The Counterfeit Coin, by Joanne Hillman

I downloaded this book for my bookclub and had no clue what to expect. I’m glad I did! The book is about a story of a slave that follows the life of his master, Agrippa. Through the turbulent times of the Roman Empire, Blastus finds a wife, becomes a father, gains his freedom, and stands next to his friend, Agrippa, with honor.

Without giving too much of the story away, what I liked about this book was the descriptive passages about the everyday life of the common Roman citizen and the depiction of just how unstable life was at any level. There is a religious message to the story, as if follows the history of Jesus’s crucifixion, but the main characters suffer other hardships that parallel this event. The Counterfeit Coin is an engaging story about Rome, ancient history and human nature.