[1][2] Set in March and April AD 89, in the Aventine Hill area of Ancient Rome, the novel stars Flavia Albia, the British-born adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco (the hero of the author's 20-volume Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series, published from 1989 to 2010).

[4] Falco and his partner Helena are included in the "Cast list" in the book, and Flavia Albia describes them and their household and visits them during the course of the story, but they do not appear directly in the text.

In Enemies at Home, it is revealed that the Didii bought over the Fountain Court block, possibly from Smaractus, Falco's former landlord.

The Irish Times reviewer wrote: "Irreverent, resourceful and hard-boiled in her patter, Flavia is a heroine to rival her contemporary counterparts VI Warshawski and Kinsey Milhone.

"[5] Tom Holland reviewed the book for The Guardian[6] and ended:"If you want to see the worst manners, filthiest motives and saddest ethics," [Albia] says of her own line of work, "this is the profession."