Get Out or Die (Aurelia Marcella Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Jane Finnis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Aurelia Marcella Mysteries | Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Roman Britain in 91 AD is a raw frontier province, a troublesome part of the mighty Empire ruled by Domitian Caesar. Though it is almost fifty years since the legions invaded, many native tribes still hate their conquerors and seize any chance to harass the Roman settlers who are flocking in to colonise the new province. Tension is especially high in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young innkeeper from Italy, runs the Oak Tree Mansio on the road to York.

A string of savage murders disrupts her peaceful life, and she and her Roman friends find themselves under attack from a secret native war-band, the Shadow-men, whose aim is to drive all Romans out. A traveller, Quintus, is nearly killed close to the inn, and he and Aurelia must track down the rebel warriors and identify their mysterious masked leader, the Shadow of Death. Their investigations bring them into personal danger from ruthless killers and devious deceivers. Can they find and destroy the Shadow of Death before his campaign of terror turns into open rebellion, so that all Romans must get out or die?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Finnis's lively debut, a Roman historical set in northern Britain in 91 A.D., ill-fated legionnaires contend with a ruthless band of guerrillas seeking to rid their homeland of unwanted occupiers. Tensions run high as headless bodies begin appearing along the roadways of remote Brigantia, the adopted home of plucky Aurelia Marcella and her sister Albia, who are keepers of the Oak Tree Mansio, an inn catering to the elite of the empire's "raw new province." Crudely carved discs bearing the title's ominous words are hung on each new corpse, and the same menacing phrase mysteriously appears on Aurelia's barn shortly before a savage nighttime attack by the "Shadow-men," a rebel group believed to be led by a Roman turncoat. Suspenseful and at times comical, the story rambles on to a somewhat predictable conclusion, yet Aurelia is engaging as the resourceful narrator-turned-detective who almost single-handedly identifies the traitor in their midst. A surfeit of characters with names both Roman and Druid can be confusing, but the plot is timely as conquerors seek to impose civilization on a barbarian culture that doesn't appreciate the new roads and government or the increase in commerce. Lots of sacrifices, both human and animal, make this one for the strong of stomach.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

There are several successful mystery series about the world of ancient Rome, but what gives Jane Finnis' first novel a special edge of interest is that it's set in 91 A.D. in the Roman province of Britannia.

It has been 30 years since the first Roman civilians arrived in the wake of the conquering legions, and they have been living and working alongside the
natives. A sharp young woman named Aurelia Marcella, who came to what is now the city of York in northern England with her family after the disaster at Pompeii, runs a popular inn, the Oak Tree Mansio, where until recently all was relatively quiet.

But some of the natives are becoming restless, and the headless bodies of Roman soldiers are being found beside local roads, decorated with discs of bone bearing an ominous message: "All Romans Will Be Killed. Get Out Or Die."
This gives Finnis the chance to mix history, mystery and mayhem--always a lively brew in good hands--with flashes of wit about local customs. (" How are things in the kitchen? Did you manage to liven up that cow's meat stew?'" Aurelia asks her sister, Albia." Yes, '" she answers," Cook added some extra herbs and it's quite tasty now. I don't think cow's meat will ever be anyone's idea of a delicacy, but the natives seem to like it' "--thus setting the stage for the roast beef of Old England and mad cow hysteria.)

Behind the killings and the threats seems to be a band of native activists who still practice Druid rituals, drink mead rather than wine and tend to dress somewhat ostentatiously as old-style Brigantian warriors: blue skin paint, hair whitened with lime, leather kilts, lots of gold and silver jewelry. But their leader, theShadow of Death, always wears a mask, and is suspected of being a Roman officer or official.

Aurelia, latest in a long line of capable women who brighten historical fiction, joins forces with a Roman soldier/spy named Quintus to find and expose this high-level traitor. And anyone who--like author Finnis--has ever marveled at how straight and well-built many of the Roman roads of England still are should enjoy this entertaining look back. -- Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590580753
• ISBN-13: 978-1590580752
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,884,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write mysteries with a historical setting. My Aurelia Marcella series is about an innkeeper in Roman Britain, who lives on the road to York, and runs (she assures everyone) "the best inn north of Londinium." She also gets involved in solving mysteries, often putting herself in danger, and there are plenty of crimes and injustices that need her attention in the Roman province of Britain, where the recent Imperial conquest is still bitterly resented by many of the native tribesmen. Then of course there are the kind of crimes that crop up in every era: family feuds, quarrels between neighbours, violence rooted in greed or jealousy...

I live in Yorkshire, not very far from where my books are set, with my husband Richard and our two cocker spaniels. It's beautiful countryside close to the sea. There are all sorts of Roman remains around, and archaeologists are continually digging up more of the everyday things that the Romans left behind, from writing-tablets to cooking pots, and from soldiers' swords to women's jewellery. This is a fascinating time to be reading and writing about life (and death) here two thousand years ago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, December 28, 2008

By 

hydro - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Out or Die (Aurelia) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book. Ms. Finnis is very knowedgeable about Roman history and roman Britain in particular. Her characters are very well drawn and I find the character of Aurelia particularly entertaining. Ms. Finnis gets more comfortable with each book in the series (I have read 3).

That said, I sort of felt like I was reading Nancy Drew or Angela Brazil. There was such a "jolly" atmosphere about the characters. The contemporary slang seemed a bit jarring, and, as a previous reviewer mentioned, it went on far too long.

All in all an enjoyable read-I would actually give it a 3.5, but I rounded up to 4.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Rome-Britannia, 91 A.D., January 14, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Out or Die (Aurelia Marcella Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Get Out Or Die
by Jane Finnis

The title refers to ominous threats left on the bodies of murdered Romans in Britain who in the year 91 A.D. are still tenuous settlers in this northern outpost of the Roman empire. Only decades after Boadicea's failed Iceni uprising against them, and with increasingly organized attacks lead by a mysterious leader called the Shadow of Death, the future of Pompeii born innkeeper Aurelia Marcella begins to look bleak. She is, however, determined to stay, and resolves to uncover the source of the disturbances. A sprinkling of romance and Roman double dealing adds to this action filled, fast paced story which takes place in a little explored historic period. It is difficult, however, to always feel one is reading about a region considered a "rough frontier. " It might have helped if instead of using modern British phraseology and expressions, the author had drawn upon letters written by British Romans to create dialogue more suitable to the period.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tedious romance-historical mystery, July 31, 2011

By 

S. Hill "adairh" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Get Out or Die (Aurelia) (Paperback)

This is a romance-adventure novel set in Roman Britain. I found it dull, with a female main character who in no case felt right for the period or setting, and a plot that verged on a 20s boy's-own-adventure - the main bad guy operated under the name Shadow of Death. I was hoping for a well-developed and imagined picture of the social setting and daily life that might have taken place, but did not find it in this book. A reader looking for a more believable and readable mystery set in Roman Britain should look to Rosemary Rowe.