I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Caveat Emptor
by
Ruth Downie
amateur sleuth, historical mystery, military fiction in a hardcover edition that was published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on December 21, 2010 and has 338 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Medicus, Terra Incognita, , Tabula Rasa
Fourth in the Gaius Petreius Ruso Roman historical military mystery series — the series keeps changing with more of a government and politics air than military in this installment.
My Take
Caveat Emptor begins oddly. I feel as though I’ve missed a story as, previously in Persona Non Grata, we’re left believing Ruso and Tilla are off to Rome to track down stolen money instead, it’s two years later and Ruso and Tilla are married, Ruso is unemployed, and, for some reason, they’re sailing back to Britain (mostly for Tilla’s sake I think as both are fed up with people’s prejudiced reactions to Tilla the Barbarian). It does make for some fascinating asides from Tilla as she comments on the differences between living in Britain and Gaul.
Well, the two of them end up in Londinium crashing with Valens who is no longer martially employed but is having marital problems. Ruso’s investigative side is called upon with some blackmail from Metellus and Ruso is off to Verulamium (today’s St. Albans) to investigate the death of a tax collector and the missing taxes. This particular story includes an interesting bit of how coins are devalued and there is a personal look at a Roman funeral.
I’m hoping that one day Ruso and Tilla will get their act together and realize they would do so much better if they cooperated. They are on the way — at least, Tilla has flashes of “oops” and I think Ruso is starting to see her as a partner…I think…
There are several aspects of this series which I am enjoying: the stubborn, intelligent, going-off-half-cocked barbarian woman with a heart with her amazingly (for the times), tolerant, well-meaning, intelligent yet naive, Roman doctor as they stagger through a well-written depiction of life in Roman times trying to do good and save lives.
