Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blood Debts | 2017 | Ashley Gardner | Buy |
| 2 | Blood of a Gladiator | 2020 | Ashley Gardner | Buy |
| 3 | A Gladiator’s Tale | 2021 | Ashley Gardner | Buy |
| 4 | The Ring that Caesar Wore | 2023 | Ashley Gardner | Buy |
| 5 | Saturnalian Gifts: A Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries Novella | 2025 | Ashley Gardner | Buy |
The Leonidas the Gladiator Mystery series by Ashley Gardner takes a sharp turn from her Regency-era work, dropping readers into ancient Rome. Leonidas is a freed gladiator whose fighting skills are matched by a sharp mind, and he finds himself drawn into criminal investigations that the authorities either cannot or will not solve. Blood Debts (2017) introduces the character and the setting, and the series has grown to five entries through 2025, including the novella Saturnalian Gifts.
Gardner brings the same research-driven approach to Rome that she applies to Regency London. The politics of the arena, the rigid social hierarchy, and the precarious position of freedmen all play into the mysteries. Readers looking for historical mysteries outside the usual Victorian or Regency settings will find something different here.