
SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
John Lee
About this listen
Decius Caecilius Metellus, this year's magistrate for cases involving foreigners, is living the good life in southern Italy, happy to be away from Rome, a city suffering war jitters over Caesar's impending actions. He thinks he is merely visiting one of the local sights when he takes a party to visit the Oracle of the Dead, a pre-Roman cult site located at the end of a tunnel dug beneath a temple of Apollo. He quickly learns that there is a bitter rivalry between the priests of Apollo and those of Hecate, who guard the oracle.
When the priests of Apollo are all killed, the countryside looks to explode in violence as Greeks, Romans, and native Italians of several conquered nations bring out old enmities. Decius is caught squarely in the middle, desperate to find a way out that will pacify the district and, incidentally, save his own skin.
©2008 John Maddox Roberts (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The King’s Gambit
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy.
-
-
Great start to a series
- By P. Johnson on 09-21-17
-
The Throne of Caesar
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's Rome, 44 BC, and the Ides of March are approaching. Julius Caesar has been appointed dictator for life by the Roman Senate. Having pardoned his remaining enemies and rewarded his friends, Caesar is now preparing to leave Rome with his army to fight the Parthian Empire. Gordianus the Finder, after decades of investigating crimes and murders involving the powerful, has set aside enough that he's been raised to the Equestrian rank and has firmly and finally retired. On the morning of March 10th, though, he's first summoned to meet with Cicero and then with Caesar himself.
-
-
Oh, How Disappointing!
- By Gillian on 03-01-18
By: Steven Saylor
-
Murder in Tarsis
- Dragonlance Classics, Book 1
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Lord of Tarsis finds himself with a politically volatile murder on his hands, he turns to the three most expendable inhabitants of the city of a solution. A mercenary, a poet-assassin, and a thief might not be everyone's first choice for detectives. But they find they're quite good at bringing murderers to justice.
-
-
Amusing enough
- By Brandon on 01-26-15
-
Medicus
- A Novel of the Roman Empire
- By: Ruth Downie
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gaius Petrius Ruso is a divorced and down-on-his-luck army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. After a 36-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to a moment of weakness and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner. And before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar.
-
-
Took Me by Surprise
- By Lehua of Pacifica on 03-29-08
By: Ruth Downie
-
Marius' Mules I: The Invasion of Gaul
- Marius' Mules, Book 1
- By: S. J. A. Turney
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 58 BC, and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepare for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth, is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul.
-
-
The best Roman series I’ve listened to!
- By Just_Shoppin on 04-04-20
By: S. J. A. Turney
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
-
The King’s Gambit
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy.
-
-
Great start to a series
- By P. Johnson on 09-21-17
-
The Throne of Caesar
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's Rome, 44 BC, and the Ides of March are approaching. Julius Caesar has been appointed dictator for life by the Roman Senate. Having pardoned his remaining enemies and rewarded his friends, Caesar is now preparing to leave Rome with his army to fight the Parthian Empire. Gordianus the Finder, after decades of investigating crimes and murders involving the powerful, has set aside enough that he's been raised to the Equestrian rank and has firmly and finally retired. On the morning of March 10th, though, he's first summoned to meet with Cicero and then with Caesar himself.
-
-
Oh, How Disappointing!
- By Gillian on 03-01-18
By: Steven Saylor
-
Murder in Tarsis
- Dragonlance Classics, Book 1
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Lord of Tarsis finds himself with a politically volatile murder on his hands, he turns to the three most expendable inhabitants of the city of a solution. A mercenary, a poet-assassin, and a thief might not be everyone's first choice for detectives. But they find they're quite good at bringing murderers to justice.
-
-
Amusing enough
- By Brandon on 01-26-15
-
Medicus
- A Novel of the Roman Empire
- By: Ruth Downie
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gaius Petrius Ruso is a divorced and down-on-his-luck army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. After a 36-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to a moment of weakness and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner. And before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar.
-
-
Took Me by Surprise
- By Lehua of Pacifica on 03-29-08
By: Ruth Downie
-
Marius' Mules I: The Invasion of Gaul
- Marius' Mules, Book 1
- By: S. J. A. Turney
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 58 BC, and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepare for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth, is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul.
-
-
The best Roman series I’ve listened to!
- By Just_Shoppin on 04-04-20
By: S. J. A. Turney
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
-
Emperor of Rome
- Ruling the Ancient World
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Mary Beard
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius.
-
-
Wasn't sure but won me over
- By John S. on 01-26-24
By: Mary Beard
-
Roma
- The Novel of Ancient Rome
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of Rome's first 1,000 years - from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome's astonishing ascent to become the capital of the most powerful empire in history.
-
-
Plebian at best
- By Trustme on 05-18-07
By: Steven Saylor
-
The Abbot's Tale
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year 937, the new king of England, a grandson of Alfred the Great, readies himself to go to war in the north. His dream of a united kingdom of all England will stand or fall on one field - on the passage of a single day. At his side is the priest Dunstan of Glastonbury, full of ambition and wit (perhaps enough to damn his soul). His talents will take him from the villages of Wessex to the royal court, to the hills of Rome - from exile to exaltation.
-
-
This One's a Gem
- By Ballika on 08-10-18
By: Conn Iggulden
-
The Gates of Athens
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World - the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae - The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.
-
-
One of Iggulden’s best ever!
- By Bud R on 01-15-21
By: Conn Iggulden
-
Cathedral of Bones
- Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mysteries, Book 1
- By: J. G. Lewis
- Narrated by: Madeleine Brolly
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Salisbury, 1226. A young pregnant woman is found tangled in reeds in the river Avon, her identity a mystery. Grieving widow Ela Longespée is determined to succeed her husband as sheriff of Salisbury, and quickly takes charge of the investigation. She soon finds herself in the thick of a neighborhood scandal and a struggle to maintain her authority. With multiple suspects, can she identify the true killer?
-
-
eh, okay
- By Jeffrey J. on 12-20-20
By: J. G. Lewis
-
The Squire
- Blood of Kings, Book 1
- By: Duncan M. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conrad lives a quiet rural life with his parents in the Northlands. During one fated night, his world is turned on its head, as nightmares become reality. While his Northlands blood cries out for revenge, Conrad’s head tells him surviving is the best he can do. Rescued by a motley band of mercenaries, Conrad embarks on a life he could barely have imagined. As new challenges, friends, and enemies present themselves, Conrad knows that one day he will have to face the evil that so altered his life, and when that day comes, he must be ready.
-
-
Similar Feel to Wolf of North + Society of Sword
- By Samuel Hudnet on 05-01-21
-
The Fort
- City of Victory, Book 1
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Stephen Perring
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Dacian kingdom and Rome are at peace, but no one thinks that it will last. Sent to command an isolated fort beyond the Danube, centurion Flavius Ferox can sense that war is coming but also knows that enemies may be closer to home. Many of the Brigantes under his command are former rebels and convicts, as likely to kill him as obey an order. And then there is Hadrian, the emperor's cousin, and a man with plans of his own.
-
-
In the top tier of historical fiction.
- By Harry Flashman on 09-09-21
-
The Great Game
- Praetorian, Book 1
- By: SJA Turney
- Narrated by: Piers Hampton
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Promoted to the elite Praetorian Guard in the thick of battle, a young legionary is thrust into a seedy world of imperial politics and corruption. Tasked with uncovering a plot against the newly crowned Emperor Commodus, his mission takes him from the cold Danubian border all the way to the heart of Rome, the villa of the Emperor’s scheming sister, and the great Colosseum. What seems a straightforward, if terrifying, assignment soon descends into Machiavellian treachery and peril as everything in which young Rufinus trusts and believes is called into question....
-
-
COULDN'T KEEP MY INTEREST
- By peter on 12-05-18
By: SJA Turney
-
The Capsarius
- Legion XXII, Book 1
- By: Simon Turney
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, he's now a capsarius—a combat medic. Cervianus is a pragmatist, a scientist and truly unpopular with his legion. The Twenty Second Deiotariana have been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Yet the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion either. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions, a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.
-
-
Amazing start
- By Todd on 08-17-22
By: Simon Turney
-
Voices of Rome
- Four Stories of Ancient Rome
- By: Lindsey Davis, A M Heath & Co Ltd - contributor
- Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Jonathan Keeble, Lindsey Davis, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four novella-length stories written to illuminate Lindsey Davis's unparalleled output of the last 30 years, with an introduction written and narrated by the author.
-
-
a great taste of Rome
- By ShellMade on 04-22-25
By: Lindsey Davis, and others
-
The Seven Wonders
- A Novel of the Ancient World
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: Stephen Plunkett
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
USA Today hails Steven Saylor as a “modern master of historical fiction.” Rich in intrigue and period detail, his novels set in ancient Rome have garnered acclaim the world over. A prequel to his epic Roma Sub Rosa series, The Seven Wonders follows series star Gordianus the Finder as an 18-year-old traveling the Mediterranean to witness the wonders of that fabled age. At each stop, the young investigator finds a beguiling mystery that pushes his powers of deduction to the limit.
-
-
Interesting History, Not much of a story
- By Mark on 08-10-12
By: Steven Saylor
-
The Ides of April
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Lucy Brown
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina. From her mother, she learned how to blend in at all levels of society; from her father, she learned the tricks of their mutual professional trade. But her wits and (frequently) sharp tongue are hers alone. Now, working as a private informer in Rome during the reign of Domitian, Flavia has taken over her father’s old ramshackle digs at Fountain Court in the Surbura district, where she plies her trade with energy, determination, and the usual Falco luck.
-
-
Prefer dead old dad
- By readqueen on 10-09-13
By: Lindsey Davis
What listeners say about SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 06-25-21
great narration
Very well done. I'd listen to anything by this narrator. He really pulls you in.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dottie Jenkins
- 01-08-23
love it
loved the storyline. great history lessons included
places and lots of real persons included
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shannon S.
- 07-09-15
This is one of my favorites of the series
This is an awesome book set in campania. I love the characters and the humor. The narration is superb
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Peter W. Kalnin
- 07-16-24
The Best of the SPQR Series
An excellent mystery that unfolds in an enticing manner. I recommend this book even if you have not read earlier installments.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- "billsmith1234"
- 08-08-16
fantastic
another really enjoyable tale. not as much fighting action in this one but still engaging and a captivating read. solid ending as always!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bryan E. Canter
- 09-24-15
More Confusing Than the Rest
This book was more convoluted and complicated than the rest in the series. Still good info on Rome and its surrounding provinces. But the legal mystery was a bit confusing to follow. The narration was superb as usual.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- gwendolen
- 03-16-17
Great listen
Full of twists and turns. Ending not obvious. As always wonderfully evocative of Ancient Rome.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Robert J. Pansegrau
- 11-02-22
Fun, Short Mystery for Ancient Roman History Buffs
I have read a lot of history and biographies about Ancient Rome. And as a result I like this mystery genre. The book is well written with lists of little historical factoids to pique my interest. The plot is well made and it comes to a satisfying conclusion.
And of course, John Lee as narrator cannot be surpasses.
So I highly recommend this book - my first in the series, although I did not feel I had missed anything by not starting with the first volume in the series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!