Lawless Republic

“Mr. Osgood writes with such a sure hand, and has such a deft command of historical facts, as to make each stage of Rome’s growing disorder seem plausible, lamentable and disturbingly familiar.”

“Osgood is a shrewd judge of sometimes deliberately deceptive evidence…Cicero’s legal lessons, described by Osgood in appropriately punchy style, remain worth studying.”

“Recounts several of Cicero’s trials… with quiet authority and impressive lucidity.”

“A compelling and fascinating account of Cicero’s role in the Republic’s collapse and its lessons for our times.” 

“Lawless Republic forms a perfect companion to Uncommon Wrath, equally well-researched, equally engagingly written, equally gripping not least because some of its characters and rhetoric currently appear virtually unchanged in the news stories of 21st century America.”

“Jam-packed with violence, death and sensational high-society crimes, this book is a true-crime page-turner, as well as being a highly readable account of the last years of the republic.”

“Richly detailed…the best life of Cicero to have come along in a long while.”

“A welcome contribution to the study of Roman law and Cicero.”

“A wonderful and insightful account of Cicero's career in the courts, which at the same time is highly revealing about the breakdown of Rome's Republican system.  Highly recommended.”

“Lawless Republic reads like a novel, but it is written with the learning and skill of a scholar. Rarely have the life and times of Cicero been told with greater verve. Classicist and historian Josiah Osgood is at the height of his powers.”

“This is a book that matters about a a man who matters. Vivid, visceral and crucial read for our times.”

“The last bloody decades of the Roman Republic offer a veritable catalogue of crime. Josiah Osgood examines this rich material with the insight of a skilled historian and the keen scrutiny of a true crime detective. Even Cicero does not emerge unscathed. The result is a fresh look at one of history’s most compelling eras, more relevant to Americans today than ever before.”

“Josiah Osgood draws us deep into Cicero's methods and psyche as he rose to some of the greatest challenges a lawyer has ever faced. A razor-sharp analysis of the most fraught yet fascinating time in Rome's history.”