The Grain Merchant: An Argolicus Mystery

Zara Altair

May 2021 · Fervent Crux Press

About this ebook

Civil unrest and murder. Can a Roman patrician quell unrest and find a killer before politicians knife him in the back?

Italy, 512 C.E. Argolicus would rather bury his nose in a book. But, when he leaves his peaceful country villa to open his long-shuttered town home he dies into town politics and meets a potential bride.  He refuses to stand by when her family’s livelihood is threatened and her merchant father slain.

With the grain supply dwindling and Argolicus fighting incompetent officials, he uncovers a list of high-placed suspects and attracts the attention of a shadowy rival bent on his destruction. And as the citizenry grows increasingly desperate to put food on their plates, he’ll have to risk his reputation and life to hunt down the killer before violence erupts.

Can Argolicus find a hidden killer before he takes a knife in his back?

The Grain Merchant is the engaging fifth book in the Argolicus Mysteries historical mystery series. Fans of Ruth Downie, Steven Saylor, and Lindsey Davis, jump forward in time to meet your new detective. If you like intelligent heroes, picturesque Italian settings, and immersive ancient worlds, then you’ll love Zara Altair’s engrossing mystery.

Buy The Grain Merchant to explore the streets of antiquity today!

5 Stars

Complicated strands coming together into a final solution that is ingenious and satisfying.

Ratings and reviews

Gaius Vitellius Argolicus has returned to live in Squillace where he discovers that the town and its people are suffering from a grain shortage. As he starts to investigate why, he is drawn into investigating a murder. Is this a coincidence or are there different motives for each occurrence. An entertaining well-written historical mystery with its likeable characters. Which can easily be read as a standalone story.

About the author

Zara Altair writes traditional mysteries set in ancient Ostrogoth Italy. The Argolicus Mysteries is an ongoing series: The Roman Heir, The Used Virgin, The Vellum Scribe, The Peach Widow. 

A mystery fan and history buff since childhood, she fell in love with Italy in one brief visit and keeps returning. She lives near Portland, Oregon.