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Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire (The Medicus Series, 1) Paperback – March 11, 2008
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Divorced and down on his luck, Gaius Petreius Ruso has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, after a straight thirtysix-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to compassion and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner.
Now he has a new problem: a slave who won't talk and can't cook, and drags trouble in her wake. Before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar. Now Ruso must summon all his forensic knowledge to find a killer who may be after him next.
With a gift for comic timing and historical detail, Ruth Downie has conjured an ancient world as raucous and real as our own.
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury USA
- Publication dateMarch 11, 2008
- Dimensions5.47 x 1.11 x 8.21 inches
- ISBN-101596914270
- ISBN-13978-1596914278
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“I loved this book.” ―Scott Simon, NPR
“[A] lavishly, often hilariously detailed portrayal of the world that absorbs Ruso's exhausted wits and energies. [He] is a wonderful character, fueled by a dyspeptic machismo and sullen charm reminiscent of Harrison Ford in his heyday. A charming novel.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
MEDICUS
A Novel of the Roman EmpireBy RUTH DOWNIEBLOOMSBURY USA
Copyright © 2006 Ruth DownieAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59691-427-8
Chapter One
Someone had washed the mud off the body, but as Gaius Petreius Ruso unwrapped the sheet, there was still a distinct smell of river water. The assistant wrinkled his nose as he approached with the record tablet and the measuring stick he had been sent to fetch."So," said Ruso, flipping the tablet open. "What's the usual procedure here for unidentified bodies?"
The man hesitated. "I don't know, sir. The mortuary assistant's on leave."
"So who are you?"
"The assistant's assistant, sir." The man was staring at the corpse.
"But you have attended a postmortem before?"
Without taking his eyes off the body, the man shook his head. "Are they all like that, sir?"
Ruso, who had started work before it was light, stifled a yawn. "Not where I come from."
The description should come first. Facts before speculation. Except that in this case much of the description was speculation as well.
Female, aged ... He spent some time frowning over that one. Finally he settled on approximately 18-25 years. Average weight. Height ... five feet one inch. At least that was fairly accurate. Hair: red, scant. That too, although it might not be very helpful if no one had ever seen her before without a wig. Clothing: none found. So no help there, then.
Three teeth missing, but not in places that were obvious. Someone would need to know her very well indeed to give a positive identification from that.
Ruso glanced up. "Did you go over to HQ for me?"
"I told them we'd got a body and you'd send the details over later, sir."
"Did you ask about missing persons?"
"Yes, sir. There aren't any."
"Hm." This did not bode well. Ruso continued working his way down the body, making notes as he went. Moments later his search was rewarded. "Ah. Good!"
"Sir?"
Ruso pointed to what he had found. "If somebody turns up looking for her in a month's time," he explained, "we'll be able to tell them who we buried." He recorded Strawberry birthmark approximately half an inch long on inside of upper right thigh, eight inches above the knee, and sketched the shape.
When he had completed the description, Ruso scratched one ear and gazed down at the pale figure laid out on the table. He was better acquainted than he wished to be with the dead, but this one was difficult. The water had interfered with all the signals he had learned to look for. There was no settling of the blood to indicate the position in which the body had been left, presumably because it had rolled over on the current. The limbs were flexible, so that meant ... what? Men who died in the stress of battle often froze and then relaxed again much faster than was normal. So if the woman had been frightened or struggling ... On the other hand, how would the aftermath of death be affected by cold water? He scratched his ear again and yawned, trying to think what he could usefully write on the report that would not cause more distress and confusion to the relatives.
Finally he settled on Time of death: uncertain, estimated at least 2 days before discovery and gave his reasons.
He glanced up at the assistant's assistant again. "Can you write legibly?"
"Yes, sir."
He handed the tablet and stylus across the body.
"Place of death," he dictated, then corrected himself. "No, put Location of body."
The man laid the tablet on the end of the table, hunched over it, and repeated, "Location ... of ... body" as he scraped with awkward but determined obedience.
"Found five hundred paces downstream from the pier, in marshes on the north bank," said Ruso, wishing he had carried on writing himself.
"F ... found ... five hundred ..." muttered the man, suddenly breaking off in midsentence to look up and say, "She could have drowned a long way upstream and come down the river, sir. But then, she might have gone in farther along and come up on the tide."
"Pardon?" Ruso blinked, taken aback by this sudden display of initiative.
Moments later it was apparent that although this soldier knew nothing about hospital administration and very little about writing, he had devoted his spare time to learning everything there was to know about the local fishing. The assistant's assistant's detailed description of all possible points of waterborne departure that could end in an arrival in the marshes on the north bank of the River Dee left Ruso baffled, but one thing was clear. In a land where coastlines shifted in and out and rivers flowed backward twice a day, anything that floated could end up a very long way from where it fell into the water.
"Point of entry into water unknown," he dictated.
The man paused. "I didn't get the bit before that, sir." Ruso repeated the location of the body. The man wiped a scrape of wax off the end of the stylus with his forefinger, flicked it away, and began to write.
There was a bird chirping in the hospital garden and a murmur of voices. Ruso glanced out the window. On the far side of the herb beds an amputee practiced with his crutches while orderlies hovered at each elbow, ready to catch him. A soft breeze wafted in, fluttering the lamps that had been placed on slender black stands around the table, burning for the soul of the unknown figure laid out beneath them.
The lamps lurched wildly as the door was flung open. The assistant's assistant looked up and said, "It's not her, Decimus," but the intruder still hurried to the table to look for himself.
Ruso frowned. "Who are you?"
The man clasped both hands together and continued staring at the body.
"Have you lost someone?"
The man swallowed. "No. Not like this, no, sir."
"Then you'd better leave, hadn't you?"
The man backed toward the door. "Right away, sir. Sorry to interrupt, sir. My mistake."
Ruso followed him across the room and barred the door before turning to the assistant. "Is there a missing person that HQ doesn't know about?"
The man shook his head. "Take no notice of Decimus, sir. He's just one of the porters. He's looking for his girlfriend."
"In the mortuary?"
"She ran off with a sailor, sir. Months ago."
"Why look in here, then?"
The man shrugged. "I don't know, sir. Perhaps he's hoping she's come back."
Ruso, not sure if this was an attempt at humor, tried to look the man in the eye, but the attention of the assistant's assistant remained firmly on the writing tablet.
Ruso looked down at the body. "Write, Cause of death."
The stylus began to scratch again. "Cause of ..."
"We'll start from the head down."
"We will start ..."
"No, don't write that."
"Sir?"
"Just write Cause of death. Nothing else yet."
He frowned at the girl's head. The fishermen who brought the body in had sworn that they had done nothing to it, but Ruso was at a loss to explain the girl's hair. At first he had thought she was simply unfortunate. Now, on closer examination, he realized the patchy baldness was not natural. He ran one finger across the bristly scalp.
"Is this some sort of a punishment, do you think?"
"Perhaps she cut it off to sell it, sir," suggested the orderly.
"This isn't cut, this is practically shaved."
"Lice, sir?" suggested the orderly, suddenly sounding hopeful. "Maybe she went down to the river to wash out the lice and drowned."
Ruso took a deep breath of fresh air before bending down and holding the lamp closer to the body.
"She didn't drown," he said, lifting the girl's chin with the tip of one finger. "Look."
Chapter Two
Ruso was still pondering the body in the mortuary as he walked out of the east gate of the fort. He was barely aware of his progress until he was abruptly recalled to his surroundings by a shout of "Get up!" from farther up the street. A man with a large belly was glaring at a grimy figure lying across the pavement just past the fruit stall. A woman with a shopping basket put down the pear she was examining and turned to see what was going on.The man repeated the order to "Get up!" The woman stared down at the figure and began to babble in some British dialect. The only word Ruso could make out was "water."
"Burn some feathers under her nose," suggested the stallholder, bending down to retrieve a couple of apples that had tumbled off the edge of his display.
Ruso veered into the street to avoid the commotion and narrowly missed a pile of animal droppings. He frowned. He must try and concentrate on what he was doing. He had come out for a walk because he was unable to sleep. Now that he was walking, he was having trouble staying awake.
At the open shutters of Merula's he ordered the large cup of good wine he had been promising himself for days. When it came it was nothing like the Falernian it was supposed to resemble. He scowled into its clear depths. At that price and in this place, he supposed it was as good as could be expected. In other words, not very good at all.
The doorman watched as he drained the wine without bothering to add any water, and asked him if he would like to meet a pretty girl.
"Not before I've been to the baths," Ruso grunted. "Are you still serving those oysters?"
"Not today, sir."
"Good."
"I'm sorry, sir ...?"
"So you should be."
Ruso wondered whether to explain that a dish of Merula's marinated oysters was the indirect cause of his present unkempt state and uncertain temper. He decided not to bother.
Yesterday, strapping a poultice around the foot of a groom trampled by his horse, he had composed an imaginary notice for the hospital entrance.
"To all members of XX Legion Valeria Victrix. While the chief medic is on leave, this hospital has three officers. The administrative officer has gone shopping in Viroconium and taken his keys with him. One doctor has severe food poisoning. The other is doing his best, despite having no idea what's going on because he has no time to attend morning briefings. Until reinforcements arrive, nonurgent cases and injuries resulting from drunkenness, stupidity, or arguments with drill instructors will not be treated."
Before the sun had fully risen today he had been presented with a seized back, a dislocated elbow, three teeth in the hand of a man who wanted them replaced, and the body. When he pointed out that the body was beyond his help, he was told that they didn't know what else to do with it.
Mercifully Valens-a paler and thinner version of the Valens who had eaten the oysters-had reported for duty this afternoon. Peering at Ruso, he'd announced, "You look worse than I do. Go and get some rest." Ruso, who had been desperate to sleep for the past three days, suddenly found himself unable to settle down.
A group of youths with army haircuts was sauntering across the street toward Merula's. As they entered Ruso murmured, "Don't touch the seafood." He was gone before they could reply.
Passing the bakery, he realized that he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. He bought a honey cake and crumbled it against the roof of his mouth as he walked along.
Ahead of him, a chorus of excited voices rose in the street. He recognized the fat man, still shouting orders in a thick Gallic accent. The female who had collapsed had now attracted a sizeable crowd. They seemed to be carrying her to the fountain. Ruso tossed the last fragments of cake to a passing dog and strode on in the direction of the amphitheater. It was nothing to do with him. He was not, at this moment, a doctor. He was a private citizen in need of some bath oil.
He took a deep breath before diving into the perfumed dusk of the oil shop. He had placed his flask on the counter and was naming what he wanted when the shopkeeper's attention was caught by something behind him. The man snatched up a heavy stick and leaped out from behind the counter, yelling, "Clear off!" The dog that had finished Ruso's cake shot out from behind a stack of jars and scuttled off down the street.
The shopkeeper replaced the stick under the counter. "Somebody ought to do something about those dogs."
"Are they dangerous?"
"Only when they bite. Now, what was it you were after?"
Outside, half a dozen pairs of hands were dragging a limp body along the pavement to where the fountain, a large and ugly stone fish, was spewing water into a long rectangular tank.
The shopkeeper glanced up from the jug he was pouring. "Something's going on over there."
Ruso heard a splash as he said, "A woman fainted in the street."
"Oh." The man twisted the stopper into the flask and wiped the side with a cloth. Ruso handed over a sestertius. As the man counted out the change, more people began crowding around the fountain. Voices drifted across the street.
"Get up, you lazy whore!"
"Give her another dunk!"
"If you burn some feathers-"
"Stand her up!"
"Lie her down!"
"Lie her down? She does nothing but lie down!"
Ruso dropped the coins into his purse and emerged into the fresh air. He was not going to offer to help. He had been caught like that before. Poor people, like stray dogs, bred huge litters they couldn't look after and latched on to you with the slightest sign of encouragement. As soon as the whisper went around that some doctor was treating people for free, every case of rotten teeth and rheumatism within a thousand feet would be rounded up and thrust under his nose for inspection. He would be lucky to get away before nightfall.
A voice whispered in his memory-a voice he hadn't heard for almost two years now-a voice accusing him of being cold-hearted and arrogant. He silenced it, as he usually did, by recalling other voices. The Tribune's praise of his "commendable single-mindedness" (of course Valens had to ruin it later by explaining, "He meant you're boring"). Or the officer's wife who had smiled at him over her sprained ankle and said, "You're really quite sweet, Petreius Ruso, aren't you?" That memory would have been more comforting, though, if she hadn't been caught in the bed of the chief centurion a week later and been sent back to Rome in disgrace.
Raising his fingers to sniff the smear of perfumed oil, Gaius Petreius Ruso headed back the way he had come.
The sharp crack of a hand on flesh rang down the street.
"On your feet! Move!"
A pause.
"Throw some more water on her."
A splash. A cry of, "Hey, mind my new shoes!"
Laughter.
Ruso pursed his lips. He should have stayed up at the fort. He could have helped himself to some of Valens's oil and used the hospital baths. Now he would sit in the steam room wondering what had happened to the wretched woman, even though he wasn't responsible for it.
"Wake up, gorgeous!"
More laughter.
If he managed to revive her, those comedians would take the credit.
"Turn her over!"
If he didn't, he would get the blame.
There was a sudden gasp from around the fountain. Someone cried, "Ugh! Look at that!"
A child was pawing at her mother's arm, demanding, "What is it? I can't see! Tell me what it is!"
Ruso hesitated, came to a halt, and promised himself it would only be a quick look.
The military belt was an accessory with magical powers. Several of the onlookers disappeared as soon as it approached. The rest parted to let its wearer through, and Ruso found himself staring down at his second unfortunate female today. This one was a skinny figure lying in a puddle by the fountain. She was still breathing, but she was a mess. The rough gray tunic that covered her was the same color as the bruise under one eye. Blood was oozing from her lower lip and forming a thin red line in the water that still trickled down her face. Her hair was matted and mud-colored. She could have been any age between fifteen and thirty.
"We're giving this girl some water, sir," explained someone with an impressive grasp of understatement.
"She's fainted," added someone else.
"She always faints when there's work to be done," grumbled the man who had been shouting at her. He bent as far down as his belly would allow and yelled in the girl's ear, "Get up!"
"She can't hear you," remarked Ruso evenly. His gaze took in the copper slave band around the girl's upper right arm. Below the elbow, the arm vanished into a swathe of grimy rags. The pale hand emerging at the other end was what had silenced the crowd. It was sticking out at a grotesque and impossible angle. Ruso frowned, unconsciously fingering his own forearm. "What happened to her arm?"
"It wasn't us!" assured a voice in the crowd. "We was only trying to help!"
The grumbler turned his head to one side and spat. "Silly bitch fell down the steps."
"Fell down the steps, sir," corrected Ruso, restraining an urge to seize the man by the ear.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from MEDICUSby RUTH DOWNIE Copyright © 2006 by Ruth Downie. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury USA
- Publication date : March 11, 2008
- Language : English
- Print length : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1596914270
- ISBN-13 : 978-1596914278
- Item Weight : 15.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.47 x 1.11 x 8.21 inches
- Book 1 of 8 : The Medicus
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,521 in Historical Mystery
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Ruth (RS) Downie left university with an English degree and a plan to get married and live happily ever after. She is still working on it. In the meantime she is also the New York Times bestselling author of a mystery series featuring Roman legionary doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso and his British partner, Tilla.
The latest book is a novella, PRIMA FACIE, published in July 2019.
There are eight full-length novels:
MEDICUS (the first story, AKA 'Medicus/Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls')
TERRA INCOGNITA ('Ruso and the Demented Doctor')
PERSONA NON GRATA ('Ruso and the Root of All Evils')
CAVEAT EMPTOR ('Ruso and the River of Darkness')
SEMPER FIDELIS (at last, only one title!)
TABULA RASA
VITA BREVIS
MEMENTO MORI
In 2015 Ruth helped to put together 'A YEAR OF RAVENS: a novel of Boudica's rebellion' with co-conspirators Stephanie Drey, E Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, SJA Turney and Russell Whitfield. 2017 saw the publication of 'THE BEAR AND THE WOLF', a short story of love and danger on Rome's northern border, written with SJA Turney. IN 2019 she was a contributor to 'RUBICON', the Historical Novel Society's collection of Roman-era short stories.
Ruth lives in North Devon with a husband, a fine view and too many cats. She is not the same person as the RS Downie who writes real medical textbooks. Absolutely none of the medical advice in the Ruso books should be followed. Roman and Greek doctors were very wise about many things but they were also known to prescribe donkey dung and boiled cockroaches.
Find out more at www.ruthdownie.com
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Customers find the book's plot engaging, with one describing it as a well-crafted murder mystery that grabs readers from the start. The writing style receives mixed feedback - while many find it well written, some express disappointment with the author's lack of research. Customers appreciate the character development, particularly the well-drawn background, and enjoy the historical portrayal of Roman Britain, with one noting how it brings the setting to life. The humor is appreciated, with customers finding the writing witty and evocative of life in Britain. The pace receives mixed reactions, with some finding it well-paced while others note it slows down in the middle.
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Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an entertaining and enjoyable story that keeps readers engaged until the end.
"All in all it is a good read, one that I recommend...." Read more
"...n't seem to have his life together, and its both heartbreaking and entertaining to see him struggle to keep all his affairs in order...." Read more
"...before, but beings it has been a while, I'm ready for another enjoyable read." Read more
"Good read about a period in time difficult to research even though scratching the surface of Great Britain usually turns up something Roman." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them delightful and well-drawn, with one customer noting the main character's astonishing sense of humor.
"...The characters are great and so is the setting...." Read more
"...A good combination of history, characters, mystery and action; but the writing can be a bit dense for the subject matter at times...." Read more
"...The characters were interesting and well drawn and the mystery was very well plotted...." Read more
"Good characters, great setting. The Kindle version needs a better editor as the punctuation and capitalization errors were distracting...." Read more
Customers find the book worth their time, with one mentioning it encapsulates everything they love about reading.
"...These books are funny, serious, educational, and very well written and edited. They get my highest recommendation." Read more
"The idea for this book is a good one. Set in ancient Rome, Medicus is a physician who takes care of the legionaries in Britannica...." Read more
"...It promises to continue interesting and unusual and worth reading." Read more
"...voice of an author just really, really works for me and this one is absolutely perfect...." Read more
Customers appreciate the historical content of the book, particularly its portrayal of Roman Britain and its well-researched depiction of the Roman occupation of the region.
"...The novel's other characters provide a colorful supporting cast and stimulate marvelous images of human comedy and tragedy, especially when they..." Read more
"...This was an interesting look at the ways a high-ranking Roman army officer could pilfer funds for his own use; the seedy, low-class undertakings in..." Read more
"...Ancient Britain is exotic and wild in the hands of the author, and half of the fun of the book is exploring the world...." Read more
"...Gaius is an interesting character, and the setting in Roman Britain was very interesting to me after reading all of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon books..." Read more
Customers enjoy the author's humor in the book, finding it quite witty and writing that evokes life in Britain, with one customer noting how it stimulates marvelous images of human comedy and tragedy.
"...These books are funny, serious, educational, and very well written and edited. They get my highest recommendation." Read more
"...There's a good mix of mystery, history and humor. This is the first in what is now a four-part series...." Read more
"...Ruso is an engaging character - serious, stubborn, and clever - who brings the reader into the Roman world comfortably...." Read more
"...This was an enjoyable read with a blend of humor, mystery, and history." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well-paced and easy to read, while others note that it gets slow in the middle and has a slow-moving plot.
"...A fast read. Because I like historical novels, I liked this one. Another reviewer said the novel lacked spice...." Read more
"...It's cool, an easy read and I sometimes find myself laughing aloud at the grumpy protagonist." Read more
"...Not sure what I was expecting, but this book disappointed in terms of pace and storyline for me...." Read more
"...A well-constructed plot in and around the fort location of Deva keeps a steady pace...." Read more
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2011Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseOne subject that never fails to get my heart pumping is history. I've discovered an enjoyment for historical fiction as well. Sometimes, the holes in history are filled in fairly well by a writer's imagination. In the 8th grade, I read Johnny Tremaine. As I've grown and studied the period surrounding our American Revolution, I found it to be fairly accurate, but the fictional element added an interesting spice to my understanding of the period.
I found a similar experience with Medicus. One historical period with which I'm particularly fascinated is the Roman Empire. Yet some parts of the history of the empire were recorded better than others. The British Isles were one area for which little written history remains.
I came across Medicus as a Kindle freebie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main character, Gaius Petrius Ruso, is a Roman Army doctor in Britain during the period when Trajan died and Hadrian took over as emperor (approximately 117-118 AD or CE depending on your perspective). The book begins with a girl turning up dead and Ruso is forced to deal with it as the only doctor not sick or away from the hospital. This girl's death leads him unwittingly into buying an injured slave girl and investigating a string of murders of bar prostitutes.
Complicating the plot, Ruso is also juggling the aftermath of his father's death among an over extension of credit. Though Ruso is divorced, his brother maintains the family farm in southern Gaul (France), and his responsibility is to send whatever money he can from his Army salary to support his family and somehow repay his father's massive system of debt. Ruso's solution is his own intricate system of loans that threaten to unravel at any moment, especially when the tyrannical hospital administrator gets involved.
I enjoyed the book and the characters. The narration is predominately told in the third person surrounding Ruso, the main character, although occasionally we're given a glimpse into the mind of Trilla, the slave girl. The switch didn't seem very consistent though.
Other reviewers on Amazon said the other characters were two-dimensional. I didn't think so. Since the story was mostly told from the perspective of the main character, obviously the other characters didn't appear as filled out. At least, it's obvious to me. I'm not a trained book reviewer, but I am a trained reader. I know what I like. I also wonder how "two-dimensional" people in my life would appear if the only way you knew them was through my journal. No, you can't read it.
My biggest complaint about Medicus is I'll have to buy the rest of the series now that I'm invested in the main character. There are at least 3 more books following this one, and none have shown up as Kindle freebies yet. If you love the triumvirate of history, fiction, and the Roman Empire, you should enjoy Medicus.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2015Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseDeceptively understated writing that follows the daily comings and goings of the title character, a Roman Legionnaire who happens to be a medical doctor in a Brittanica outpost in the far-reaching Roman Empire. He is a solemn man, whose life is totally filled by his job. His more easy going room-mate, the handsome one, Valens is always urging him to live it up a bit and find himself some distractions. Rusa, however, is divorced from the ambitious Claudia, whom he has left behind in Africa and is anxious to rise within the ranks to become CMO of the hospital, a position also sought by Valens.
Rusa is in financial straits, primarily the result of poor money management by his now deceased father and his spend-thrift step mother. He is attempting to write a Concise Medical Handbook that he hopes will also help strengthen his pocketbook. He is, you see, almost to end of the last pay period and his brother and other family are attempting to hang onto the family vineyards in Gaul. He must send them money for their living expenses as well as support himself.
While walking through the streets of Deva on his way back to the hospital, contemplating his position and also the mystery of the suspicious death of a woman pulled from the river and deposited in his infirmary, he comes upon a slave dealer and an almost dead female slave who is bloodied and appears to have a broken arm. Though he tries to avoid becoming involved in the workings of the town and its native inhabitants he finds himself using the last of his money to purchase this slave and take her to the hospital where he sets her arm.
So begins a series of seemingly unrelated events with which he becomes involved, not the least of which is this new unanticipated responsibility, the young blonde slave he calls Tilla.
The short chapters, interesting history of Legion life, the medicine of the times, the interaction between Romans and Britons all keep the story moving until its final revelations, which are not entirely surprising though more complex than expected. This is the first in a series of novels telling the story of Rome and its occupation of Britain. It promises to continue interesting and unusual and worth reading.
Top reviews from other countries
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K. BrandnerReviewed in Germany on September 8, 2010
5.0 out of 5 stars Humorvolle Studie eines widerwilligen Helden
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEs ist also möglich: Selbst in dem hoch kommerziellen, dank unzähliger Neuerscheinungen unüberschaubaren Genre der Historienromane fällt gelegentlich einem Autoren oder hier, einer Autorin, noch etwas Originelles ein, und das auch noch mit einer überzeugenden Schreibe. Gaius Petrius Ruso, der Titelheld der Geschichte, ist ein vom Schicksal gebeutelter Mann. Sein Vater ist kürzlich gestorben, den lieben Hinterbliebenen einen riesigen Schuldenberg hinterlassend; seine Frau, eine ehrgeizige und dümmliche Schreckschraube, hat sich von ihm scheiden lassen und nun ist er - nicht gerade auf dem Höhepunkt seiner Karriere - in einer Provinz gelandet, in der es von Nagetieren, unfreundlichen Zeitgenossen und verwaltungstechnischen Schikanen nur so wimmelt. Unser Held ist unglücklich, monetär klamm, einsam und vom Pech verfolgt - und das ist so vergnüglich zu lesen und mit solch staubtrockenem Witz erzählt, dass hier die Lektüre ein wahrer Genuss ist. Gaius Petrius Ruso ist 2000 Jahre alt und doch ein höchst aktueller Antiheld. Er will eigentlich immer nur seine Ruhe, aber da er auch stur einem inneren System folgt, landet er mitten in einer Morduntersuchung und erwirbt auch noch eine zwar höchst attraktive, aber dummerweise auch sehr aufmüpfige Britin als Sklavin. Unser wackerer Mediziner hat hier spürbar Schwierigkeiten, die Fasson, die Übersicht und die Oberhand zu bewahren. Während er mit den Rätseln weiblichen Verhaltens hadert, schlüpft er widerstrebend und innerlich knurrend in die Rolle eines Privatermittlers, der den Tod zweier Prostituierter untersucht. Im Laufe der nicht gerade hoch professionellen Detektivarbeit gerät er an einen tobsüchtigen Zenturio, einen perücketragenden Verwaltungshengst, gewaltbereite Exsoldaten und mehr oder weniger laszive Straßenmädchen. Und zum Dank für seine Bemühungen scheint jeder in diesem gottverlassenen Garnisonsort auf ihm herumzutrampeln. Diese erbauliche Studie über einen völlig unheroischen Mann, der eigentlich immer nur das Richtige tun will und - ach schnöde Welt - dafür den Preis bezahlen muss, den gutmütige Menschen in jedem Zeitalter zahlen müssen, kommt ganz ohne Schlachtengemälde oder Schwertgeklirr aus - und ist doch fesselnd und humorvoll bis zur letzten Seite. Eine angenehme Abwechslung zu den ständigen Blut- und Eisensagas, die den Mainstream dieses Genres dominieren.
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KrisReviewed in France on September 24, 2018
3.0 out of 5 stars Terriblement lent
La trame du roman presente un intérêt plus documentaire que quant à l’intrigue en soi. Mais ce qui rend la lecture pénible c’est le rythme de l’écriture qui se traîne à la vitesse d’un escargot rhumatisant. Je ne pense pas acheter la suite des romans “romains” écrits par Ruth Downie.
- Catherine CzerkawskaReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Historical Novel!
I loved this book so much, I read it twice. Once because I enjoyed it, and the second time to try to figure out how she had managed to make her characters 'feel' real without ever being anachronistic.
Incidentally - do ignore the negative reviews. I had a look at them and wondered if we had been reading the same book, but sometimes the nitpicking is because of linguistic differences. The word 'corn' for instance, picked up as inaccurate by one reviewer, is used generically for wheat, barley and oats in British English, so is perfectly fine for Roman Britain. Wanting characters to speak in a weird recreation of Latin-as-English isn't how language works. Any writer of historical fiction has to try to make dialogue sound real and accurate - as people would have heard it at the time - while keeping it within the constraints of that time and place. Downie always manages it.
Nevertheless, she wears her learning lightly. This 'feels' contemporary in that she brings her characters so vividly to life that we could be there. Ruso is not just likeable but loveable. Tilla is utterly believable. But both protagonists still seem to be very much of their time. For once, this isn't just about 'the Romans in Britain' but about Britain at the time of the Romans as well.
I went on to read the whole series. Loved them all and will probably go back to them.
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Parcianello MarioReviewed in Italy on July 29, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Ben scritto e avvincente
E' il primo libro che leggo di Ruth Downie e l'impressione che he ho avuto è decisamente positiva.
I personaggi sono caratterizzati bene e la storia non è banale.
Questo è il primo libro di una serie, oggi acquisto il secondo, sperando che sia sullo stesso standard.
- Bill GrantReviewed in Canada on August 23, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight into a medic in the Roman Army
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThe book arrived in great condition. Ruth Downie is a new author for me and I've put more of her books on my wish list to follow Medicus Ruso in his career. In addition to the day to day routine of a Medicus it also involved politics deceit and suspence, very enjoyable.