Roman Blood [Paperback]

Steven Saylor (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (1991)
• ASIN: B000OT34MS
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,154,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling mystery draped with vivid historic detail., October 24, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Roman Blood (Mass Market Paperback)

I first began reading Steven Saylor's short stories in Ellery Queen and
was immediately taken with his writing. Saylor brings history to life in
an immediate and vivid manner. He does it so well, the reader doesn't notice
it after awhile.

"Roman Blood" is first and foremost a mystery, and the "detective" is
Gordinius the Finder, a Roman citizen who is often hired to find truth.
In this story a man is accused of murdering his father, and faces a
horrible punishment if Gordinius and Cicero cannot find him innocent.

Saylor exposes the corruption of the Roman political system while
asking pointed questions about what justice is. This novel is so far
my favorite of Saylor's novels because although he delves into the
politics of the Roman Forum, the book is foremost a mystery novel.
Gordinius is attempting to solve the murder of a Roman citizen, and
Saylor maintains the suspensefulness throughout the novel.

The book's ending leaves the readers surprised and thoughtful. Saylor
also, by the end of the book, has ensured his future royalties because
he's made you care about the characters and leaves you wanting to read
more about their lives and their challenges.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a terrific book, part of a terrific series, September 15, 1998

By 

vpenner2 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roman Blood (Mass Market Paperback)

Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series is wonderful for the exploration of character, for the mysteries (of course), and for bringing Ancient Rome to life. The descriptions of Rome made me feel like I was walking through a city teeming with life, people, sights, sounds, smells.

The novels seem to become more complex as the series goes on. Roman Blood, the first novel in the series, is the most straight-forward murder mystery. Arms of Nemesis puts Gordianus under pressure with a time limit, and looks at the way slaves fit into Roman society. Catalina's Riddle takes place on a farm, in the midst of a possible revolution. The Venus Throw involves, scandal, politics and an examination of morals. I haven't read the other books yet, but I have ordered them. I heartily recommend this series.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step back in time to mean streets of ancient Rome...., June 24, 2005

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

and join Gordianus the Finder as he hunts through those twisting, winding streets to aid Cicero (yes, that Cicero).

Set in 80 BC, during the dictatorship of Sulla, Gordianus is hired by a young orator named Cicero to investigate a case, Sextus Roscius, a gentleman farmer, is accused of the murder of his father. Gordianus is soon plunged into the not so glamorous side of ancient Rome, a Rome of hired killers, corrupt government, brothels and home invasions. A world where a dying man's screams only cause good citizens to cover their ears and hide behind their barred doors.

The clues to the mystery of this novel are all there for the reader to follow but twist and turn so that it would be a challenge to solve the crime before Gordianus. The real treat to this story is not the mystery, although it is engaging, but rather the glimpse into the ancient world. Even though Gordianus has many of the same concerns of a modern day citizen, (crime in the streets, corruption in government, stretching the income to cover expenses) but he is very much a man of his times. Gordianus must contend with the social niceties of how a free citizen should treat a slave, his own and those belonging to others, finding his way through a city that has no maps, nor even any names on most of the streets, streets where a citizen could be killed at any time by a common thief, in a vendetta with a rival family or even at the request of the government. Saylor's descriptions of the settings and characters are fascinating, they bring this long gone time a place alive in an interesting and entertaining manner.

This is the first of the ROMA SUB ROSA series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next in the series.