The characters in these books are always credible to me. Also, the reveal of the killers was just subtle enough that I didn’t get it right away and I had to re-listen to the final ten minutes before I understood what had happened.
It was just enough out of step for me to enjoy the book a bit less. And Tilla’s investigation took away from a lot of the character development she had commanded in recent books. Ruso being accused early on took away a lot of the joy that his character often gave. That being said, this one didn’t stand out as much as the past ones had in my mind. And Tilla is getting more and more time to narrate. It’s one of the things I like most about these books. Meanwhile his barbarian wife, Tilla, is finding out some of the answers-and marked as a security risk by the very officers Ruso is interrogating. With Hadrian’s visit looming large, the fates of the legion, Tilla, and Ruso himself hang in the balance. Is the much- decorated Centurion Geminus preying on his weaker soldiers? And could this be related to the appearance of Emperor Hadrian? Bound by his sense of duty and ill-advised curiosity, Ruso begins to ask questions nobody wants to hear. As mysterious injuries, and even deaths, begin to appear in the medical ledgers, it’s clear that all is not well amongst the native recruits to Britannia’s imperial army.
Persona Non Grata (Medicus Investigation #3)īack at his post as a doctor in the Twentieth legion in Roman-occupied Britain, Ruso uncovers a new danger even closer to home than the neighboring barbarians. Terra Incognita (Medicus Investigation #2) Other books by Downie reviewed on this blog: These are books you can dive into and forget about real life while you experience another time and place – stories which make you laugh, while also having the virtuous sense that you’re learning about a fascinating period in history.Semper Fidelis (Medicus Investigation #5) by Ruth Downie It wouldn’t make sense for Ruso to be an abolitionist, but Tilla’s experience means they always treat slaves with compassion. The attitudes of Ruso and Tilla at times seem modern, but in that I think Downie has done a good job of balancing realism with the demands of a contemporary audience, for example in the attitude of the Roman characters to slavery. She immerses you in their world, not just the monuments and the battles but the textures, sounds and smells of daily life.
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Occasionally when I’ve had a doubt (were there really glass windows in Roman Britain?) I’ve found that the detail is correct (yes, but only for the wealthy). The relationship between Ruso and Tilla, with its affection and moments of mutual exasperation, is beautifully observed.ĭownie often adds a historical note, saying what is real and what she has changed. Her observations on the differences between Roman culture and her own undercut the assumption that the Romans are more civilised. These play a key part in Terra Incognita. She is both naïve and shrewd, impulsive and strategic, driven by what she believes is right, but also, at times, lacking in confidence as an outsider who doesn’t understand the mores of her new life.Īmong the Britons she has both strong ties and enemies who have caused her great loss. Tilla is particularly fascinating, caught as she is between two worlds. A number of secondary characters, from soldiers to medics and even an emperor, add to the drama, many of them appearing in multiple books. He feels hard done by, with responsibilities for his large and feckless family at home in Gaul, left in debt following his father’s death. There’s a lot of humour in the books, much of it character driven. Together, these build up a picture of the diversity and complexity of the Roman world, and in particular its occupation of Britannia. These are mostly in Britannia but in Persona Non Grata they visit Ruso’s family in Gaul, and in Vita Brevis they go to Rome.
Despite the risks to Ruso’s career, their precarious financial situation, and even their lives, they are unable to back down, driven by principle, personal ties or just plain cussedness.Įach book takes place in a different location. The plots are deliciously twisty and invariably involve Ruso and Tilla taking on people who are dangerous, or politically connected, or both. Together, they find themselves stumbling across crimes, which they investigate and solve. He takes her in as a servant but over time their relationship deepens. Tilla is a Briton who he rescues from slavery in the first novel, Medicus. Gaius Petreius Ruso is a Roman army doctor, initially stationed in Deva (modern-day Chester).
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Ruth Downie’s crime series set in Roman Britain is my current favourite comfort read.