Despite the opulence of the evening’s banquet, Libertus is eager to return to his warm bed. But this feast has a finale to put any diner off his dessert—the guest of honor has been found murdered in the vomitorium. To Libertus’ horror, his patron, Marcus Septimus, is arrested. As the banquet’s host, Marcus had the opportunity; he also has more reason than most to want Gaius Praxus dead. Until a new governor is appointed, Marcus and Praxus have been sharing power in the province, and Praxus has made unwelcome advances towards Marcus’ beautiful wife. It’s up to Libertus to prove his patron’s innocence and find the real culprit. But Libertus soon realizes he’s in danger himself…and this time there’s no one to help.