Persona Non Grata

May 18, 2009
The third installment to Downie’s Roman Empire series—the second-century saga of a witty and courageous army surgeon, Gaius Ruso, and his smart and loyal lover, Tilla, a barbarian woman from Britannia—continues in gripping fashion. Ruso returns to his family home in southern Gaul, summoned by a forged letter pleading for his immediate return. Once Ruso and Tilla return, Ruso is thrust into a dangerous quagmire involving a missing ship, huge family debts and, before long, the murder of the family’s principal creditor—a crafty phony named Severus—who is poisoned in Ruso’s home. While Ruso and his family are quickly suspected of the murder, Ruso and Tilla’s attempts to solve the crime are hampered by interfering family members, a lying politician, a greedy banker and a pair of too-eager investigators sent from Rome. Ruso and Tilla must also deal with prejudice, envy and a new religion, Christianity. The plotting is clever and suspenseful, with subtle clues and lots of action, while the setting and supporting cast are vividly drawn. This is solid entertainment, nicely done.

November 30, 2009
While recovering from an injury incurred in Britannia while serving with the Roman army, Gaius Ruso receives a mysterious summons and heads home to Gaul to find his estate in danger of bankruptcy. When the major creditor drops dead, Ruso is at the top of the list of poisoning suspects. Proven to be something of an investigator in the two previous books in the series, Ruso nimbly thwarts obstacles to track down the true murderer. It is understood that the characters are speaking Latin, Greek, and various ancient languages of the British Isles. This might prove a challenge to a lesser reader, but the mighty Simon Vance takes it in stride. He gives the characters British accents of differing classes or regions, and this creative twist gives the light, entertaining historical mystery added charm and vitality. A Bloomsbury hardcover (Reviews, May 18).