The Recommended Reading Order
The best way to read the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger series is in publication order. While each novel presents a self-contained mystery that is resolved by the final page, the overarching character dynamics, political developments under the tense reign of Emperor Domitian, and the evolving relationship between Pliny and his slave Aurora build sequentially from book to book.
Reading the books in order allows you to experience the gradual shift in Rome's political climate, Pliny's rising legal career, and the recurring appearances of historical figures like Luke the Physician and the malicious advocate Regulus.
Notebooks of Pliny the Younger Books in Order
Here is the complete list of books in the series in their recommended reading order:
- All Roads Lead to Murder (2002): Set in Smyrna, Pliny the Younger, his friend Tacitus, and Luke the Physician investigate the murder of a deeply disliked Roman citizen whose heart was literally carved out.
- The Blood of Caesar (2008): Back in Rome, Emperor Domitian orders Pliny and Tacitus to investigate a mysterious death recorded in the imperial archives, which soon uncovers a conspiracy tied to the descendants of Emperor Augustus.
- The Corpus Conundrum (2011): While hunting on his country estate, Pliny stumbles upon a corpse. The investigation forces him and Tacitus to navigate local superstitions and dark family secrets.
- Death in the Ashes (2013): Pliny travels to Naples to defend a friend accused of murdering a servant, a trip that forces him to confront painful memories of the Mount Vesuvius eruption years prior.
- The Eyes of Aurora (2014): Pliny's slave and forbidden love, Aurora, tries to help a woman locate her missing husband, leading to a murder investigation that brings Pliny into direct conflict with his rival, Marcus Regulus.
- Fortune's Fool (2017): During a retreat to his villa on Lake Como, the discovery of a skeleton hidden within a wall pulls Pliny into a long-buried mystery surrounding his own family.
- The Gods Help Those (2018): When a building Pliny invested in on the Tiber collapses during heavy rains, it reveals a body that was hidden before the collapse, sparking a new murder inquiry.
- Hiding from the Past (2020): Set in 87 C.E., Pliny travels to Gaul to join Tacitus. An ambush by a local chieftain's son forces Pliny to look back at a decade-old murder mystery.
Chronological Timeline and Historical Caveats
Albert A. Bell Jr., a former history professor, sets the series in the late first century C.E., primarily during the reign of the paranoid Emperor Domitian (who ruled from 81 to 96 C.E.). The series timeline progresses chronologically, starting around 82 C.E. in All Roads Lead to Murder and reaching 87 C.E. by the events of Hiding from the Past.
However, readers should keep in mind a few historical flashbacks and timeline details. For instance, Death in the Ashes deals heavily with the psychological aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., where Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, perished. Additionally, Hiding from the Past features flashbacks to Pliny's younger years in Gaul, resolving an old mystery that predates the first book. Because these flashbacks rely on your familiarity with the characters, sticking to the publication order remains the most satisfying option.
What to Know Before You Start
The series is heavily grounded in the real letters of Pliny the Younger, which are some of the most detailed surviving primary sources on Roman daily life, legal practices, and the Vesuvius disaster. Bell uses these letters to paint a highly authentic picture of Rome, highlighting details such as the busy Roman forums, public latrines, class divides, and legal trials.
The dynamic between Pliny and Tacitus mirrors a classic Holmes-and-Watson partnership. Pliny is analytical, cautious, and legally minded, while Tacitus is skeptical, pragmatic, and historically observant. Another major thread throughout the series is Pliny's forbidden affection for Aurora, a slave of Germanic origin, which provides an emotional center and highlights the complex social hierarchies of the Roman Empire.