Sejanus (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries) [Paperback]

David Wishart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Marcus Corvinus Mysteries | Publication Date: May 16, 2002

Immediately after his father's funeral, Marcus is approached by two senators who want him to dig up some dirt on Sejanus, emperor Tiberius' deputy and likely successor. Despite the dangers, Marcus cannot resist the thrill of more detective work, and his investigations uncover a trail of treason, betrayal, and murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Wishart has woven a fascinating and complicated tale of treason, political intrigue and murder ... [Corvinus'] dangerous adventure makes for a hugely entertaining read' -- Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph 'enjoyable ... an ingenious solution to this ancient mystery' -- Sunday Telegraph 'innate humour and pace carry one through to the tragi-comic climax' -- Irish Times 'it is evident that Wishart is a fine scholar and perfectly at home in the period' -- Sunday Times

About the Author

David Wishart studied Classics at Edinburgh University. He then taught Latin and Greek in school for four years and after this retrained as a teacher of EFL. He lived and worked abroad for eleven years, working in Kuwait, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and now lives with his wife and family in Scotland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (May 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340825324
• ISBN-13: 978-0340825327
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,651,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well-researched, well-written, entertaining, January 14, 2007

By 

Alex Martelli "Aleax" (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sejanus (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries) (Paperback)

I'm an unabashed fan of historical fiction, particularly novels set in the Roman Republic and early Principate. Wishart is quite competent and entertaining, and "Sejanus" is possibly the best of the Corvinus novels (although I still think "Virgil" is Wishart's personal best). The characters, particularly the protagonist, are somewhat "caricatured in charcoal", but the mood of the period is quite well rendered, and the plot is mildly entertaining (if you're into this sort of thing). Overall, I consider Wishart roughly on a par with Saylor, and to me that's pretty hearty praise (though I still think that McCullough is definitely superior to all of her competitors).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Book in an Excellent Series, February 13, 2007

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sejanus (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries) (Paperback)

David Wishart was born in Arbroath, Scotland. He studied Classics - Latin and Greek - at Edinburgh University and after graduation taught for four years in a secondary school. He then retrained as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and worked abroad for eleven years, in Kuwait, Greece and Saudi Arabia. He returned to Scotland in 1990 and now lives with his family in Carnoustie, mixing writing with teaching EFL and study skills at Dundee University.

Following the funeral of his father Marcus Corvinus is approached by two member of the senate. They would like Marcus to do a `number' on Sejanus, deputy and likely successor to the present Emperor Tiberius. There brief is to find out anything and everything about his past, particularly if it something Sejanus would prefer kept quiet.

Marcus cannot resist the thrill of the chase and the opportunity to once again test his powers of detection. However his investigations uncover a trail of betrayal, treason and murder. Has our amateur sleuth got more than he bargained for this time?