Order of Book Series
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SPQR Books in Order

SPQR by John Maddox Roberts contains 13 books, published between 1990 and 2010. The first book is The King's Gambit (1990) and the newest is The Year of Confusion (2010). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
13
Published
1990–2010
Confirmed
13 of 13 titles
Pages on record
3,116 in 12 of 13 books
Reading time
52–78 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,116 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 13 titles with a page count on record.

See all 13 books in order Printable SPQR checklist

SPQR is John Maddox Roberts's historical mystery series set in Rome, with Decius Caecilius Metellus among the recorded characters. The 13 books appeared from 1990 to 2010, starting with The King's Gambit (1990). The Catiline Conspiracy (1991), The Temple of the Muses (1992), Saturnalia (1994) and Nobody Loves a Centurion (1995) are among the entries. The Year of Confusion (2010) is the last. Subjects include private investigators and murder.

How many SPQR books are there?

SPQR has 13 books, released between 1990 and 2010.

SPQR Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 13 SPQR books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts, book 1 of the SPQR series (1990)
  2. Cover of The Catiline Conspiracy by John Maddox Roberts, book 2 of the SPQR series (1991)
  3. Cover of The Sacrilege by John Maddox Roberts, book 3 of the SPQR series (1992)
  4. Cover of The Temple of the Muses by John Maddox Roberts, book 4 of the SPQR series (1992)
  5. Cover of Saturnalia by John Maddox Roberts, book 5 of the SPQR series (1994)
  6. Cover of Nobody Loves a Centurion by John Maddox Roberts, book 6 of the SPQR series (1995)
  7. Cover of The Tribune's Curse by John Maddox Roberts, book 7 of the SPQR series (1996)
  8. Cover of The River God's Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts, book 8 of the SPQR series (1997)
  9. Cover of The Princess and the Pirates by John Maddox Roberts, book 9 of the SPQR series (2000)
  10. Cover of A Point of Law by John Maddox Roberts, book 10 of the SPQR series (2001)
  11. Cover of Under Vesuvius by John Maddox Roberts, book 11 of the SPQR series (2001)
  12. Cover of Oracle of the Dead by John Maddox Roberts, book 12 of the SPQR series (2005)
  13. Cover of The Year of Confusion by John Maddox Roberts, book 13 of the SPQR series (2010)
  1. 1
    The King's Gambit1990 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1990274
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Catiline Conspiracy1991 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1991288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Sacrilege1992 · 245 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992245
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Temple of the Muses1992 · 231 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992231
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Saturnalia1994 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Nobody Loves a Centurion1995 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1995288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Tribune's Curse1996 · confirmed 3/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The River God's Vengeance1997 · 304 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1997304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Princess and the Pirates2000 · 208 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    A Point of Law2001 · 272 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Under Vesuvius2001 · 211 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001211
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Oracle of the Dead2005 · 230 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2005230
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Year of Confusion2010 · 277 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2010277
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for SPQR?

No separate chronological order is on record for SPQR, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read SPQR books in order?

You should read the SPQR books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each SPQR book also stands alone.

Where to start with SPQR

Start with The King's Gambit (1990), the earliest published title.

What is the newest SPQR book?

The Year of Confusion (2010) is the newest SPQR book released so far.

Is there a new SPQR book coming?

No next SPQR book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

SPQR at a glance

No recent titles
The newest SPQR title on record dates from 2010, 16 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
SPQR books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
3,116 pages across the 12 of 13 books with a recorded length, a median of 273 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most SPQR books, 8 of 13, were published in the 1990s.

What the SPQR books are about

All 13 SPQR books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: private investigators is tagged on 11 of 13. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by John Maddox Roberts

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.