Vita Brevis

May 23, 2016
Downie’s uneven seventh Gaius Ruso mystery (after 2014’s Tabula Rasa) takes the former medical officer; his wife, Tilla; and their infant daughter, Mara, from second-century Britannia to Rome to start a new life. Things don’t get off to a good start. Their accommodations are vermin-infested, and the doctor, Kleitos, who was to send Ruso some patients, isn’t home when Ruso calls on him. Then Ruso gets a note from Kleitos, explaining that he is going to be out of town for a bit and inviting Ruso to take over both his house and practice. Hope turns to disappointment after Ruso learns that Kleitos has taken all his medical supplies with him. Meanwhile, a smelly barrel dumped in front of Kleitos’s door turns out to contain the corpse of an unidentified man, which doesn’t inspire confidence among prospective patients. Downie’s trademark humor is in evidence, but her superior plotting skills aren’t, in an entry that downplays the historical background. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management.

May 1, 2016
Ruso and Tilla are on the move, again. They have left Britain and military life (after Tabula Rasa, 2014) for Rome and private practice. Contrary to their expectations that everything there will be glittering and glorious, our medicus and his wife, with their adopted infant, Mara, in tow, end up in a vermin-infested apartment, and work is hard to find. Things improve when Ruso is offered a reputable position that comes with decent lodgings. But they are no sooner settled in than they find a dead man in a barrel on their doorstep. Downie writes with her usual humor and depth, and the book will live up to the expectations of devotees of the previous six titles. The perpetually frustrated Ruso never loses his compassion or his moral compass, and the heroic Tilla remains determined to create a loving home for them against all odds. Perfect for fans of the Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, this entertaining New York Times best-selling series and its endearing characters deserve as long a run.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2016

Life is short and sometimes ends violently, as medical doctor Gaius Ruso knows full well. In this seventh installment (after Tabula Rasa) of the "Medicus" series, Ruso, wife Tilla, and baby Mara have journeyed to Rome, at the invitation of Accius, a former legionary tribune. Yet all they discover is a stuffy room in a roach-infested tenement. Through a series of dubious events, Ruso obtains employment and much better living conditions--if he can keep his employer alive, solve the mystery of where the previous doctor has gone, and protect his family. The plot of this mystery has so many twists and turns that sometimes it's as difficult for readers to keep events straight as for Ruso; in the end, not every question gets a satisfactory answer. Ruso keeps moving forward, though--and so will the reader. VERDICT Series fans will enjoy this title, but new readers and devotees of historical fiction about the Roman Empire are well advised to start with the first book, Medicus. [See Prepub Alert, 2/1/16.]--Pamela O'Sullivan, Coll. at Brockport Lib., SUNY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2016
An idealistic doctor who moves to the big city with his family finds a nest of corruption--and corpses--literally on their doorstep.Now that it's C.E. 122 in Imperial Rome, physician Gaius Petreius Ruso is starting a new chapter in his life, moving from Britannia with his wife, Tilla, and their young adopted daughter, Mara. The trip has been arduous, with Metellus, a longtime antagonist of Ruso, popping up in Rome to insult Tilla and Mara. Ruso is set to take over the medical practice of the venerable physician Kleitos, but when they arrive at the older man's home, the door is locked, and when they get inside they find the furniture, including Kleitos' medical items, missing. On the porch sits a big barrel. Opening it with difficulty, Ruso finds a corpse inside. Nevertheless, he begins seeing patients even as he turns some attention to solving the dual mysteries of the corpse and his predecessor's disappearance. Helping not one iota is wealthy Accius, Kleitos' patron, who peppers Ruso with annoying questions and dire reports of local unrest. He finds the locals similarly prickly, and Tilla fares no better in Rome's rough streets, though a resourceful new servant girl named Narina proves an invaluable ally. The couple's exploration of this alien city becomes the reader's tutorial as well. They begin to feel that they are under siege. Could the unexpected death of their landlord, Horatius Balbus, be connected to these other mysteries? The seventh adventure for Downie's physician hero (Tabula Rasa, 2014, etc.) masterfully draws out its suspense, painting a vivid portrait of ancient Rome that feels persuasive and authentic.

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