The Lydian Baker (Marcus Corvinus Mystery) - Tapa blanda

'innate humour and pace' Irish Times 'A taut thriller in which ancient Rome springs to life' The Times 'There's lots of action and a nice plot, full of suspense, to keep you going' Sunday Telegraph 'Witty, engrossing and ribald ... it misses nothing in its evocation of a bygone time and place' Independent on Sunday 'I'll certainly be chasing up the previous Marcus Corvinus novels ... These are unusual detective tales' Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph (Jan 99) 'Wishart has woven a fascinating and complicated tale of treason, political intrigue and murder ... [ Corvinus'] dangerous adventure makes for a hugely entertaining read' Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph on SEJANUS (Jan 99) 'it is evident that Wishart is a fine scholar and perfectly at home in the period' Donna Leon, Sunday Times on SEJANUS (Sept 98) David Wishart wields an entertaining stylus . . . a terrific book to hole up with for the holidays * Scotland on Sunday * A taut thriller in which ancient Rome springs to life * The Times * 'A classical crime caper out of the top drawer.' Steve Craggs, Northern Echo on THE LYDIAN BAKER (Oct 98) Praise for David Wishart's previous books: Praise for David Wishart: 'Witty, engrossing and ribald ... it misses nothing in its evocation of a bygone time and place' * Independent on Sunday *

In voluntary exile in Athens, Marcus Corvinus receives a letter from his antiquarian stepfather Priscus, who has learned that the 41/2 ft solid gold statue of a female baker, one of a large number of valuable gifts to the Delphic Oracle by the 6th century BC King Croesus of Lydia, has reappeared and is being offered for sale in Athens on the black market. Corvinus agrees to be his agent and to try and buy it. But, as a result, he finds himself caught up in the world of organised crime, as well as in a deadly struggle of interests with other, less scrupulous, collectors.