Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire

– tekijä: Ruth Downie

Sarjat: Medicus Ruso (3)

Jäseniä	Kirja-arvostelut	Suosituimmuussija:	Keskimääräinen arvio	Keskustelut
82	24	76,340	(3.74)	25

Teoksen tarkat tiedot

Kirjan tarkat tiedot

Teoksen nimi	Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire
Tekijä	Ruth Downie
Arvio
Avainsanat	fiction, ARC, mystery, historical, Roman, Britain, doctor, slaves, legion, poison, Christians, Medicus series, LT Early Review, 2009, read 7/09
Kokoelmat	Oma kirjasto, Read 2009
Oma arvostelu	This was an ER read, and it is the 3rd in the Medicus series. The series is set in Roman Britain during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. The main character is a Roman doctor/surgeon. Ruso, who is with the Legion stationed there. In this book he breaks his foot which makes him useless for work. Ruso also gets a letter from his younger brother in Gaul, asking him to come home immediately. Although Ruso is older than Lucius and head of the family, it is Lucius who has been dealing with the family farm/vineyard and the family's debts. Ruso heads home, and brings his British (barbarian) 'housekeeper' and lover Tilla with him. He has never told the family about her, so they are unprepared for her arrival. He makes a mess of it and they think she is a servant/slave. Once home Ruso finds out Lucius didn't send for him, and that Ruso's return endangers the family because now that he is not 'away serving the empire', the bankruptcy case in court against them can proceed. Lucius is accused of a short payment on a loan, which he denies. In an attempt to smooth over the disagreement over whether or not Lucius paid the full amount owed, Ruso goes to visit his father's old friend Fuscus. He is supervising the steward who brought the suit. Getting a semi-positive response from Fuscus, Ruso returns home to find the steward, Severus there waiting for him. They are working out a new agreement to avoid court, when Severus begins to twitch, complain, and vomit. He collapses and dies. His last words are "The Bitch Poisoned Me.". Ruso is alone with him in his study. He rushes off to send for the steward's family, and to find out if the steward has eaten or had anything to drink in their house. While gone, his stepmother has the maids clean the floor and strip the corpse. Ruso returns and is furious because now it looks like he is covering up something about Sevrus' death. Ruso has always had problems with his stepmother and she doesn't listen to him. She spends beyond their means and has been treating Tilla badly. Ruso now finds that Severus was married to his ex-wife, Claudia, and she and her father, the banker Probus, are blaming him for the death, and Fuscus has asked for investigators from the capital. Ruso has to solve the murder before the investigators from Rome arrive. They can torture witnesses they are questioning. Another thread that seems to be part of the murder is the sinking of a trading vessel that was sponsored by both Probus and Severus. Probus had his steward, Justinius, on the ship to supervise. He died and his sister Cassiana is married to Lucius and determined to find the truth of what happened to the ship. Cass and Tilla sneak off the question people about the incident after Tilla finds someone who can give her information. She and one of the servants are attending a private meeting of Christians when she hears the news. Tilla also finds a man who can take her to the port town. Cass unexpectedly joins her on the journey at the last minute. Tilla is happy to be away from Ruso's stepmother who is also trying to fix Ruso up with a rich widow who is their neighbor. She thinks the woman's money will solve their financial woes. The book goes on to show the family lives of various characters, including the demands of Ruso's sisters who want dowries so they can marry while still young. Cass and Lucius have 5 small children and they romp through the story, since no one can control them. We meet Claudius' ex wife, and get glimpses of her new life, and what Severus' death means to her status. Ruso is investigating the death, dealing with the various family crises and also takes a job with the local gladiator company. There are big games coming up and they will need a Medicus, with combat-wound experience. The characters are mostly fun, though a bit cliched, and the story is interesting if a bit too full of positive situations to move the plot along. It is not what I would call meaty, but also not empty fluff. I enjoyed it and cared about the characters. The setting is done well, and Tilla and her forthright outlook is a gem.
Muut tekijät 1
Julkaisutiedot	Bloomsbury USA (2009), Hardcover, 368 pages
Julkaisuaika	2009
ISBN	1596916095 / 9781596916098
Kongressin kirjaston luokitus
Dewey-luokitus	823.92
Pääkieli eng	English
Teoksen muu kieli	(blank)
Alkuteoksen kieli
Hankintapäivä
Kirjan lukeminen aloitettu	2009-06-29
Kirja luettu	2009-07-03
Yhteenveto 1	Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie (2009)
Kommentit
BCID	XXX-
Kappalemäärä	1
Viittaus	MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, Wikipedia citation
Tietueen alkuperä	amazon.com