant." I believe I did figure out his identity from clues from his description, but the next book might reveal his identity and take care of him.... With Scarpio the name of one of the villains--head of the City Watch--I wondered if the author used this name with the evil police chief, Scarpia, from the opera "Tosca", in mind. Except this villain wasn't stabbed with a letter opener. I guessed from the author's Notes, Sidebottom conflated the Urban Cohorts AND the Vigiles, calling this entity the City Watch. In the novel it had duties of both groups: maintaining law and order AND firefighting.

Highly recommended. ( )

Reading The Last Hour was an immersive experience as I was transported back in time to Ancient Rome by the skilled story-telling and historical expertise of the author.
Ballista, the man battling to save his friend and Emperor from a planned assassination, is no superhero but a flesh and blood soldier, forced to make hard choices as he is hunted through the city. Unable to trust the forces of law and order he must draw on all his reserves of courage and resourcefulness to get to the closely guarded Emperor in time.
In the course of the night and day that form the time frame of the book the reader encounters a varied and fascinating collection of the inhabitants of this often brutal world.
The mixture of fast paced action and gritty period detail is a winning combination. ( )