The Price of Freedom by Rosemary Rowe

The Price of Freedom featuring Libertus, a freedman mosaicist, is book 17 in the popular series Libertus Mystery in Roman Britain. The author has done a wonderful job keeping her series fresh and fun, with lots of local color and Roman history for amateur historians, along with red-herrings, a complex mystery, and suspects galore for mystery fans.

Libertus narrates the story in first person, as if it were a chronicle of his adventure written soon after its conclusion. He has a dry wit, and is a personable narrator, a Celtic familyman-business owner who gets roped into problem-solving for his former master. The life of slaves in Roman Britain is portrayed in all its horrible variety, and features especially strongly in this book.

While it is fun to read all the books in the series in order, to visit periodically with “old friends”, the author does well at bringing new readers up to speed with Libertus's life to date, quickly and painlessly. The dialogue heavy style keeps the story active and moving forward quickly. However, the history woven into the tale can slow it down a bit. But those bits are beloved by die-hard fans of fiction set in ancient Rome's empire.

I found it entertaining to travel alongside Libertus through Roman Britain, encountering realistic characters and believable adventures. The author uses the story to point out the parallels between the past and today, since the one constant over time is human nature, in all its violence, fanaticism, patriarchies, and barbarism. Those darker elements have, rightfully, always been a part of Libertus's tales, since the Roman Empire was a very violent, brutal place with lots of institutionalized sadism.

There are many characters in the novel, which usually isn't a problem for me, and is how a novel should be, but for whatever reason this time I had difficulty keeping people clear. The ending was rather quick; I would have like a little for strands of the story tied up with Libertus's hindsight. But I'm not really complaining since this was a very entertaining read! I look forward to spending time with Libertus again in his next book, perhaps with more of his family in that one.

The books in the Libertus Series to date:

1. The Germanicus Mosaic
2. A Pattern of Blood
3. Murder in the Forum
4. The Chariots of Calyx
5. The Legatus Mystery 
6. The Ghosts of Glevum 
7. Enemies of the Empire
8. A Roman Ransom
9. A Coin for the Ferryman
10. Death at Pompeia's Wedding
11. Requiem for a Slave
12. The Vestal Vanishes
13. A Whispering of Spies
14. Dark Omens
15. The Fateful Day (reviewed on this site)
16. The Ides of June (reviewed on this site)
17. The Price of Freedom

From the book's description:

The death of a local tax-collector spells trouble for Libertus in this compelling historical mystery.

Having been inveigled into standing for the local curia, responsible for the submission of all local tax, Libertus discovers that any shortfall must be made good by the councillors themselves. So when news arrives that a tax-collector from a nearby outpost has committed suicide, having gambled everything away, Libertus is despatched to make enquiries, in the hope of recovering at least some of the missing revenue. He has also been asked to attend a wedding, in place of his patron, who is expecting a visit from an Imperial Legate.

But the assignment which should have seen Libertus for once treated as an honoured guest begins to take grisly and unexpected turns. As he pieces together the unlikely truth, Libertus finds himself in mortal danger. Freedom, in all forms, is only relative ? but there is a high price for it, sometimes paid in blood?

Here is a direct link to the book at Amazon.com:

The Ides of June (Libertus Mystery) by Rosemary Rowe

This is the latest book in the long-running Libertus Mystery Series set in ancient Roman Britain (the year 193), featuring freedman mosaicist Libertus, who solves mysteries for his patron Marcus.  The book is rich with Celtic and Roman customs and facts about the times, which makes the story slow-moving but perfect for readers who love to learn along with their reading.

Libertus is called upon to help keep his patron's family safe while on the road, so we get a first-hand, close-up look at what it was like to travel within Roman Britain.  The author is honest, too, in showing how women and slaves did not fare well in the paternalistic, violent and slave-owning society.  We also see how life in Roman Britain varied for the natives from the life of the Roman imports.

The books in the Libertus Series to date:

1. The Germanicus Mosaic
2. A Pattern of Blood
3. Murder in the Forum
4. The Chariots of Calyx
5. The Legatus Mystery 
6. The Ghosts of Glevum 
7. Enemies of the Empire
8. A Roman Ransom
9. A Coin for the Ferryman
10. Death at Pompeia's Wedding
11. Requiem for a Slave
12. The Vestal Vanishes
13. A Whispering of Spies
14. Dark Omens
15. The Fateful Day (reviewed on this site)
16. The Ides of June
17. The Price of Freedom (reviewed on this site)

Libertus is sixty years old in this book, and the story picks up one month from the end of the previous book, The Fateful Day.  Because some of the previous events from the series are mentioned in the subsequent books, I would suggest reading them in order to avoid spoilers.

The dialog can seem stilted, even Shakespearean, at times, but that is because the author writes a first-person narrative from Libertus's point of view, and tries to convey the era and the character of the man through the language.

There are even Latin words in the story to remind the reader that Libertus is "writing" his account in that language.  All the Latin is explained for the reader.  The events surrounding the story at the Empire level are explained, too, within the story and in a Foreward.  Know that Libertus is a slave-owner, Celtic, married, with a growing family, and he manages, as always, to better his position in life by the end of the story.

From the book's description:

A compelling new mystery for Libertus, set against the backdrop of the Roman Empire in turmoil . . .

An astonishing new order has usurped power in Rome and the reverberations are reaching even to Glevum, where the legion is preparing to depart.  Libertus’s wealthy patron, until recently one of the most influential men in the Empire, finds himself not only deprived of the privilege and protection he had previously enjoyed, but under actual threat both from the political establishment in Rome and from an anonymous and vindictive enemy much closer to home.

The murder of another councillor, similarly placed, makes the matter urgent.  Libertus, whose humbler status affords obscurity, is charged with spiriting Marcus’s young family away to a place of safety.  But his task will bring problems of its own, as Libertus uncovers a grisly secret and an ancient crime – with ramifications stretching to the present day.

Here is a direct link to the book at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's website.

Shroud for the Archbishop (Sister Fidelma Series) by Peter Tremayne

Shroud for the Archbishop is book two in the Sister Fidelma historical traditional-mystery series set in Europe's Middle Ages (circa 660-670).  Most of the stories take place in Ireland and England, but this second book in the series brings Sister Fidelma, an Irish investigating-judge and religious woman, to Rome. 

Fidelma comes to medieval Rome not as a pilgrim, which was the main source of Rome's wealth at the time and for many centuries to come, but to receive a papal blessing for her Irish religious order of St. Bridgid.  Also in Rome is her friend and fellow mystery solver Brother Eadulf, a Saxon religious man, and secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect.

I review on this site a book called Pagan and Christian Rome.  Much of what is described in that book as life in Medieval Rome, is shown in Shroud for the Archbishop.  So if you are a Roman history buff, and you like traditional mysteries (Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh...), then this book will fascinate you.  The author is knowledgeable and likes to share that knowledge. 

The mystery aspect is methodically developed, with all the usual steps:  introduction to scene, introduction to characters and possible suspects, a crime occurs, our protagonist is drafted in to investigate, the body is viewed, suspects are questioned, theories are formed and reformed, events progress often involving more murders and crimes, and finally our detective rounds up everyone and explains everything and exposes the murderer and the convoluted plot. 

That the two main characters are members of religious orders should ring true to those who know their history.  For intelligent, ambitious people in the Middle Ages, the church was the only real avenue for advancement and education.  Religious institutions did not require their members to be celibate, only to be believers and to pray and to contribute to the community, or more accurately, to the commune.  That is how Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf can marry in the course of the series and have a child together.

What sort of woman is Fidelma?  Well, let me start by saying she is difficult to like.  She is a 30-something intellectual who is out of touch with her own emotions.  She is prickly, proud, blunt to the point of rudeness, impatient, and vain about her own cleverness.

Her sidekick for most of her investigations is Eadulf, a 30-something, widely educated man whose greatest quality is his ability to put up with Fidelma.  He protects her from harm and acts as her sounding board.  He provides medical knowledge from time to time. 

If this description of Eadulf brings to mind Sherlock Holmes's Dr. Watson, then you get the point.  Except in this incarnation of Holmes and Watson, the two eventually get married and have a family! 

The author is not the smoothest at conveying romantic attraction, and often his two characters seem like sexually and emotionally stunted adults.  They are overly rational, so perhaps that is part of the problem.  Here is Fidelma rationalizing her attraction to Eadulf:

In spite of their differences in attitudes, Fidelma had to admit that she felt some comfort in being with Eadulf.  She could tease him on their contrasting opinions and he would always rise good-naturedly to the bait but there was no enmity between them.

Celtic history comes to the fore in all the books, since Fidelma is an Irish Celt.  Catholic religious debates are shared with the reader too, debates that often tread the same ground as today's religious debates, such as the celibacy of members of religious orders, acceptable sexual mores, and the role of women within the Church.

Shroud for the Archbishop allows the reader to tour Medieval Rome with Fidelma, Eadulf and the others.  See the Lateran Palace, a Christian cemetery and catacomb, the Basilica of St. John of Lateran, the streets, alleys and avenues of Rome, the Tiber.  Meet the pope, bishops, monks, nuns, papal guards, innkeepers, beggars and more of Rome's residents.

The writing style is workable, if stilted and at times repetitive, but that does not detract from what this is, a historical traditional mystery, full of history for buffs, and a twisted plot for mystery fans.  The author uses third-person limited narration letting us into Fidelma's mind, and at times other characters' minds. 

Do not confuse the Sister Fidelma books (25 to date, see list below) with the cute-cozies that are popular today.  Fidelma's story is for mystery traditionalists who know more than a bit about Europe's Middle Ages, and are looking for a work of fiction to bring that time to life.

 

Books in the Sister Fidelma Celtic Mystery Series:

1. Absolution By Murder
2. Shroud for the Archbishop
3. Suffer Little Children
4. The Subtle Serpent
5. The Spider's Web
6. Valley of the Shadow
7. The Monk Who Vanished
8. Act of Mercy
9. Our Lady of Darkness
10. Hemlock At Vespers (short stories)
11. Smoke in the Wind
12. The Haunted Abbot
13. Badger's Moon
14. Whispers of the Dead (short stories)
15. The Leper's Bell
16. Master of Souls
17. A Prayer for the Damned
18. Dancing with Demons
19. Council of the Cursed
20. The Dove of Death
21. The Chalice of Blood
22. Behold A Pale Horse
23. The Seventh Trumpet
24. Atonement Of Blood
25. The Devil's Seal

From the description of Shroud for an Archbishop:

Wighard, archbishop designate of Canterbury, has been discovered garrotted in his chambers in the Lateran Palace in Rome in the autumn of AD 664.  The solution to this terrible crime appears simple as the palace guards have arrested Brother Ronan Ragallach, as he fled from Wighard's chamber.  Although the Irish monk denies responsibility, Bishop Gelasius is convinced the crime is political and that Wighard was slain in pique at the triumph of the pro-Roman Anglo-Saxon clergy in their debate with the pro-Columba Irish clergy at Whitby. 

There is also a matter of missing treasure:  the goodwill gifts Wighad had brought with him to Rome and the priceless chalices sent for the Holy Father Vitalian's blessings have all been stolen.  Bishop Gelasius realises that Wighard's murder could lead to war between the Saxon and Irish kingdoms if Ronan is accused without independent evidence.  So he invites Sister Fidelma of Kildare and Brother Eadulf to investigate.  But more deaths must follow before Fidelma is finally able to put together the strange jigsaw in this tale of evil and vengeance.

The first book in the series is Absolution by Murder:

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom.  At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy's decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms.  When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction. 

In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer.  But as further murders occur and a treasonous plot against Oswy matures, Fidelma and Eadulf soon find themselves running out of time.

Here are direct links to the first two book in the Sister Fidelma series at Amazon.com, where many of the books in the series are available for 1-cent (plus shipping) as second-hand mass-market paperbacks:

Please visit the International Sister Fidelma Website for everything you could possible wish to know about the series, author, era and Fidelma herself.

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

The Fateful Day (Libertus Mystery) by Rosemary Rowe

The Fateful Day is in the Libertus Mystery Series set in Ancient Roman Britain.  The book (and series) is narrated in the first-person by Libertus, a freed slave who runs a mosaic workshop.  Libertus seems to be writing his memoirs one month after the events, as we learn later.  He records momentous events with asides explaining how he had no idea how important an event would be until much later in time. 

Libertus struggles along, attempting to deal with a huge disaster at his former owner's country estate, and at the same time run his own business.  Unwittingly, Libertus gets caught up in the political events of his time.  The story moves along at a steady pace, with Libertus carefully studying all the clues and interviewing all the suspects.  As a freed slave, he remains a "client" of his former owner, Marcus.  It is Marcus who sets Libertus on the road to his latest mystery, a rather gruesome one, to be honest.

Click on the cover of the first book in the series, The Germanicus Mosaic, to read about it at Amazon.com

The story is set in Roman colonized Britain, where Celtic traditions are a poor mix with Roman culture.  The speed with which Roman customs disappeared after Roman withdrawal from Britain attests to this.  Libertus is a Celt, so he lives in a roundhouse and has a Celtic wife, and abides by many Celtic traditions.  But he must abide by the Roman laws, which apply to him specifically as a Roman citizen.

The Fateful Day is book number fifteen in the Libertus series, so the protagonist is now old and gray.  He is also, oddly, a slave-owner.  One would think that having been a slave would make one less likely to want to subject another human being to the same indignity, but for Libertus that is not the case.  That is one of the reasons I don't like the main character much, I have to say.  I like my Ancient Roman protagonists to be more enlightened.



If you are unfamiliar with the history of Roman Britain, here is a fun four-minute summary:

 

Here are the books in the Libertus Series:

1. The Germanicus Mosaic
2. A Pattern of Blood 
3. Murder in the Forum 
4. The Chariots of Calyx 
5. The Legatus Mystery  
6. The Ghosts of Glevum  
7. Enemies of the Empire 
8. A Roman Ransom 
9. A Coin for the Ferryman 
10. Death at Pompeia's Wedding 
11. Requiem for a Slave 
12. The Vestal Vanishes 
13. A Whispering of Spies 
14. Dark Omens
15. The Fateful Day
16. The Ides of June (reviewed on this site)

A Pattern of Blood is the second book in the series.  Click on the image to visit the book's Amazon.com page.

The writing style is quite formal and the dialog is a bit wordy, presumably to mimic how a former slave, and old artisan would write his own diaries.  We are inside Libertus's head, and allowed to know his thoughts on all the events he describes.  If you have followed the series from the beginning, you will encounter most of the characters you know from previous books.

The author includes a Foreword that discusses the historical location and era, the year 192, and what in the story is based on history and what is invented.  Most authors put this at the end of the book to avoid spoilers.  My advice is to read the Foreword afterward.

Murder in the Forum is book three in the series.  Click on the cover image to visit the book's Amazon.com page.

Readers who enjoy historical novels will be pleased with all the details about life in ancient Roman Britain, on the Roman side and on the Celtic side.  When the tragedy touches Libertus personally, we learn much about funeral rituals in that era.  And there is not just one death; there are over a dozen!

Forever the small businessman, Libertus ends the book on a positive note, with a new commission for mosaic floors:

The fee will keep my little family for a year or more, so--...despite the troubles which rocked the Empire on that fateful day--I, as least, have some small cause to celebrate.

Book four in the series, The Chariots of Calyx.  Click on the image to visit the book's Amazon.com page.

From the description of The Fateful Day:

A compelling new mystery for Libertus, set against the backdrop of the Roman Empire in turmoil and fighting for its survival . . .

Libertus is passing the villa of his patron, Marcus Septimus Aurelius, when he sees an elaborate travelling carriage which has pulled up outside and is now blocking the road. Recognising that this may be an important visitor, Libertus approaches the carriage, intending to explain that Marcus is away, gone to Rome to visit his old friend Pertinax, who has recently been installed as Emperor. However, for his efforts, Libertus instead receives a torrent of abuse and the carriage-driver almost runs him down as he departs.

Libertus is badly shaken, but goes back to the villa the next day to find out why there was no gate-keeper in evidence to deal with the stranger. There he finds a gruesome discovery: the man is dead and hanging in his hut, and none of the other house-slaves are to be found. Worse things are to follow as news arrives from Rome which will turn the lives, not only of Libertus and his family, but the whole Empire upside down . . .

The series is published by Severn House Publishers.

Severn House publishes a wide range of quality fiction, ranging from Crime & Mystery to Romance, Historical and Thriller.

Direct link to the author's page at SHP

Here are links to the book at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's website.

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome by Anthony Everitt

Hadrian was the Emperor of Rome during the 2nd century A.D.  He stopped the Empire's expansion and secured the borders against marauding tribes.  His hand-picked successors, Antonius Pius and Marcus Aurelius, kept order and peace in the Empire, and were the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors.

The author has written other books dealing with Ancient Rome:

• The Rise of Rome, which describes the birth of Rome as a world power (reviewed on this site).
• Cicero, which traces the fall of the old, flawed Republic of Rome, and describes the life of Cicero.
• Augustus, which explores the subsequent establishment of rule by one man, Octavian/Augustus.

Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo is the tomb Hadrian had built for himself, on the pattern of the first Emperor Augustus's tomb, which was built following the pattern of Alexander the Great's tomb.  Hadrian had the bridge built to reach his tomb.

In Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome the author attempts to show that the Roman monarchy was combined, under Hadrian, with good governance.  The 400+ page book extends the story beyond Hadrian's reign to explain, briefly, how Antonius Pius and Marcus Aurelius fared as emperors.

As a young man, Hadrian was groomed to take over the throne on the death of Emperor Trajan.  Hadrian was forty years old when he finally inherited the throne.  The author describes Hadrian as:

"An indefatigable traveler, Hadrian spent as much time as possible on the road, inspecting everything and reforming everything."

As he traveled, "he commissioned theaters, temples, aqueducts, arches."

"The frontiers were secured, the army trained, the laws codified, infrastructure improved, the economy fostered."

A modern-day view of what remains of Hadrian's Wall built in England/Scotland to protect the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.

Hadrian was not all sweetness and light. 

He was a battle-hardened warrior who dealt with insurrection with an iron hand.  He expelled rebellious Jews from Judea and renamed the area Palestine.  His forces tracked down the last rebels at Masada, the hilltop that has come down to us today as signifying the horrific consequences that can come from cornering religious fanatics, a lesson many in law enforcement should study.

And Hadrian supported the disgusting displays of sadism in the arenas throughout the Empire.  As the author correctly points out "today we regard the arena as an inexplicable display of mass sadism", a sadism that is still, inexplicably, enjoyed in many parts of Spain.

And Hadrian indulged enthusiastically in the predatory homosexual behavior that his predecessor had enjoyed, to the point of pedophilia.  As an old man he took possession of a boy and kept him as his sex-toy until the boy became a young man, when the young man took his own life, most likely to escape a life of rape by the old Emperor.

And Hadrian's ambition led him to use everything and have sex with everything but the kitchen sink to gain the throne.

Here is a fascinating virtual simulation of Hadrian's villa at Tivoli near Rome.

Part of Hadrian's Tivoli Villa complex outside Rome, where Hadrian's sex-slave-child's body is buried.

The book includes a map of the Roman Empire at the time of Hadrian.  It is only slightly smaller than the widest reaches of the empire, which was under Trajan.  Hadrian gave up some of Trajan's conquered lands because they were too costly to defend.

Hadrian is an excuse for the author to explain much history from that era:

• Southern Spain, where Hadrian's family home was located
• Homosexual predation of children and sexual practices
• Educational system and upbringing
• Jews and Jerusalem
• Vespasian, Titus and Domitian's rule
• Life in Ancient Rome in general
• Trajan and his household, rule and wars
• Aristocratic marriage

Because the sources are few, there is much speculation and supposition by the author about Hadrian and his life.  If you are curious to read the original sources in translation, I provide some links below to free e-books of the classic texts.

 

Hadrian had Agrippa's Pantheon rebuilt.  It was so well rebuilt in concrete that it stands today in Rome, as one of the few Roman structures still intact in the old capital of the Empire.

From the book's description:

Born in A.D. 76, Hadrian lived through and ruled during a tempestuous era, a time when the Colosseum was opened to the public and Pompeii was buried under a mountain of lava and ash.  Acclaimed author Anthony Everitt vividly recounts Hadrian’s thrilling life, in which the emperor brings a century of disorder and costly warfare to a peaceful conclusion while demonstrating how a monarchy can be compatible with good governance.

What distinguished Hadrian’s rule, according to Everitt, were two insights that inevitably ensured the empire’s long and prosperous future:  He ended Rome’s territorial expansion, which had become strategically and economically untenable, by fortifying her boundaries (the many famed Walls of Hadrian), and he effectively “Hellenized” Rome by anointing Athens the empire’s cultural center, thereby making Greek learning and art vastly more prominent in Roman life.

By making splendid use of recently discovered archaeological materials and his own exhaustive research, Everitt sheds new light on one of the most important figures of the ancient world.

The arch of Hadrian and Constantine in Rome, next to the Colosseum

The book is published by Random House.

Direct link to the author's page at RH

Here is a direct link to Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome at Amazon.com:

Here are links to some of the other books by this author about Ancient Rome, and some other books about Hadrian:

Because the sources are few, there is much speculation and supposition by the author about Hadrian and his life.  If you are curious to read the original sources in translation, here is a link to Cassius Dio's history of Rome, translated into English and arranged in 6 volumes, for free in various e-book formats, from Project Gutenberg, the grand-daddy of free e-book sites on the Internet.

Direct link to the Cassius Dio page at PG

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

Danger in the Wind (Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery) by Jane Finnis

This mystery series, the Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery Series, is set circa 100 A.D. in Roman Britain.  The Emperor is Trajan.  The narrator of the series is Aurelia Marcella, an immigrant to Britain from Pompeii.  Her father, a former Centurion in the Imperial Army, brought the family to the York area of Britain, after their home was destroyed in the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. 

Here is what Aurelia's brother says about his twin sister:

Most women run from danger like mice from a cat.  You turn into a lion and take whatever comes.

Emperor Trajan circa 103 A.D.

The family runs a state-authorized hotel, a mansio.  Aurelia is Roman-educated, witty, clever, snarky at times, comfortably well-off, strong-minded, and values her independence.  She also embraces fully the sadistic Roman society's evils of slavery and capital punishment, and possibly more of Rome's nastiness. 

I like my Ancient Roman series protagonists to possess more compassion, so Aurelia is not my cup of tea.  That does not mean she won't be yours, or that the books are not well-written.  They are well-written, and well-edited (I noticed only a handful of typos).

There are four books in the Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery Series:

1. Shadows in the Night
2. A Bitter Chill
3. Buried Too Deep
4. Danger in the Wind

Plan and Elevation of a Roman Villa

I've read Danger in the Wind, which is the fourth book in the series.  The readers are brought quickly up to speed on what they need to know about the protagonist and the recurring characters.  Aurelia's family takes center stage:  her twin brother, their sister, a cousin, various partners.  And we meet the neighbors of the hotel, and the employees and slaves.

One oddity is how the author appears to equate the Ancient Romans in Britain to the British Raj period in India.  I recall the filming of the classic novel, The Eagle of the Ninth (reviewed on this site), the film entitled The Eagle, in which the director thought the Romans in Britain were more like the U.S. and her allies in Viet Nam.  I suspect the author of Danger in the Wind's interpretation is more accurate.

A Roman army fort in Britain, a setting in the book

The book starts out quickly with a murder, and another happens roughly halfway in the book, followed by...well, I'll leave that to you to find out.  Aurelia is drawn into the investigation, with the support of her "lover" Quintus, an Imperial Investigator.  The word "lover" is odd, and used by the narrator to describe her relationship with Quintus, because all the loving Quintus and Aurelia appear to do is kiss. 

Early on in the book, I suspected the author was aiming for a Young Adult level, by treating sex coyly.  But later in the book, affairs and abortion are discussed.  So I really can't say why the author is so shy about sex in the book, or if Aurelia and Quintus really are lovers, or if Aurelia's brother and his girlfriend are lovers.

There is lots of history in the book:  culinary, clothing, running of the empire, travel, communication, taxes, marriage, religion, medicine.  The relationship of the Romans to the indigenous Celts plays a large part in the book, too, with a potential rebellion in the background.

The book has a cozy (or cosy, since this is a British English author) feel to it:  lots of suspects, an amateur detective sleuthing and getting into a danger but discovering the solution to the mystery in the end.  The Ancient Roman settings makes it all a bit less cozy, with slavery, corporal punishment, misogyny, pedophilia, etc. etc.  I think it is an odd mix, but it is one that some people seem to enjoy.  I have reviewed many Roman Series here on this site that could be called "cozy"!

From the book's description:

A fine summer in 100 AD and good government under Trajan Caesar promise well for the Roman settlers in the frontier province of Britannia.

Aurelia Marcella runs a mansion on a busy road to York. June is always busy, but one day two unusual events occur: a soldier is murdered in his bed at the inn, and a letter arrives from Isurium, a small fort north of the city. It is from a cousin, Jovina, inviting Aurelia to a midsummer birthday party. But the missive also reads as a plea for help, referring to “danger in the wind.”

The murdered soldier also bore a message, locked in Aurelia’s strongbox, indicating violence would erupt at the very same fort on the day of the party.

At Isurium, Aurelia finds Jovina and her drunken husband and unruly children caught in a tangled web of greed, love, intrigue, and death. When violence engulfs the district, Aurelia suddenly finds herself in peril from enemies engaged in an anti- Roman plot and from family members bent on misguided or evil agendas of their own. This is the 4th in a series.

The Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery Series is published in the U.K. by Head of Zeus Publishing.  They offer the 4-book series as an e-book bundle.

Direct link to author's page at HoZ

The Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery Series is published in the U.S. by Poisoned Pen Press.

Direct link to the author's page at PPP

Here are direct links to all the books in the series at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's website.


Here is a stunning computer simulated tour of an Ancient Roman home:

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

Tabula Rasa by Ruth Downie

Tabula Rasa is billed as A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire.  It is the sixth book in the Medicus (ruso) Series, which is set in Ancient Roman Britain, and which features a Roman military doctor, Ruso, and his native-British wife, Tilla.

The books in the Medicus (Ruso) Series are:

1. Medicus (reviewed on this site)
2. Terra Incognita
3. Persona Non Grata
4. Caveat Emptor
5. Semper Fidelis
6. Tabula Rasa (reviewed on this site)
   
7. Vita Brevis (reviewed on this site)
8. Memento Mori (reviewed on this site)

Roman Centurion During the Building of Hadrian's Wall Detail of Mural of the History of Northumbria

Rich with historical and cultural details, the story in Tabula Rasa begins quickly and progresses at a steady pace, expertly presenting the players, their histories, and their present circumstances.  Ruso is stationed at a camp by a quarry that provides the stone for Hadrian's Wall.  Doctor (Medicus) Ruso is the medical officer who must treat the injured workmen, soldiers and various locals.

Emperor Hadrian's wall is being built on the new permanent northern border of the Roman Empire.  Consolidating the Empire's territory, giving up land that was too costly to control, and fortifying the borders against barbarian attacks was Hadrian's wisest policy.  But the seizing of land for the wall, eminent domain seizures, did not make any friends for the Romans among the locals. 

The third-person-limited narration puts us into the mind of one character per chapter, usually Ruso, sometimes Tilla, and sometimes other characters.  We meet Ruso first, and learn about his character and life, while he deals with a medical emergency that risks his own life. 

If you follow the series, which I highly recommend if you are interested in historical novels set in the Ancient Roman era, and which is why I requested a review copy of the book, you know that Ruso and Tilla's relationship often mirrors the relationship between the Roman colonizers and the native Britains.  The two cultures are very different, making peaceful relations difficult.

Tilla, Ruso's wife, gives us the wise-native perspective.  She's lived among Romans long enough to know their ways, but she does not wish to abandon her own, Celtic, ways.  The native way of thinking is one of the pleasures of the Medicus Series.  Here is an old Celt explaining to his family about Roman commerce versus Celtic self-sufficiency:

"The Romans have to use coins," he explained, "because they cannot feed themselves on what they grow."

Ruso has a difficult relationship with his wife's culture:

Despite trying to learn his wife's language, his energies had been concentrated not on understanding British habits but on weaning her away from them.  Recent attempts to mix with the natives had been like leaping into a vast pit of ignorance and finding it filled with many more ways of getting things wrong than most of his comrades could possibly imagine.

The mystery or crime aspect of this historical novel lingers in the background for the first quarter of the book, then picks up pace.  I always enjoy the hospital scenes the best; Ruso has to deal with the typical military bureaucracy and medical incompetence in scenes that ring true today as much as in the past.  I also enjoy the scenes with Ruso and Tilla interacting, which I would have liked more of in this book.

Here is a beautiful, stunning computerized recreation of the location for Tabula Rasa, two minutes long.

 

In Tabula Rasa, the author brings back recurring characters from the earlier books.  My favorite is Ruso's over-promoted, under-performing, marrying-for-advancement colleague and friend Valens.

Valens looked disappointed.  "I was hoping this might turn into one of your escapades.  Finding a body and going around accusing people of murdering it."

"I haven't found a body.  Nobody has."

Valens scrutinized him for a moment.  "Pity," he said.  "You've been so much more entertaining since you met Tilla and adopted the native tendency to overdramatize."

Two other construction projects of Hadrian's

At midpoint in the book, a darker story emerges when a child goes missing.  Tilla reflects darkly:

You brought a child into the world and you gave a hostage to the gods.

Tilla and Ruso find themselves in dangerous situations, apart from each other, as the book moves to the climax and conclusion.  There is a very satisfying ending, and an expert set-up for the next book.  The series featuring Roman Medicus Ruso and his Celtic wife Tilla is definitely set to continue.

The author is a skilled writer, at times poetic, at times funny, at times poignant.  The editing is expert, and the punctuation elegant.  The Medicus books are books to savor, not fast reads.  A reader can become immersed in the ancient lifestyle, bringing the past closer to the present, and reminding us that human nature is the greatest constant over the centuries.  That is generally what fans of historical novels look for, and with Tabula Rasa, as with all the Medicus books, the fans are never disappointed.

From the book's description, which gives far too much of the story away, so avoid reading it if you wish to avoid spoilers:

In the newest novel featuring Medicus Gaius Petreius Ruso, the Romans are building Hadrian’s Great Wall amid strife with the Britons, when first Ruso’s clerk and then a native boy disappear.

The medicus Ruso and his wife Tilla are back in the borderlands of Britannia, this time helping to tend the builders of Hadrian’s Great Wall. Having been forced to move off their land, the Britons are distinctly on edge and are still smarting from the failure of a recent rebellion that claimed many lives.

Then Ruso’s recently arrived clerk, Candidus, goes missing. A native boy thinks he sees a body being hidden inside the wall’s half-finished stonework, and a worrying rumor begins to spread. When the soldiers ransack the nearby farms looking for Candidus, Tilla’s tentative friendship with a local family turns to anger and disappointment. It’s clear that the sacred rites to bless her marriage to Ruso will have to wait. Tensions only increase when Branan, the family’s youngest son, also vanishes. He was last seen in the company of a lone and unidentified soldier who claimed he was taking the boy to see Tilla.

As Ruso and Tilla try to solve the mystery of the two disappearances—while at the same time struggling to keep the peace between the Britons and the Romans—an intricate scheme involving slavery, changed identities, and fur trappers emerges, and it becomes imperative that Ruso find Branan before it’s too late.

Ancient map showing Hadrian's Wall dividing Scotland

What was Ancient Roman doctoring like?  Here is a few minutes of it to give you a taste, with Horrible (Humorous) Histories:

Bloomsbury Publishing publishes the Medicus (Ruso) Series.  Bloomsbury USA publishes the series in the United States.

 

Direct link to Tabula Rasa at Bloomsbury UK

Direct link to Tabula Rasa at Bloomsbury USA

Here are direct links to Tabula Rasa at Amazon.com:

Here are direct links to all the books in the Medicus (Ruso) Series at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's website.

Not up on the Ancient Roman relationship with Britain?  Here is a short overview by Horrible (Humorous) Histories, which includes Hadrian's Wall, and a later wall, too.

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.