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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Second to a Good First in the Series, March 14, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed the first venture in this series, Medicus (2006), and was delighted to get this second entry in the series. There is nothing but good news for those who enjoy well-plotted Roman mysteries, although I do have a suggestion or two for the author as she continues in what I hope will become an established and popular foray into the ancient Roman army and murder mysteries. She has fine characters, an extremely likeable protagonist, a good sense of historical place, and a good sense of plotting. I must admit, I haven't been close to guessing "whodunnit" and I usually can. She also has none of that "how on earth did she pick HIM for the killer" syndrome, which drives me nuts when the killer turns out to be someone totally unlikely.
This is a fun read; the author was a wonderful dry sense of the ridiculous that will keep you laughing aloud more than once. I had only two small concerns after its enjoyable and satisfying conclusion. Our hero, Gaius Petreius Ruso, a doctor to the legions, is in this novel so overwhelmed with difficulties in the far north of Britain that at points I got a tad impatient with him. Ruso is a great character, ironic, self-effacing, modest, likeable and decent, and the characters that surround him have an almost Dickenesque eccentricity: their personal pecadilloes are not only funny but firmly contrast to our hero's. The dialogue is rapid fire and a rather modern sense of wry angst adds its own flavor to the brew. One certainly feels that bureaucrats in 2008 and AD 128 were largely similar. However, I wanted poor Ruso do to a little better SOMEWHERE . . . he appeared confused to the point of ineptness at several places in the plot, and we need to retain both our affection for him, and our respect. He began to seem like a well-meaning dweeb. I also got occasionally impatient with Tilla, the native Briton/ex-slave/current girlfriend, and found her frequent disappearances during the novel (to visit friends, family, enemies, graves, old boyfriends) to be a tad peculiar. Surely even an open-minded, tolerant and affectionate Roman might ask, after 72 hours or so, where his slave girlfriend had disappeared to? Again, these are very tiny criticisms in the body of a fun and well-plotted novel, I just hope that, in Volume 3, Ruso could be a little more Roman and Tilla could be a little less attitutudinal.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this and can heartily recommend it for those who enjoy careful history with their murderous intrigues.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent But Not Great Sequel, May 16, 2008
Gaius Petreius Ruso, doctor of the Roman 20th Legion, reprises his role as a part-time decidedly amateur criminal investigator (after the surprise hit Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire). Set in 2nd century Britain, Ruso has moved farther north with Tilla, who is either his slave (legally), his housekeeper (not too often), or his lover depending on the situation and their respective moods.
Ruso has volunteered to go north so that Tilla can visit the area where she grew up on the very edge of the Roman Empire (Hadrian's Wall would later be built in this area). Some Britons are straining under Roman rule, a mysterious Stag Man is trying to lead a rebellion of sorts. A worker had been injured in what appears at least to have been an accident. A Roman soldier has died in a clearly non-accidental murder - and his head is literally lost in the taking. A Roman doctor has gone off his head. Ruso tries to get to the bottom of it all.
The story is an enjoyable, mostly light tale, but Downie puts too many moving parts in play that merely serve to confuse the reader rather than entice them into solving the mystery. The developing relationship between Ruso and Tilla is central to the enjoyment of the story. Terra Incognita has less detail about the Roman army and almost anything written about the native tribes is pure speculation. Recommended.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Roman Briton Mystery, April 2, 2008
Sounds familiar. It's a wild border tale, like the ones I read growing up out on the high plains of Texas.
All is well. The natives are happy, tranquil--almost. Okay, sometimes they fight among themselves, but overall it's the good, unspoiled life--until the intruders appear. Their army takes over, builds a wooden fort, messes with the local girls, skirmishes with the guys.
Sounds familiar, yes, except that the border is in Britannia and the time is almost 2,000 years ago when Emperor Hadrian was just coming to power. (Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire from 117 to 138.)
The medico Doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso leaves the relative safety of the more established South to travel with the army alleviating pain, sawing off limbs, and doing what he can. They are headed to Coria where a few years later Hardrian's Wall will rise in a Roman attempt to exclude the unwanted Northerners from Rome's civilized ways. (Talk about contemporary parallels!)
The good doctor does not travel alone, although sometimes he wishes he were. Tilla, his native slave-turned-companion (in her language her name is Darlugdacha) seems to seek out trouble. By being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or was she?) she leads Ruso into this adventure.
Felix the trumpeter has been brutally murdered. Who did it? Tilla's former intended, Rianorix the baker, or was it Thesssalus, the fort medico who has taken leave of his senses and is confessing? Confusion abounds.
An impending visit from the Governor of Britannia looms over all decisions. "We've got to look good" is a truth through all ages. Ruso is persuaded to take over the infirmary from the ailing Tessalus (and to tend to him). That's a challenge itself, but still, there is plenty of time for the good doctor to immerse himself in the communities both inside the fort and in the nearby village, and to have a go at solving the mystery and setting things straight. He has his own brush with death--not exactly a burning-at-the-stake, but the outcome would have been the same.
Who will enjoy this adventure? Anyone who took Latin in high school or college, anyone who has visited northern England (for real or vicariously), anyone who enjoys a good American western novel or merely a good yarn--just about everyone.
Don't let the strange names and terrain stand in your way. A map (a must) and a cleverly anotated cast of characters both appear at the book's beginning. For even more information about the geography and history of the times visit the Hadrians Wall Country website. The author also provides a brief but complete bibliography in her "Afterward."
by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
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