Customer Reviews

The Secundus Papyrus (Toby Crime)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a historical novel playing in the mid-fifth century at Ravenna, the West Roman capital at the time. It was an era of extraordinary upheaval. The Vandals had conquered most of the Roman possessions in North Africa. In 439 AD they conquered Carthage, and in 455 AD they sacked Rome. If this were not enough, the Christian faith, which had been declared state religion roughly a century earlier was still far from being the established religion of Europe.

The novel begins showing Emperor Valentian III hunting with two Hunnic bodyguards at the outskirts of Ravenna. He was pursuing a boar he had just wounded, but the animal had escaped across a stream. The loss gave the emperor pause for a monologue about the three persons who were making his life difficult, his mother, his wife, and the commander of the West Roman army, all of whom the reader will meet as the story unfolds. While the emperor was still indulging in self-pity, his horse suddenly shied. In the icy waters of the stream bobbed the naked body of a man, striking a grotesque pose with his arms stretched out as if he were crucified. Valentian recognized the man from his tonsured head. "It's that Hibernian monk who comes to the palace library", he cried. With that begins a novel that is as suspenseful as any who-done-it and yet as fascinating as history can be.

There is a host of characters, but if anybody knows how to breathe life into them, it's the novelist. There are Getorius, a physician, and his beautiful wife Arcadia who have been charged with the investigation of the monk's death. The Empress Mother of Valentian invites them and several others to have a look at her newly finished mausoleum. While strolling through the cruciform building, one of them discovers a mysterious papyrus hidden in a wall-niche. As he tries to pull it out, he is struck and mortally wounded by the bolt from a small crossbow concealed in the niche.

Such are the circumstances surrounding the discovery of an ancient papyrus containing a message that could have disastrous consequences for the whole Roman Empire. Is the papyrus a forgery or is it authentic? Who put it there? Is this a conspiracy? Why did they guard it with the murderous crossbow? What are their intentions?

Now the plot thickens. One by one the persons who witnessed the discovery of the papyrus are dying under suspicious circumstances. Getorius and Arcadia wonder when it will be their turn. There are other ominous signs such as a cockerel that appears repeatedly at unexpected places, heightening the suspense.

But this is not an ordinary who-done-it. This is a skillfully designed novel narrated against a masterfully crafted historical background. There is the cast of colorful characters which in itself is no small accomplishment. Then there are the suspects, the intrigues, the false hopes, and the tracks that lead nowhere. It is an intricate web of actors and actions that can be confusing at times, but it is masterfully woven. The solution? You will be surprised.

Read it! When you have finished, you will have learned a lot, not only about history, but also about religion, medicine, food, customs, culture, and politics. Most important you will get a feel for the time.

Bruno and Renate Manz

Mr. Noyer has written a terrific and intriquing novel. If you ever fantasized of what life was like in mid-5th Century Southern Europe, then this book is a must read. The adventures of a surgeon and his medicine-studying wife, plus all the other interesting characters of the town of Ravenna, in Italy, make up a tightly woven tale of murder, deceit, greed and power. There is always the suspense of what's coming next and the surprises that follow, which kept me reading without wanting to put down the book. A real page turner.

Wonderful details describe (with clarity) the day-to-day existence of people during this era, shortly before the demise of the Roman Empire. The food and drink consumed, the importance people placed on their cultural and religious beliefs, and how the surgeon and his wife treated diseases with herbs, potions and by other more drastic means.

The drawings, in the front of the book, and the identification of its characters by name and title, and the characters recalling periodically of what has happened, gives the reader a feeling of not having missed anything. This book is an enjoyable piece of literature.

Sorry to break with the other reviewers, but I was somewhat underwhelmed with the book. There is a balance that every fiction writer must strike between character development and pace. Noyer does not succeed well at either. His main characters, Getorius and Arcadia, are not developed fully enough to cause the reader to identify positively with either; both of them (Getorius especially) seem rather weak. Yet he also throws in numerous extraneous details and characters (some of whom are introduced and then quickly killed off) and various items that add nothing to the story and cause it to drag unnecessarily. Too much of the mystery is simply left unexplained, and too many characters get bumped off with little or no explanation of who or how. To top it off, the (presumed) murderer is not apprehended in the end, and, as was stated by another reviewer, the conclusion is very flat and unsatisfying. Some of the historical details are interesting, but he makes an embarrassing (and completely unnecessary) flub in having a character (who presumably speaks in Latin) make a pun about "son" and "sun" - the words are not even remotely similar in Latin (filius and sol). I'd recommend that Mr. Noyer spend some time learning how to write more realistic dialogue, develop his characters (especially the main characters) more thoroughly, and generally work on his style a bit before releasing his next work.

I found The Secundus Papyrus to be an intriguing journey back in time. With fine storytelling, convincing characters, and a page-turning plot, Noyer's second literary effort was well worth the wait. I look forward to more from this exceptional new author in the near future.

I enjoyed this mystery even more than the author's first, The Saint's Day Deaths. The descriptive passages were quite lovely and transported me to the places described. I am more at ease with the Latin names and places now; they don't interfere with the flow of the story. Noyer is carving a special niche with his genre of historical mysteries, and this novel was definitely a thumbs-up read. More! More!
Olga Naumoff, author: "My Name is Sotir."

Few American novels are set in the late Western Roman Empire, so I have been interested in Noyer's work. He has done considerable research to make the 5th century come alive, although there appear to be some anachronisms. I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life in Ravenna.

But, there seemed to be no real ending to the story, no resolution to the mystery. Perhaps Noyer meant for his work to imitate life in this respect--not everything being neatly tied up. Or, perhaps, there are answers in "The Cybelene Conspiracy," which I have just begun to read.

I found the characters to be drab and lifeless-- like actors not terribly interested in the parts they were playing, just reciting their lines.

The plot line was improbable and disjointed. The book just never developed any color or pulled together.

If it had been a library book, I would have returned it after page 60.

Partial review by Carolyn Carlson / Albuquerque Journal,12-1-03. Novelist Albert Noyer takes the reader on a vivid yet historical journey through Getorius and Arcadia, two very believable protagonists. A mysterious monk charged with protecting a powerful secret is found dead near his hut. Getorius, a physician, and Arcadia, his beautiful wife and medical apprentice...are summoned to determine the monk's cause of death. Shortly after, the couple along with several other colorful characters, are invited to the palace of Galla Placidia, Empress Mother of Emperor Valentinian III. While on an impromptu tour of Placidia's new mausoleum, an ancient papyrus is discovered in a booby-trapped niche. Getorius and Arcadia know the contents of the papyrus could have a...devastating effect on not only the empire but the future of mankind.
Building suspense, Noyer leads the reader to a surprise ending. [He] uses a detailed knowledge of the Romans to entice the reader with descriptive passages on the religions, politics, food, medicine and day-to-day life of the time. Noyer adds maps and glossaries, making it easy to keep up with the many characters [and] has an almost musical yet tight style of writing. This is the first volume of a planned trilogy.