Food for the fishes

When Licinius Murena, wealthy fish-farm owner, is found dead, drowned in one of his eel tanks, not many tears are shed. Certainly not by Trebbio, who had just been booted out of his cottage by the landowner, and was heard drunkenly bad-mouthing him in public the day before Murena's death. Nor by his widow, a little stunner half Murena's age, who allegedly spent an inordinate amount of time "under the doctor." Nor by his daughter nor his farm manager. With friends like these, who needs enemies? Marcus Corvinus is the man to find out. With the help, of course, of his clever wife, Perilla--if she can spare the time from her newly acquired passion for gambling. As we follow the Byzantine thought-processes by which our hero solves the crime, we are entertained with enriching accounts of pisciculture and "Twelve Lines," the Roman precursor to backgammon.