Review: THE DARK REMAINS, William McIlvanney and I.Review: OLD BONES, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.Review: THE CASE OF THE MISSING MORRIS DANCER, Cat.Review: THE ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED O.Roman and Greek doctors were very wise about many things but they were also known to prescribe donkey dung and boiled cockroaches. Absolutely none of the medical advice in the Ruso books should be followed. She is not the same person as the RS Downie who writes real medical textbooks. Ruth lives in North Devon with a husband, a fine view and too many cats. Ruth (RS) Downie left university with an English degree and a plan to get married and live happily ever after. PERSONA NON GRATA ('Ruso and the Root of All Evils')ĬAVEAT EMPTOR ('Ruso and the River of Darkness') TERRA INCOGNITA ('Ruso and the Demented Doctor') MEDICUS (the first story, AKA 'Medicus/Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls') The author has created sufficiently likeable central characters in Ruso and Tilla for me to investigate where things go in the second book in the series. We see at first hand the impact of slave trafficking as well as the way in which the conquerors try to impose the "Roman way" onto the locals. Much of this introduction to life on the frontier of the Roman Empire is seen from the point of view of the conquered rather than the conquerors. And then his new slave Tilla runs away and Ruso finds he has got used to having her around. Girls from a local cafe/bordello keep turning up dead, and Ruso becomes a reluctant detective as he tries to work out what is happening. He desperately needs someone to cook and clean, but instead ends up rescuing a British slave at a price he can ill afford, and she has a broken arm. His lodgings are near the hospital but are filthy, and due to be demolished. His money seems to be going the wrong way. His father has left ruinous debts and so Ruso is constantly trying to send money to his brother who is looking after the family farm in Gaul. Ruso is recovering from a divorce and the death of his father in Gaul. Not only is the weather dismal but the locals are rebellious and they speak British. Gaius Petreius Ruso is a career soldier in the Roman army and has recently transferred to the 20th Legion in Deva (modern day Chester) from Africa. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Davis and Steven Saylor. With a gift for comic timing and historic detail, Ruth Downie has conjured an ancient world as raucous and real as our own. The first novel in the New York Times bestselling Gaius Petreius Ruso series. If only the locals would just stop killing each other and If only it were possible to find a decent glass of wine, and a slave who can cook, Ruso’s prospects would be a whole lot sunnier. It’s up to Ruso to summon all his skills to investigate, even though the breakthroughs in forensic science lie centuries in the future, and the murderer may be hunting him down too. not to mention a serial killer stalking the local streets.īarmaids’ bodies are being washed up with the tide and no one else seems to care. He has vast debts, a slave girl who is much more trouble than she is worth and an overbearing hospital administrator to deal with. The Gods are not smiling on army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso in his new posting in Britannia. Britannia, AD117 – primitive, cold, damp and very muddy. Welcome to the most remote part of the Roman Empire. Formerly published as RUSO AND THE DISAPPEARING DANCING GIRLS.
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