A children's mystery set in acnient Rome, as Flavia investigates the killing of her neighbour's dog, involving her slave, Nubia, her neighbour, Jonathan and a beggar-boy called Lupus. Written in a crisp, clear style that makes the period live in a solid, matter-of-fact way, and the characters of the four friends and their parents and servants and others are all well-drawn and the plot has twists and turns and enough to keep the pages turning fast.