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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I love these books! I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've enjoyed the Medicus mystery series- the hapless Ruso with his canny wife Tilla, but the books have been on a bit of a downhill slide for me lately.
The book opens well. Ruso is out at a quarry when a slide occurs, and he ends up having to amputate an officer's foot (trapped under a huge block of stone) while on the rockslide face. Great way to set the stage.
Then things get a bit hazy. I think that Ruso and Tilla are up at Hadrian's Wall on temporary assignment and are about to head south to the more permanent fort for the winter. But the geography was a bit confusing. We also do some POV jumping. I'm used to Ruso and Tilla. But then we also get a couple of random British boys at different places and times, and I had a hard time understanding their perspective since the author was trying to show information, yet not give too much away at the same time. I also had a hard time grasping some of the nuances of British/Roman relations and diplomacy.
For most of the book, we the readers know that there's someone dead, but Ruso and Tilla don't know that. There's a body that's been buried in Hadrian's wall, but the only person to have seen that is a child, and no one takes the rumors seriously for quite a while. It's kind of funny, since even now you can hear all kinds of stories about workers buried in concrete building foundations or under roads, and it seems that urban legends worked the same way hundreds of years ago.
Then things get serious. A boy is kidnapped, which blows up any peaceful relations between Romans and British, and everything escalates quickly. Ruso and Tilla spend most of their time apart in the book, pursuing separate lines of investigation, so we don't see as much of their banter or them being able to save each other from scary situations.
I think this book would be difficult to get into if you haven't read the other books in the series. I also found things to be sort of hazy and confusing. Therefore 3 stars.
I've enjoyed the Medicus mystery series- the hapless Ruso with his canny wife Tilla, but the books have been on a bit of a downhill slide for me lately.
The book opens well. Ruso is out at a quarry when a slide occurs, and he ends up having to amputate an officer's foot (trapped under a huge block of stone) while on the rockslide face. Great way to set the stage.
Then things get a bit hazy. I think that Ruso and Tilla are up at Hadrian's Wall on temporary assignment and are about to head south to the more permanent fort for the winter. But the geography was a bit confusing. We also do some POV jumping. I'm used to Ruso and Tilla. But then we also get a couple of random British boys at different places and times, and I had a hard time understanding their perspective since the author was trying to show information, yet not give too much away at the same time. I also had a hard time grasping some of the nuances of British/Roman relations and diplomacy.
For most of the book, we the readers know that there's someone dead, but Ruso and Tilla don't know that. There's a body that's been buried in Hadrian's wall, but the only person to have seen that is a child, and no one takes the rumors seriously for quite a while. It's kind of funny, since even now you can hear all kinds of stories about workers buried in concrete building foundations or under roads, and it seems that urban legends worked the same way hundreds of years ago.
Then things get serious. A boy is kidnapped, which blows up any peaceful relations between Romans and British, and everything escalates quickly. Ruso and Tilla spend most of their time apart in the book, pursuing separate lines of investigation, so we don't see as much of their banter or them being able to save each other from scary situations.
I think this book would be difficult to get into if you haven't read the other books in the series. I also found things to be sort of hazy and confusing. Therefore 3 stars.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remain pleasantly surprised how consistently good these books are this far into the series. The characters grow, and the storylines don't seem repetitive. This time around, Ruso is temporarily stationed in the far north as the legion helps build Hadrian's wall. He then finds himself navigating a tricky political and personal situation with a family who has ties to Tilla, a disappearing clerk, a disappearing local boy, Virana's usual nonsense, and more of Valens' personal drama in the form of his formidable father-in-law.
I found it a little slow in the middle but still a thoroughly good read.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really complex and full of twists and turns
Ruso's new clerk is missing and may or may not have been buried inside the wall Hadrian's army is building across Britannia. A young boy, who did not see the body being buried in the wall, is also missing and presumed kidnapped. And Tilla and Rusa are to have their marriage blessed by Tilla's family if only the Britons and the soldiers can stop bickering long enough to pull it off.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sixth in the Gaius Petreius Ruso historical mystery series revolving around a Roman army medic and his British wife. This story is set in the fort at Parva in Britain.
My Take
I like this one better than the last, Semper Fidelis, 5, and it seems to be heading back towards what I enjoyed about Downie’s earlier stories, even if that landslide is the introduction and a metaphor for how things progress in this story, all downhill.
For all the worry rebellion seems to cause the Romans, they don’t do much to be nice. They want to build a wall? No problem. Throw people’s furnishings and household goods out of their homes and tell them they can’t have their farm anymore. Looking for a missing soldier? No problem. Invade people’s homes and burn those homes down if the Romans think they’re lying. Conn certainly has a lot to say about Roman actions, and you can’t help but laugh and agree.
Poor Ruso. He’s got all these entanglements because of Tilla, and he’s starting to see the British side of things. He loves her, I still can’t see why. But he sure does jump through the hoops for her. It doesn’t help that he sends troops hunting for his lost clerk, and they have no care for local sensibilities. Worse, he’s still thinking with his heart instead of his brain, although it is what makes him the man he is.
It’s interesting to note what the Roman army will punish and what it accepts. In some ways it seems very civilized, and in others, oh boy. Makes ya grateful for the Bill of Rights and the Geneva Convention. It’s disheartening as well to see how much we haven’t changed. Abusive men, trigger-quick tongues, leaping to conclusions, gossip… We still refuse to acknowledge the culture of others as Rome does when faced with a British poet.
Senecio being a poet is not what it seems. He's more bard, librarian, and the memories of his people. And one of the first people the Romans should have spoken with when they arrived. Instead, they dismissed him as crazy.
It’s an eye-opening time for Tilla as she learns the negative side of being a mother, learns more than she could imagine about her family, sees the rightness on both sides, and finally realizes the harm she’s been doing. Those medical books Tilla is reading are eye-opening as well as they haven’t much basis in normal people’s lives, and they make me think of those meal-planning diet guides that tell you to have a different juice or drink and bread for each breakfast and lunch. How can you expect to store all those different foods and use ‘em up fast enough?
Why would Ruso think his discovery could possibly clear Daminius? It does just the opposite!
Why don’t Piso and Lupus just tell the truth? They’ve already been caught in lies that will mean trouble for them?
I don’t get it. Ruso has been given a level of authority in looking for the boy by the tribune himself. Why hasn’t he taken advantage of this? He could have ordered up a few men to go with him?
At the end, what started up the ruckus? Why did they think Ruso was the child snatcher?
The natives will be celebrating Samain in this story, and Downie includes a few of its myths and legends.
The Story
It starts with an amputation dangling on dangerous ground and continues to slide downwards with rumors of a body in the wall, kidnapped children, and local anger over that wall being built across farmsteads.
A man who knew Tilla’s mother offers to bless their union, which gives Tilla a brief warmth of family until a young boy goes missing in a most disruptive way, fanning the embers of rebellion.
The Characters
Medical Officer Gaius Petreius Ruso is a Roman medicus for the Twentieth and has gained a reputation for solving mysteries. He's recently married the outspoken Tilla, a.k.a., Darlughdacha, a British native who received her Roman citizenship in Semper Fidelis, 5. She's been learning the medical arts and practices on the natives. The tactless, clueless Virana is a pregnant native Tilla took in and is currently working for Ria to pay the rent. Another tactless one with a mouth that won't stop, Aemilia is Tilla's cousin and married to a brewer, Rianorix, whom Tilla should have married.
Albanus is a friend and his former clerk, does Ruso ever miss him! He's sent his annoying nephew, Legionary Candidus, a.k.a., Perky, to Ruso to aid him in a career. Grata was the woman Albanus was going to marry.
The British natives
Senecio of the Corionotatae is the head of a native family who are incredibly angry at the Romans. He's also a poet who sings to trees. Enica is his wife. Branan is his youngest son. Conn is his oldest, a hothead, and a leader during the troubles. The Romans have a thick file on him. Dubnus was the middle son, killed during the last rebellion by a legion from the Twentieth.
Aedic is a young boy whose life has changed too much, leaving him with a sore heart. Petta is his uncaring stepmother, the woman who threw Conn aside. Lucano and Matto are brothers and bullies. Inam is a neighbor and friend of Branan's. Cata is a local girl seeing an abusive Roman soldier.
Ria is Ruso and Tilla's landlady and part owner of the local snack bar. Her husband is a baker and not averse to slipping Tilla free pastries in thanks.
The Twentieth Legion
Accius is the tribune and in overall command. Fabius is the local centurion, Ruso's superior (in name only, sigh), an absolute joke with an obsession for his health. It does pander to his need for drink, sleep, and laziness, *eye roll* Regulus is a plumber attacked by natives. Mallius is one of the quarrymen. Optio Daminius is a very honorable junior officer and Fabius' deputy — he's the only reason the camp runs as well as it does — with his hand in the cookie jar.
Peregrinus is a century of Fabius' and causing a ruckus at Regulus' door. Olennius is a builder who's found something.
The hospital
Doctor Valens is an old friend and a medicus as well; Serena is his wife. Prefect Pertinax is Serena's father, was a mentor to Ruso, and now simply terrifies them all. Gallús is Ruso's deputy. Nisus is the closemouthed pharmacist. Gracilis is the huge clerk come to take Candidus' place.
Larentia is a girl with that mole in the right place. Lupus is a slave dealer; Piso is his agent. Susanna is an old friend of Ruso's in Coria. Centurion Silvanus is in the next fort up the line, Magnis. The kitchen maid is the problem, as she belongs in every way to Fabius. Agelastus was a slave falsely accused of rape, he says.
Deva is where the legion will winter. The threefold death is a ritual sacrifice involving breath, blood, and food.
The Cover
The cover is odd. I do associate the grays and reds with Rome, but I’m not sure what the stone sculpture of a man’s back, his head tilted down, and his hands clasped behind his back means in relation to this story. Unless it’s meant to portray Ruso with all his worries.
The title is what Hadrian’s Wall becomes, a Tabula Rasa, in memoriam.
My Take
I like this one better than the last, Semper Fidelis, 5, and it seems to be heading back towards what I enjoyed about Downie’s earlier stories, even if that landslide is the introduction and a metaphor for how things progress in this story, all downhill.
For all the worry rebellion seems to cause the Romans, they don’t do much to be nice. They want to build a wall? No problem. Throw people’s furnishings and household goods out of their homes and tell them they can’t have their farm anymore. Looking for a missing soldier? No problem. Invade people’s homes and burn those homes down if the Romans think they’re lying. Conn certainly has a lot to say about Roman actions, and you can’t help but laugh and agree.
”We’ll help you round up all your men and beat them … You always think it works on us.”
Poor Ruso. He’s got all these entanglements because of Tilla, and he’s starting to see the British side of things. He loves her, I still can’t see why. But he sure does jump through the hoops for her. It doesn’t help that he sends troops hunting for his lost clerk, and they have no care for local sensibilities. Worse, he’s still thinking with his heart instead of his brain, although it is what makes him the man he is.
It’s interesting to note what the Roman army will punish and what it accepts. In some ways it seems very civilized, and in others, oh boy. Makes ya grateful for the Bill of Rights and the Geneva Convention. It’s disheartening as well to see how much we haven’t changed. Abusive men, trigger-quick tongues, leaping to conclusions, gossip… We still refuse to acknowledge the culture of others as Rome does when faced with a British poet.
Senecio being a poet is not what it seems. He's more bard, librarian, and the memories of his people. And one of the first people the Romans should have spoken with when they arrived. Instead, they dismissed him as crazy.
It’s an eye-opening time for Tilla as she learns the negative side of being a mother, learns more than she could imagine about her family, sees the rightness on both sides, and finally realizes the harm she’s been doing. Those medical books Tilla is reading are eye-opening as well as they haven’t much basis in normal people’s lives, and they make me think of those meal-planning diet guides that tell you to have a different juice or drink and bread for each breakfast and lunch. How can you expect to store all those different foods and use ‘em up fast enough?
Why would Ruso think his discovery could possibly clear Daminius? It does just the opposite!
Why don’t Piso and Lupus just tell the truth? They’ve already been caught in lies that will mean trouble for them?
I don’t get it. Ruso has been given a level of authority in looking for the boy by the tribune himself. Why hasn’t he taken advantage of this? He could have ordered up a few men to go with him?
At the end, what started up the ruckus? Why did they think Ruso was the child snatcher?
The natives will be celebrating Samain in this story, and Downie includes a few of its myths and legends.
The Story
It starts with an amputation dangling on dangerous ground and continues to slide downwards with rumors of a body in the wall, kidnapped children, and local anger over that wall being built across farmsteads.
A man who knew Tilla’s mother offers to bless their union, which gives Tilla a brief warmth of family until a young boy goes missing in a most disruptive way, fanning the embers of rebellion.
The Characters
Medical Officer Gaius Petreius Ruso is a Roman medicus for the Twentieth and has gained a reputation for solving mysteries. He's recently married the outspoken Tilla, a.k.a., Darlughdacha, a British native who received her Roman citizenship in Semper Fidelis, 5. She's been learning the medical arts and practices on the natives. The tactless, clueless Virana is a pregnant native Tilla took in and is currently working for Ria to pay the rent. Another tactless one with a mouth that won't stop, Aemilia is Tilla's cousin and married to a brewer, Rianorix, whom Tilla should have married.
Albanus is a friend and his former clerk, does Ruso ever miss him! He's sent his annoying nephew, Legionary Candidus, a.k.a., Perky, to Ruso to aid him in a career. Grata was the woman Albanus was going to marry.
The British natives
Senecio of the Corionotatae is the head of a native family who are incredibly angry at the Romans. He's also a poet who sings to trees. Enica is his wife. Branan is his youngest son. Conn is his oldest, a hothead, and a leader during the troubles. The Romans have a thick file on him. Dubnus was the middle son, killed during the last rebellion by a legion from the Twentieth.
Aedic is a young boy whose life has changed too much, leaving him with a sore heart. Petta is his uncaring stepmother, the woman who threw Conn aside. Lucano and Matto are brothers and bullies. Inam is a neighbor and friend of Branan's. Cata is a local girl seeing an abusive Roman soldier.
Ria is Ruso and Tilla's landlady and part owner of the local snack bar. Her husband is a baker and not averse to slipping Tilla free pastries in thanks.
The Twentieth Legion
Accius is the tribune and in overall command. Fabius is the local centurion, Ruso's superior (in name only, sigh), an absolute joke with an obsession for his health. It does pander to his need for drink, sleep, and laziness, *eye roll* Regulus is a plumber attacked by natives. Mallius is one of the quarrymen. Optio Daminius is a very honorable junior officer and Fabius' deputy — he's the only reason the camp runs as well as it does — with his hand in the cookie jar.
Peregrinus is a century of Fabius' and causing a ruckus at Regulus' door. Olennius is a builder who's found something.
The hospital
Doctor Valens is an old friend and a medicus as well; Serena is his wife. Prefect Pertinax is Serena's father, was a mentor to Ruso, and now simply terrifies them all. Gallús is Ruso's deputy. Nisus is the closemouthed pharmacist. Gracilis is the huge clerk come to take Candidus' place.
Larentia is a girl with that mole in the right place. Lupus is a slave dealer; Piso is his agent. Susanna is an old friend of Ruso's in Coria. Centurion Silvanus is in the next fort up the line, Magnis. The kitchen maid is the problem, as she belongs in every way to Fabius. Agelastus was a slave falsely accused of rape, he says.
Deva is where the legion will winter. The threefold death is a ritual sacrifice involving breath, blood, and food.
The Cover
The cover is odd. I do associate the grays and reds with Rome, but I’m not sure what the stone sculpture of a man’s back, his head tilted down, and his hands clasped behind his back means in relation to this story. Unless it’s meant to portray Ruso with all his worries.
The title is what Hadrian’s Wall becomes, a Tabula Rasa, in memoriam.
That was fun! I love how Ruso sort of bumbles through a mystery without really bumbling; he's just so...I can't find a good word. Almost unflappable, to me, and yet, maybe he's just tired all the time. And I love Tilla! What a great strong personality. Fun read!
Finally we get to look at Roman Britain's most famous architectural marvel - Hadrian's Wall. Out in the northern extreme of the Roman empire, Ruso is managing the hospitals for the twentieth legions. Between building accidents, tense natives, and touchy centurions, it's only a matter of time till murders - rumoured and real - start dragging at Ruso.
What to Expect
Complex and engaging plot, with all characters being fully-fleshed people with their own agendas. Ruso has to navigate between all of them, trying to perform his duties while untangling murders based on sketchy details from reluctant witnesses.
As usual, Downie's research about Roman life in the Roman frontier under Hadrian is top-notch. We get a glimpse of what life must have been like to those soldiers who were busy building that lasting monument.
The POV of view alternates between Ruso and his (British) wife Tilla, and Downie does an excellent job in describing how these two very different people view the world. We also get a lot more exposure to native Briton life, and its ambivalent relations with the conquering Romans.
What I liked
This goes for the whole series.
The absolute charm of the writing. All characters are fully fleshed, believable, with their own motivations. The writing is witty, the setting is rich, the plot thought-out, and the mysteries engaging.
These are the kind of books where you care for the characters. Downie has a knack to depict the world-views of the characters realistically, switching viewpoints from a Roman medical officer to a British peasant woman. It is clear that each character - from main to support cast - is a fully realised person, with their own agendas and biases.
The plot of the stories grips you till can't put the book down. Downie is masterfully building up the investigations through sub-plots, distractions, daily lives, grand events - till you just have to know what happens next. Ruso may be a reluctant investigator, but he has that nagging voice in his head when things don't quite fit well, and it keeps him following and digging for the truth. Tilla has her own sense of fairness, and views on what makes the world tick.
Downie locates each book in a different town, mostly around Roman Britain
(with only two exceptions). She has clearly done her research for each location and they all come alive, with the latest modern archaeological understanding of life there seeping through her writing.
What to be aware of
These aren't the noir mysteries I normally read and recommend. While there are certainly some gruesome bits (did I mention construction accidents?), these aren't your typical first-person hard-boiled detective. Rather, the stories are told in a lighter vein, in third person perspective from either Ruso or Tilla's POV. Happily, Tilla gets a lot of page-time in this novel.
Ms Downie has experience with archaeology and Latin history, and it shows in her writing. She has elected to translate most Latin terms into modern English (e.g. calling a master 'my lord' rather then 'domine', or using 'doctor' for physician), which may sound a tad weird to those used to Latin terms from similar series.
Be aware that while it's not strictly necessary to read the books in order, it certainly helps.
Summary
I absolutely love this series. I have no idea why it took me so long to get back to it, but I am glad I did. If you've read the previous books, this is a great continuation. If not, go back to book one (Medicus) and start reading today!
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445823325p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457914061s/29500700.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
Complex and engaging plot, with all characters being fully-fleshed people with their own agendas. Ruso has to navigate between all of them, trying to perform his duties while untangling murders based on sketchy details from reluctant witnesses.
As usual, Downie's research about Roman life in the Roman frontier under Hadrian is top-notch. We get a glimpse of what life must have been like to those soldiers who were busy building that lasting monument.
The POV of view alternates between Ruso and his (British) wife Tilla, and Downie does an excellent job in describing how these two very different people view the world. We also get a lot more exposure to native Briton life, and its ambivalent relations with the conquering Romans.
What I liked
This goes for the whole series.
The absolute charm of the writing. All characters are fully fleshed, believable, with their own motivations. The writing is witty, the setting is rich, the plot thought-out, and the mysteries engaging.
These are the kind of books where you care for the characters. Downie has a knack to depict the world-views of the characters realistically, switching viewpoints from a Roman medical officer to a British peasant woman. It is clear that each character - from main to support cast - is a fully realised person, with their own agendas and biases.
The plot of the stories grips you till can't put the book down. Downie is masterfully building up the investigations through sub-plots, distractions, daily lives, grand events - till you just have to know what happens next. Ruso may be a reluctant investigator, but he has that nagging voice in his head when things don't quite fit well, and it keeps him following and digging for the truth. Tilla has her own sense of fairness, and views on what makes the world tick.
Downie locates each book in a different town, mostly around Roman Britain
(with only two exceptions). She has clearly done her research for each location and they all come alive, with the latest modern archaeological understanding of life there seeping through her writing.
What to be aware of
These aren't the noir mysteries I normally read and recommend. While there are certainly some gruesome bits (did I mention construction accidents?), these aren't your typical first-person hard-boiled detective. Rather, the stories are told in a lighter vein, in third person perspective from either Ruso or Tilla's POV. Happily, Tilla gets a lot of page-time in this novel.
Ms Downie has experience with archaeology and Latin history, and it shows in her writing. She has elected to translate most Latin terms into modern English (e.g. calling a master 'my lord' rather then 'domine', or using 'doctor' for physician), which may sound a tad weird to those used to Latin terms from similar series.
Be aware that while it's not strictly necessary to read the books in order, it certainly helps.
Summary
I absolutely love this series. I have no idea why it took me so long to get back to it, but I am glad I did. If you've read the previous books, this is a great continuation. If not, go back to book one (Medicus) and start reading today!
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445823325p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457914061s/29500700.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.