Finished Business, A Marcus Corvinus Mystery by David Wishart (historical mystery 2014)

While I enjoy the various characters, the city, and the political intrigue, Wishart almost ruins the whole thing with too many dumb jokes.  The plot is rather byzantine (if you'll forgive me) in this mystery and Gaius (Caligula) even makes a personal appearance. A reader would have to be very very familiar with Julio Claudian bloodlines and contemporary politics to get some of the clues to the murder mystery, but it was an exciting read.