''Lustrum'' (US: ''Conspirata''; 2009) is a historical novel by British author Robert Harris. It is the sequel to ''

Imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

'' and the middle volume of a trilogy about the life of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

(106–43 BC). For its 2010 release in the United States and Italy, it was retitled ''Conspirata''. The book continues in the format of the first novel, with the story told in the first-person from the point of view of Cicero's secretary

Tiro Marcus Tullius Tiro (died 4 BC) was first a slave, then a freedman, of Cicero from whom he received his nomen and praenomen. He is frequently mentioned in Cicero's letters. After Cicero's death Tiro published his former master's collected w ...

. It follows on immediately from ''Imperium'', starting with the beginning of Cicero's consulship and ending with his exile as a result of the enmity of Clodius. The novel was shortlisted for the 2010 Walter Scott Prize."Booker rivals clash again on Walter Scott prize shortlist"
''The Guardian'', 2 Apr 2010 It and the other novels in the trilogy were also adapted for the stage in 2017 by Mike Poulton.

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* 2009 British novels Cultural depictions of Cicero British historical novels Novels by Robert Harris Novels set in ancient Rome Hutchinson (publisher) books Novels set in the 1st century BC British novels adapted into plays Cultural depictions of Catiline Cultural depictions of Pompeia (wife of Caesar) {{2000s-AncientRome-novel-stub