Memento Mori by Ruth Downie

August 2, 2020

Memento Mori by Ruth Downie

Gaius Petreius Ruso, retired army medicus, is living with his wife Tilla, baby daughter Mara, and two slaves with his wife's Briton family.  He spends his days working on the family farm until his former clerk Albanus arrives with the unexpected news that Serena, wife of Ruso's friend Valens, has been found murdered in the sacred springs of Aquae Sulis (modern day Bath).  Valens is considered to be the prime suspect, and he has sent Albanus to urge Ruso to come to Aquae Sulis to help him.  Instead of traveling alone, Tilla insists on traveling with him, along with the baby, the nanny, and their second slave to mind their luggage.  But when Ruso arrives in the famous resort town, he finds that the situation is a lot more complicated than he expected.  Serena's father Pertinax, who not only loathes Valens but is one of Ruso's frenemies, is already on the scene and howling for Valens' blood.  It turns out everyone in the town knew that Serena had a boyfriend, who has conveniently disappeared.  In addition, the chief engineer, the high priest, and the baths manager all want to hush up the crime so as not to damage the town's reputation and scare away the tourists.  Ruso and Tilla must work together to solve the crime and clear Valens' name so that he can retain custody of his twin sons.

The 8th installment in Ruth Downie's Medicus series featuring Roman military doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso and his British wife Tilla is just as well-researched as previous titles in the series.  It is also a snapshot of two marriages where neither partner understands the other, but Ruso and Tilla care deeply for each other and are determined to continue stumbling forward together, as compared to the crumbling marriage of Valens and Serena.  Valens has treated Serena shabbily and she has fallen out of love with him and found someone who loves and values her; Valens, like many men before and since, doesn't particularly want to be with Serena, but he doesn't want anyone else to have her, either.  A sad but all too common tale.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys accurate historical mysteries or novels set in ancient Britain.

Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie

November 13, 2019

Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie

Gaius Ruso Petreius and his wife Tilla travel from Britannia to Rome with their baby daughter Mara, at the urging of ex-tribune Accius.  Accius is hoping to marry the daughter of a rich businessman, and when Kleitos, the businessman’s Greek doctor, leaves Rome hastily and unexpectedly, Accius arranges for Ruso to take over his abandoned medical practice.  Ruso is led to believe that there is a thriving practice with wealthy patrons waiting for him, but he soon learns that not only was Kleitos, the previous doctor, deeply in debt, but that his practice has its dodgy side.  Like the dead man in the barrel that has been left outside his door.  In addition, Ruso and Tilla need to procure a nursery slave to look after their daughter so that they can see their patients and have a little privacy, but somehow end up with three barbarian slaves.

But when the businessman collapses after taking a (harmless?) concoction that Ruso has mixed for him, Ruso needs to find out who or what actually killed the man.  And what was really in that bottle labelled “poppy flowers”?  Ruso needs to find some answers ASAP.

I enjoy the Ruso mystery series very much.  The interactions and philosophical differences between Ruso, a medicus with the Roman legion, and Tilla, his British-born wife, are always entertaining.  In addition, the descriptions of daily life in Rome and Britannia and the political maneuverings of Ruso’s former legion colleagues make for an entertaining story.

Tabula Rasa by Ruth Downie

October 4, 2019

Tabula Rasa by Ruth Downie

Army medicus Gaius Petreius Ruso and his British wife Tilla are back in the borderlands of Britannia with the 20^th Legion, where the army is protecting the men building the Roman wall.  Many of the local residents have been forcibly moved from their lands to make way for the wall, causing tension between the Britons and the army.  Three days after reporting for duty, Ruso’s new clerk Candidus has gone missing without a trace, and Ruso feels obligated to search for him since Candidus is his old friend Albanus’ nephew.  There is a persistent rumor that one of the locals saw someone hiding a body in the wall.  To make matters worse, the youngest son of a local chieftain also vanishes, ratcheting the tension even higher.

Wonderful characters, attention to detail, historical accuracy, flashes of humor, and excellent pacing all make this another great adventure in the Medicus series.  One of the things that I really like about this series is that the author introduces the crime almost immediately, without having to go hunting for the mystery somewhere in the middle of the book.  Also, Ruso and Tilla's contrasting world views show just how extremely different their cultures were.  Simon Vance does a bang-up job with the narration on the audiobook, getting the voices just right.  I look forward to meeting up again with Ruso and Tilla to see what they get up to in their next outing.

Semper Fidelis by Ruth Downie

August 6, 2019

Semper Fidelis by Ruth Downie

After his stint as an investigator, Ruso has re-enlisted in the Roman army as a medical officer (medicus).  With the impending visit of the emperor, the town of Deva is in an uproar.  To escape the noise and politics, Ruso devises a tour for himself to inspect the medical facilities at the various distant army outposts where the 20th Roman Legion will stop.  His native-born British wife Tilla, a skilled midwife, accompanies him.  But as soon as they arrive at their first stop (in what is the modern city of York), a young recruit commits suicide by jumping off a roof.  When Ruso inspects the infirmary, he discovers that there have been a number of other suspicious deaths and injuries in the regiment.

Despite Ruso’s best plans, a storm blows the emperor’s flotilla off course, and the emperor and his entourage land near the outpost rather than in Deva.  He and Tilla get to experience the full force of the imperial visit, while trying to prove that a brutal officer is responsible for the recruits’ deaths and save themselves at the same time.

Well-researched as are all the books in this series, this title isn’t as strong as the previous four books. The first half of the book is a long set up for the last half, where the mystery actually starts.  I hope this is just a glitz in the series, since I really enjoy Ruso and Tilla's adventures.