Dear Reader,

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading The Return. The inspiration for this novel was an anecdote in Cicero’s treatise Brutus about the murder of several men in the forest of Sila, and the trial which eventually ended in the acquittal of the defendants. Cicero discusses the tactics of the orators speaking for the defence, but he does not say if the accused were innocent.

Calabria was a wild and dangerous region in antiquity. Roman law frequently did not reach into the depths of the Sila. Calabria was a strange place, where anything could happen. It was also the setting for one of the most chilling ghost stories in classical literature: the Hero of Temesa, told by Pausanias. That was another reason for my choice of this wonderfully atmospheric location.

Readers of my previous novels will know that I like to explore important themes of Roman history in my fiction. These themes were important then, and they remain so today. The Romans are always ‘good to think with’ about both the past and the present. The Return investigates Roman imperialism; its causes and effects, as well as its ancient justifications and critiques. It may be a surprise that at times the Romans could voice severe criticisms of their own rise to empire and deplore the effects on themselves.

The Return marks something of a departure for my novels. Although I have flirted with the genre before (in The Wolves of the North), this is my first murder mystery. I aim to bring the dark, brooding menace of the best Scandi and Italian Noir to the past, while not stinting on the military action of the historical novel. The reader is posed several interlocking questions. Who or what is behind the killings? What terrible event in the war changed Paullus? What happened in ‘the last house in Corinth’?

I have never had more fun researching and writing a novel than with The Return, and I very much hope that you enjoyed the story. Please tell your friends about the novel and discuss it on social media. Finally, do find me on Facebook or my website www.harrysidebottom.co.uk. I would love to know what you think of The Return.

 

Best wishes

 

Harry Sidebottom