Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie Series: Gaius Petreius Ruso #7
on July 12, 2016
Genres: Historical Mystery
Pages: 343
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
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Ruso and Tilla and their new baby daughter have left Roman-occupied Britain for Rome, but their excitement at arriving in the city is soon dulled when they find that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors – some skilled, but others positively dangerous.
Ruso takes on a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor, Doctor Kleitos, has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust."
Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity. With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the unfortunate man in the barrel.
Ruso and Tilla accompany his former Centurion boss to Rome where he was promised Accius’ assistance setting up a private practice in Rome. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out just yet and now another body appears on his doorstep, literally. Ruth Downie’s historical mystery series set in Ancient Roman Empire days continues to dazzle.
Vita Brevis is the seventh installment in a series that chronicles the life and detecting of my favorite trouble magnet, Ruso and his wife Tilla who generally finds a way to help him out of said trouble. Take note if you are interested in reading these, the series goes by a few different names (Novels of Ancient Rome, Medicus Mysteries)
Ah yes, Ruso and Tilla have left the misty, rustic shores of Britania for the heart of the empire. They both had elevated hopes that life would be good and prosperous once they got there, especially since Ruso is being sponsored by a man associated with a senator’s family and has political aspirations of his own.
However, Accius was long on promises and short on actual medical practices to bestow. Ruso is disillusioned by all the gimmicks, cons, and quacks claiming to be medicus and doctors. There is too much competition for a man in his line of work.
Tilla has had about enough of bedbugs, tenement apartments, sketchy smarmy caretakers and everyone out to fleece her while she finds all the Roman ways as alien as they find hers. She has her adopted baby daughter now, but she is just one more mouth to feed.
Then, a chance happens to take over the practice of a man gone out of town to take care of a dying father. Ruso and Tilla happily move in to the doctor’s house and learn that this boon has just gone boom in their face. A mysterious barrel left out front before their arrival and a home stripped of everything worthwhile, accompanied by a note saying ‘trust nobody’. Leaves them right in the middle of neighborhood gossip, a dead body, few actual customers, and ominous big debt collectors. Ruso’s top- okay, only- patient is afraid of being poisoned, Accius is trying to marry the man’s daughter, and an old enemy from Britania turns up and his wide friendly smile can only mean more trouble for Ruso.
Tilla’s discovered a hidden Christos religious group upstairs, an antagonistic landlady next door at the bar, and she insists Ruso buy three Britain slaves when she sees them at a slave market. She also needs to find a way to help her husband out of the roiling mysteries and political intrigues he unwittingly found himself tangled in.
Vita Brevis was as engaging and twisting as previous books. It felt a little less intense since they are not in an intense rough frontier situation, but had a different sort of tension as they both feel like fish out of water, floundering on the streets of Rome. Speaking of Rome, I thought the descriptions of the neighborhood with the wealthy, the tenements, the baths, the library, slave market, and coliseum/amphitheater all gave me a great feel for the setting.
The character development, relationships, and mystery development were all well written. Ruso and Tilla’s marriage has grown solid over the course of the series, but now they add in an adopted child so must figure out parenting and they are also feeling adrift just trying to find a place where they can afford to live as a family. The strain is there on them, but they really work together as a couple and solving the mysteries.
The mystery was clever and had some good twists as well as some good side mystery/false trails to tease the reader.
Oh, and I experienced this book in both print and audio. Simon Vance is already a favorite, talented narrator so I eagerly pushed play and listened to him bring Ruso, Tilla and the rest of the Ancient Roman characters to life.
All in all, another abso-fab winner from this series. Historical Mystery fans who want something ancient, but not mired in too much historical detail with an amusing and entertaining pair as the detectives should definitely give the Gaius Petreius Ruso series a go.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I read this book at the time it was published. I agree with you that the new setting adversely affected the story. The series, however, is one of my favorites.
Yeah, I do prefer the stories that take place in Britain. And, I really wish there were many more in the series. 🙂
You find the most interesting series/books. This sounds good.
Yes! I got lucky when spotted a later book in the series being offered for review at Tantor Audio and then, of course, I had to go back for the whole thing. 🙂
This sure sounds like an interesting book. I would hate to be living in a time where bedbugs were a problem. eww.
I’ve learned so much about every day Roman life. And, ick, I’m with you about the bedbugs.
This makes me want an Ancient Rome book
Yes, it does make one want to go on a binge into all things Roman.
Historical mysteries are the best mysteries
You said it, B! I wish this series were longer.
I love the covers of this series! Glad you are continuing to really enjoy them!
Yes, the mosaic tiles are so unique and so very Roman. I love them, too.