Medicus

Gaius Petreius Ruso is an army medic with XX Legion in Deva, newly arrived from his last posting in Africa and very much aware that this is the empire's remotest outpost and therefore very far from civilisation. After a young woman's body is brought to the hospital, he reluctantly starts to ask questions; his life is further complicated by the fact that he bought on impulse, when sleep-deprived and slightly drunk, a female native slave who was being abused by her owner in the street.

This was surprisingly fun and engaging, with an understated comedic element to the narrative, which works very well in this fish-out-of-water variation. In addition to the interesting historical setting and insight into medical procedures 2,000 years ago, I show more particularly enjoyed the characterisation, which sheds some light on the ambivalent relationship between the Roman army, and its accompanying service personnel and traders, and the native population; there is a definite sense of simmering tensions between the natives and the incomers (the Romans view themselves as superior and regard the natives as uncivilised, whereas the native Britons resent the presence of the Romans who they rightly see as invaders; the resentment is even extended to those Britons who they see as fraternising with the Romans), including all the mutual mistrust that brings with it. Despite reminding Tilla every so often that he is her master and she his property, which makes their relationship all the more realistic, it is clear that Ruso is kind and generous at heart, so that readers are still able to root for and engage with him, and the novel shows how Ruso and Tilla develop a mutual respect for each other.

The mystery, such as it is, therefore necessarily takes a back seat, and it's obvious quite quickly who the perpetrator is, even though the motive is not revealed till the closing stages of the novel. Finally, the author's note draws the reader's attention to the situation of the working girls at Merula's bar, and draws parallels to modern slavery and people trafficking, even though they supposedly no longer have a place in our society. Recommended. show less

Beyond all the stand out things about this first novel in the Medicus series (the engaging history, characters and plot) the thing that most impressed me was that this was a first novel, that grew out of a very short story submitted in a competition. Downie has a gift for story telling that comes across effortlessly (although she describes the process very much otherwise). Kudos also to her for not glossing over the things that we'd rightly find abhorrent in Roman Britain. Medicus isn't a man out of his time, but Downie makes his character sympathetic enough not to repel the modern reader. There's also hints of his potential for enlightenment over time through self reflection, under the constant bombardment of the slings and arrows of show more outrageous misfortune; and through the agency of Downie's other great creation, Tilla the British women. To say too much about her character - which is slowly revealed throughout this story would give too much away, but I can't think of a stronger more interesting female lead since Elisabeth Salander in Stieg Larsson's novels. show less

Gaius Petreius Ruso serves as a military doctor during the Roman occupation of Britannia, dealing with his over-meticulous hospital administrator, his wounded and mangled patients, and an unclaimed dead body washed to shore. And not just a dead body but a murdered body. During a moment of sleep-deprived vulnerability, he manages to pick up a half-dead slave girl who won't talk and can't cook, and winds up investigating the mysterious deaths of several prostitutes.

Ruso is a grumpy, tactless and utterly likeable sleuth. The banter between he and his roommate/rival/fellow doctor is funny, as are his encounters with the hospital administrator, who believes that protocol must be followed even when it makes no sense whatsoever. (Anyone who show more has dealt with these types of officials will understand Ruso's desire to throttle the man.) I often found myself laughing aloud. Not the usual sort of murder mystery fare. Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this. show less

Ruso, a Roman army doctor who has newly arrived in Britain, wants to know more about a strangled girl found in the river with her hair shaved off. She turns out to a prostitute from a bar/brothel catering to off duty legionaries, where some of the girls may not have been acquired through legitimate channels. Ruso and his newly acquired slave, Tilla, are drawn into investigating further.

Enjoyable mystery with a well-rounded detective and side-kick, each with their own personal baggage to deal with, and interesting minor characters as well.

The salacious underside of Roman-occupied Britain comes to life in Britisher Downie's debut. Gaius Petrius Ruso, a military medicus (or doctor), transfers to the 20th Legion in the remote Britannia port of Deva (now Chester) to start over after a ruinous divorce and his father's death. Things go downhill from there. His quarters are filthy and vermin-filled, and his superior at the hospital is a petty tyrant. Gaius rescues and buys an injured slave girl, Tilla, from her abusive master, but she refuses to talk, can't cook and costs more to keep than he can afford. Meanwhile, young women from the local bordello keep turning up dead, and nobody is interested in investigating. Gaius becomes a reluctant detective, but his sleuthing threatens show more to get him killed and leaves him scant time to work on the first-aid guide he's writing to help salvage his finances. Tilla plots her escape as she recovers from her injuries, and just when Ruso becomes attached to her, she runs away, complicating his personal life and his investigation. Through it all, Ruso wonders what has become of his life. Celebrated as a hero a few years before for rescuing Emperor Trajan from an earthquake, he's now sharing a residence with a doctor of questionable morals and a flurry of seemingly indestructible mice. This is an enjoyable book with nice mixes of dark humor, historical references, and mystery. While the dialogue and parts of the story can feel anachronistic, that also serves to make the story more accessible and there is a strong enough base of historical research to offset this. The major critique would be the slowness of the development. Parts of the book can get mired in minutiae. The story plods along to the ½ way point, picks up to a jog and get truly entertaining, and thing suddenly sprints to the end for a limpid finish. A strong effort and reason for seeking out more by Downie. show less

Gaius Petrius Ruso is doctor serving with a Roman legion in Britain. Not very long ago, he was married, a hero (he had saved the Emperor Trajan's life), and the elder son of a prosperous family in southern Gaul. Now he's divorced, his father has died leaving behind a mountain of debt, his brief notoriety is forgotten, and Trajan is dead. He's struggling to pay off his father's debts, with his brother at home in Gaul working to keep the real state of their finances quiet so that their efforts have time to work.

In the meantime, he's sharing a mouse-infested with another army doctor and the previous owner's former dog, who has produced a litter of puppies. They have no servant to clean and cook for them, and their lodgings show it. Ruso show more has spent an unpleasant night examining the body of a dead woman fished out of the harbor, and then a long day on medical rounds. He doesn't need to buy an injured slave girl to rescue her from her sadistic owner, especially when she's too injured to work, won't talk, and will cost more to feed than she's worth.

So of course he does.
While he's treating the girl and coaxing her to talk, he becomes not so much interested in as worried about the deaths of two bar girls, and the lack of any investigation into their deaths. He keeps hearing more than he wants to because, to get her out of the military hospital, he rents a room for the slave girl, who finally speaks enough to decide to go by the name Tilla, upstairs in the bar. Ruso starts asking questions, and things start to happen--a burning brand through the window of his house, a trowel dropped from a rooftop and missing him only because Tilla saw it and pushed him out of the way--and his financial situation gets more and more complicated. His life is further enlivened when the hospital administrator, who has been away, returns, and demands that Tilla be pledged as collateral for the large loan he's taken out from the thanksgiving fund, to help stave of bankruptcy at home.

Ruso is cranky, impatient, and kind and generous despite himself and despite his circumstances. He keeps asking questions even when it's hurting his chances for promotion and making his working life more difficult. Tilla is proud, independent, and has every intention of killing herself rather than working as a whore in a bar (her previous owner's plan for her). As they slowly learn to trust each other, Ruso learns more about the workings of this Roman British town than he wants to know, or is safe to know.

This is a fascinating look at Roman Britain, with engaging characters and a good mystery at the core of it. The solution manages to be both fair and unexpected. This is the first of a series, and I'll be reading more of them.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from a friend. show less

This is the first in a mystery series featuring a Roman doctor stationed in the wilds of conquered Britain. Ruso is a man with burdens: a failed marriage and an extended family left with crushing debt after the death of his father. The last thing he needs, he thinks, is what he takes on when he impulsively buys a slave girl from her brutal master; he sets her broken arm and eventually brings her to the shabby house he shares with another doctor. Tilla can't cook very well (though she promptly seeks lessons), but she is a good housekeeper.

It's not long before Ruso has identified the bodies of two women linked with a local whorehouse; though he steadfastly insists he's not investigating the murders, he keeps asking questions.

This book show more began slowly for me, but as I went along, the characters of Ruso and Tilla both endeared themselves to me; Ruso's sarcasm and Tilla's stubborn practicality made me want to know what would happen next. I'm still curious, which is good: I have the second and third books (the third being an ER book I need to review) next to me. show less