Caveat Emptor (Gaius Petreius Ruso Series #4)

by Ruth Downie

Overview

In her fourth novel, Ruth Downie brings to life the corruption and treachery of Roman-occupied Britain, as it closes in on her winsome leading man, Gaius Petreius Ruso.

Ruso and Tilla, now newlyweds, have moved back to Britannia, where Ruso's old friend and colleague Valens has promised to help him find work. But it isn't the kind of work he'd had in mind-Ruso is tasked with hunting down a missing tax man named Julius Asper.

Of course, there's also something else missing: money. And the council of the town of Verulamium is bickering over what's become of it. Compelled to delve deeper by a threat from his old sparring partner, Metellus, Ruso discovers that the good townsfolk may not be as loyal to Rome as they like to appear.

While Tilla tries to comfort Asper's wife, an anonymous well-wisher is busy warning the couple to get away from the case before they get hurt. Despite our hero's best efforts to get himself fired as investigator, he and his bride find themselves trapped at the heart of an increasingly treacherous conspiracy involving theft, forgery, buried treasure, and the legacy of Boudica, the Rebel Queen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608195923
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/21/2010
Series:	Gaius Petreius Ruso Series , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	580,602
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Ruth Downie is the author of the New York Times bestselling Medicus, Terra Incognita, and most recently Persona Non Grata. She is married with two sons and lives in Milton Keynes, England.
Ruth Downie is the author of the New York Times bestselling Medicus, Terra Incognita, Persona Non Grata, and Caveat Emptor. She is married with two sons and lives in Devon, England.

Editorial Reviews

"Downie excels in bringing the ancient world to life as well as making the attitudes and customs of its inhabitants accessible to a modern audience." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

From the Publisher

Author Ruth Downie and narrator Simon Vance have devised the perfect listening escape. Forget about modern life and follow medicus-turned-investigator Ruso to Roman Britain. In Book Four of this captivating series, the Gaul-born Ruso and his Brittania-born wife, Tilla, become embroiled in the death of a local tax collector. When Ruso is asked to help solve the mystery, he and Tilla leave Londinium for northern Verulamium (modern St. Albans), where they encounter a mess of treachery, hints of buried treasure, and the legacy of the warrior queen, Boudica. As always, Vance offers believable characterizations of everyone from bored Roman bureaucrats to native baths-house guards. His smooth delivery of narrative enhances the wealth of historical facts that Downie blends into the satisfyingly complex plot. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2011 - AudioFile

Downie's wonderful historical mystery series (Persona Non Grata, 2009, etc.) set in 2nd-century CE Roman-occupied Britain cruises along in high gear in this entertaining fourth installment.

Serial physician (medicus) andde factodetective Gaius Petreius Ruso is assigned to investigate the suspicious disappearance of both tax collector Julius Asperandmoney owed to the coffers of Emperor Hadrian. Ruso traces a path between the Roman command center in Londinium and the northern metropolis (Verulamium) whence Asper and his brother (also "missing") have presumably fled. When it appears both fugitives were murdered, Asper's pregnant common-law wife begins hurling accusations. Ruso's former servant and present wife Tilla does what she usually does, helping out, investigating on her own and attracting the threatening attentions of assorted suspects. The latter include multiple high-living magistrates, a sinister security chief, an even more menacing captain of Verulamium's security forces, a craven finance officer, a housekeeper who knows perhaps too many secrets for her own good—oh, and there's also a three-legged dog named (what else?) Cerberus. The intriguingly tricky plot—arguably marred by too many otherwise brisk scenes which do little more than move Ruso from one locale to another—turns on a clever forgery scheme; and, as always, Downie displays a virtuoso's command of pertinent period detail. Along the way, the body count rises rather alarmingly and it seems that as many innocent as guilty parties are severely punished. The subplot concerning Tilla's frustrated yearning to conceive a child takes a poignant new turn, while opening a clear path toward another sequel. Fortunately, when in Britannia, Downie remains a peerless storyteller and a master entertainer.

BBC'sMasterpiece should take a long look at this series. It's a winner.

Kirkus Reviews