Reviews

El brazo de la justicia by Steven Saylor

rociobn28's review

adventurous challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

kyle977's review against another edition

4.0

Another enjoyable entry for this series. I made the mistake of reading out of order, so some of the plot was spoiled for me, but the central mystery was still enjoyable. I'm a sucker for all things Crassus and Spartacus, so even though the rebellion is happening off-page, the political aspect of the effect on Rome was also enjoyable.

trish204's review against another edition

5.0

Again, the author has shown a splendid way of transporting the reader back in time and has shown an intimate look into the world of a roman citizen - Gordianus the Finder.
The second novel plays 10 years after the first, during the time of Spartacus' revolt and has a somewhat more disclosed ambiance (a nice alternation that proves he can set different plots in different ambiances in a splendid way). Again the plot is highly thrilling and the ending (although in some way very tragic) is also highly satisfying. Steven Saylor definitely puts a lot of work into his books (the research on all the different aspects of Roman life such as the food, poisons, art etc.) and undoubtedly is a great author!

jmeston's review against another edition

3.0

Not quite up to the first one. Thought Crassus in particular was not well defined. But loved the Baiae details. I was confused about the series sequence: this one was the second written but then he wrote two more that occur in the time between this one and the first (Roman Blood). So I am satisfied with the order I'm reading them in.

sam_idea's review against another edition

3.0

shout out to the lady on etsy for choosing this

mandapanda's review against another edition

4.0

I really like all of Saylor, Steven books. This one has some awesome Gordianus as a father scenes and the mystery is twisty and complex.

jamiebarrows's review against another edition

3.0

A good solid mystery set in the late Roman republic. Enjoyed both he mystery and the attention to detail the author put into researching the customs and political figures of the late republic.

djrmelvin's review against another edition

3.0

The second of Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa novels featuring Gordianus the Finder as ancient Rome's favorite Private Eye. This time his abilities are requested by the widow of Marcus Crassus' cousin. Widow tells you what the mystery is that needs to be solved and if you're familar with the First Triumverate you'll know that Crassus will be mixed up in it and probably not in a good way. In this fiction, he's invoked a out of fashion punishment of killing all the slaves in a household if the one guilty of a crime against the master does not accept responsiblity. The plot of this book is secondary to Saylor's attempt to humanize slaves and show his Gordianus as way ahead of his time morally. It's all a little forced and if it weren't for the great sense of place I would have abandoned the book fifty pages in. There are better historical novels that address slavery, but there aren't a lot of better light reading historical novels about Rome before Julius Caesar came to power.

writerlibrarian's review against another edition

4.0

I zipped through this one in 3 days. It kept me interested, I learn quite a bit and the historical parts were not keeping the mystery parts down. It was a good mix of the two.

Better for me then the first book in the series. I also like that it's years later from the first book. It's a period I like to read about, learn about (Rome Republic Civil wars era). This story was what I needed to kick my reading drought to the curb.