-
Persona Non Grata
- A Novel of the Roman Empire
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $27.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Caveat Emptor: A Novel of the Roman Empire
- By: Ruth Downie
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
A trifle dreary
- By David on 12-17-12
By: Ruth Downie
-
The Ides of April
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Lucy Brown
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina. From her mother, she learned how to blend in at all levels of society; from her father, she learned the tricks of their mutual professional trade. But her wits and (frequently) sharp tongue are hers alone. Now, working as a private informer in Rome during the reign of Domitian, Flavia has taken over her father’s old ramshackle digs at Fountain Court in the Surbura district, where she plies her trade with energy, determination, and the usual Falco luck.
-
-
Prefer dead old dad
- By readqueen on 10-09-13
By: Lindsey Davis
-
SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Roman junior senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has a chance to join a diplomatic mission to Alexandria, he welcomes the opportunity to temporarily elude his enemies in the Eternal City - even though it means leaving his beloved Rome. Decius is just beginning to enjoy the outpost's many exotic pleasures when the suspicious death of an irascible philosopher occurs, coinciding with the puzzling and apocalyptic ravings of a charismatic cult leader. Intrigued, Decius requests and is given permission by the Egyptian Pharaoh to investigate the heinous crime. What he discovers is beyond shocking.
-
-
One of my favorite series
- By Terry on 02-13-16
-
Dissolution
- A Novel of Tudor England Introducing Matthew Shardlake
- By: C. J. Sansom
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This riveting debut set in 1534 England secured C. J. Sansom’s place “among the most distinguished of modern historical novelists” (P. D. James). When Henry VIII’s emissary is beheaded at an English monastery, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake is dispatched to solve the crime. But as he uncovers a cesspool of sin, three more murders occur - and Matthew may be the next target.
-
-
Terrific Story, Writing, and Narration ...
- By Snoodely on 09-13-13
By: C. J. Sansom
-
The Ashes of London
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city, consuming everything in its path. Even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul's is engulfed in flames and reduced to ruins. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man's body has been mutilated, and his thumbs have been tied behind his back.
-
-
Entertaining Historical Fiction
- By Simone on 05-01-17
By: Andrew Taylor
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
-
Caveat Emptor: A Novel of the Roman Empire
- By: Ruth Downie
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
A trifle dreary
- By David on 12-17-12
By: Ruth Downie
-
The Ides of April
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Lucy Brown
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina. From her mother, she learned how to blend in at all levels of society; from her father, she learned the tricks of their mutual professional trade. But her wits and (frequently) sharp tongue are hers alone. Now, working as a private informer in Rome during the reign of Domitian, Flavia has taken over her father’s old ramshackle digs at Fountain Court in the Surbura district, where she plies her trade with energy, determination, and the usual Falco luck.
-
-
Prefer dead old dad
- By readqueen on 10-09-13
By: Lindsey Davis
-
SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Roman junior senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has a chance to join a diplomatic mission to Alexandria, he welcomes the opportunity to temporarily elude his enemies in the Eternal City - even though it means leaving his beloved Rome. Decius is just beginning to enjoy the outpost's many exotic pleasures when the suspicious death of an irascible philosopher occurs, coinciding with the puzzling and apocalyptic ravings of a charismatic cult leader. Intrigued, Decius requests and is given permission by the Egyptian Pharaoh to investigate the heinous crime. What he discovers is beyond shocking.
-
-
One of my favorite series
- By Terry on 02-13-16
-
Dissolution
- A Novel of Tudor England Introducing Matthew Shardlake
- By: C. J. Sansom
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This riveting debut set in 1534 England secured C. J. Sansom’s place “among the most distinguished of modern historical novelists” (P. D. James). When Henry VIII’s emissary is beheaded at an English monastery, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake is dispatched to solve the crime. But as he uncovers a cesspool of sin, three more murders occur - and Matthew may be the next target.
-
-
Terrific Story, Writing, and Narration ...
- By Snoodely on 09-13-13
By: C. J. Sansom
-
The Ashes of London
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city, consuming everything in its path. Even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul's is engulfed in flames and reduced to ruins. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man's body has been mutilated, and his thumbs have been tied behind his back.
-
-
Entertaining Historical Fiction
- By Simone on 05-01-17
By: Andrew Taylor
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
-
The Bookseller's Tale
- Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Ann Swinfen
- Narrated by: Philip Battley
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot.
-
-
Held my interest, excellent historical background
- By Marcheta on 04-07-17
By: Ann Swinfen
-
Conspirata
- A Novel of Ancient Rome
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the eve of Marcus Cicero's inauguration as consul of Rome, the grisly death of a boy sends ripples of fear through a city already wracked by civil unrest, crime, and debauchery of every kind. Felled by a hammer, his throat slit and his organs removed, the young slave appears to have been offered as a human sacrifice, forbidden as an abomination in the Roman Republic. For Cicero, the ill forebodings of this hideous murder only increase his frustrations and the dangers he already faces as Rome's leader.
-
-
Enjoyable Read
- By David on 04-29-10
By: Robert Harris
-
Mistress of the Art of Death
- A Novel
- By: Ariana Franklin
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In medieval England, four children have been murdered, and the townsfolk blame their Jewish neighbors. The doctor chosen to investigate is a woman, Adelia. As she examines the victims and retraces their last steps, she must conceal her true identity in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she's assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. A former Crusader knight, Rowley may be a needed friend - or the fiend for whom they are searching.
-
-
good story wonderfully set
- By Jen on 02-17-07
By: Ariana Franklin
-
Roma
- The Novel of Ancient Rome
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of Rome's first 1,000 years - from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome's astonishing ascent to become the capital of the most powerful empire in history.
-
-
Excellent Feel for Ancient Rome
- By SCar7 on 10-09-07
By: Steven Saylor
-
Sherlock Holmes
- By: Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Fry - introductions
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 62 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the definitive collection of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and four collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated eight insightful introductions, one for each title.
-
-
Chapter Guide!
- By Katya Rice on 05-25-18
By: Arthur Conan Doyle, and others
-
The Second Sleep
- A novel
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1468. A young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arrives in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor. The land around is strewn with ancient artifacts - coins, fragments of glass, human bones - which the old parson used to collect. Did his obsession with the past lead to his death? Fairfax becomes determined to discover the truth. Over the course of the next six days, everything he believes - about himself, his faith, and the history of his world - will be tested to destruction.
-
-
This IS different...
- By Robin on 11-27-19
By: Robert Harris
-
What Angels Fear
- Sebastian St. Cyr, Book 1
- By: C. S. Harris
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man - Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.
-
-
An Addictive Series
- By Bibliophile1963 on 10-17-16
By: C. S. Harris
-
The Capsarius
- Legion XXII, Book 1
- By: Simon Turney
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, he's now a capsarius—a combat medic. Cervianus is a pragmatist, a scientist and truly unpopular with his legion. The Twenty Second Deiotariana have been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Yet the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion either. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions, a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.
-
-
Fantastic start to a series
- By Amazon Customer on 06-07-22
By: Simon Turney
-
Heathcliff Lennox - France 1918
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin
- Narrated by: Sam Dewhurst -Phillips
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1918. The Great War is at a crucial stage, the Germans are making one last push into France, and the Allies are struggling to hold them back. Battle lines are shifting, and men, and their machines, are being sent up and down the front to shore up defenses. Major Heathcliff Lennox, and his batman Greggs, are told to report to their new HQ. They set off on a sunlit day to fly the distance, but the enemy is never far away, and disaster strikes. They're sent crashing to the ground behind enemy lines, where life, death, and love await.
-
-
Another great Heathcliff Lennox
- By Katydid65 on 06-04-21
-
A Swarming of Bees
- Fridgyth the Herb-Wife, Book 1
- By: Theresa Tomlinson
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Monastery at Whitby is ruled over by the powerful and independent Abbess Hild. But when she needs someone to confide in, she turns to the honest warmth of her friend Fridgyth, the half-pagan herb-wife. A divisive and life-altering decision taken at the Great Synod is swiftly overshadowed as the monastery is ravaged by a deadly plague. As she tends the sick, Fridgyth starts to suspect that not all the deaths are natural. Despite Hild's stern warnings "not to meddle" she sets out to investigate.
-
-
the voice
- By Linda Dennison on 03-30-21
-
To Kingdom Come
- Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 2
- By: Will Thomas
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a bomb destroys the Special Irish Branch of Scotland Yard, all fingers point to the increasingly brazen factions of Irish dissidents seeking liberation from English rule. Volunteering their services to the British government, Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn set out to infiltrate a secret cell of the Irish Republican Brotherhood known as the Invisibles. Posing as a reclusive German bomb maker and his anarchist apprentice, they are recruited for the group's ultimate plan: to bring London to its knees and end the monarchy forever.
-
-
Excellent
- By Ms Peach on 01-04-17
By: Will Thomas
-
Death and the Maiden
- Mistress of the Art of Death
- By: Samantha Norman, Ariana Franklin
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft—sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband.
-
-
fantastic!
- By Get Right1 on 10-28-20
By: Samantha Norman, and others
Publisher's Summary
With Tilla getting icy greetings from his relatives, Lucius's brother-in-law mysteriously drowned at sea, and the whole Ruso family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, it's hard to imagine an unhappier reunion. That is, until Severus, the family's chief creditor, winds up dead, and the real trouble begins.
Engrossing, intricate, and - as always - wonderfully comic, Ruth Downie's latest is a brilliant new installment in this irresistible series. This is everything we've come to expect from our charming, luckless hero.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about Persona Non Grata
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- L. Williams
- 07-10-10
The Best Ruso Book To Date
As a fan of Lindsey Davis and Stephen Saylor, I am thrilled to have found Ruth Downie. In her third book featuring Roman medicus during the reign of Hadrian, she takes it to the next level. The first two books were enjoyable, but this volume is in an entirely different league. The change of setting from Roman Britain to Transalpine Gaul (modern Provence), takes Ruso into the bosom of his very dysfunctional family (who had been alluded to in previous books). While it's possible to read this book as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend reading the books in order in order to appreciate the characters' histories and development. I have a background in Classical History, and while I won't pretend there aren't some anachronistic elements, I was impressed by how much research Ms. Downie must have done to recreate the period. Unlike the more free-thinking Falco of Lindsey Davis's books, Ruso seems more a product of his era and culture.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Bruce Nesset
- 12-10-09
Scriptor est Notus.
[The author is known] This is the third of Ruth Downie's books, and it has maintained the same high standard. These are fun reading or listening as the case may be and I have all three on my mp3 player. I am awaiting the next installment. If you are a history, historical fiction or love things Roman, it is a great series, written with whit and a bit of irony.
Bruce
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- SamanthaG
- 05-12-10
Thank you Ruth
Knew nothing about this book when I picked it - just sounded interesting. I"ve always thought I'd like to read something about Ancient Rome (or Tudor England or Egypt under the Pharoahs} that dealt with everyday life and relatively ordinary people. To be sure, this is a murder- mystery, but it's full of everyday occurrences - meals and broken feet and shopping and petty grievances. The characters come across after about 2000 years as fellow human beings. Ruso is likeable even though he's irascible and Tilla is an incredibly strong and down-to earth woman. There's much humor woven into the fabric of this story which really enlivens it. The only difficulty that I had in reading this was keeping the characters straight - maybe because of the unfamiliar names, but it was hard for me to remember the connections between the characters, All in all, a very enjoyable read. I plan to get the other 2 in the series.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Laurie
- 10-30-09
Well worth the wait!
I tend to listen to non-fiction more than fiction, but I am thoroughly engaged by these novels.
I have (via their websites) nagged both Ms. Downie and Mr. Vance about the release of the audio version of her latest Ruso novel. It is well worth the wait! I enjoy this series so very much -- I have listened to Medicus and Terra Incognita many times.
I find the protagonists delightfully drawn, and the secondary characters unique and very engaging.
I missed Albanus in this one, though...his eagerness and simplicity are a wonderful foil for Ruso's cynicism and weariness.
The environmental background is delightfully portrayed. I felt the dry heat of southern Gaul and, with Tilla, found myself wishing for the cool, moist air of Britannia. Her conclusions about the nature of "civilization" are spot on.
Mr. Vance's narration is a perfect match for these characters. I can't imagine anyone else doing Ruso. He captures Ruso's gruff manner as well as his well-hidden empathy and heart. In this book he gives well-nuanced voice to the new characters introduced into Ruso's world. I especially enjoyed the tone of his interpretation of Marcia, Ruso's half-sister. He gives her just the right touch of adolescent whining, pouting and rebellion!
"Gods above!" I rate this as a 5 for sheer enjoyment.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chip Atkinson
- 07-12-13
Treachery during the Roman Empire! Who knew?
I don't remember ever reading any fictional tale from the Roman Empire that wasn't religious, so I'm glad I purchased this book. Downie's research of Roman law and culture shines through this mystery.
The story involves several aspects of law, family inheritance, debt, divorce, vice and murder. Her knowledge of all of these held my interest when I would have been bored.
Simon Vance is brilliant as always.
I rate this a 3 overall, but that doesn't mean I'm sorry I purchased it. In fact, historical works like this always seem to enhance my knowledge overall.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tony
- 05-24-13
CSI- ROMAN EMPIRE !
With no organized police force someone has to step and find the citizens who commit the dastardly deed. Alight, fun read with a look into Roman day to day life. Ruth Downie does enough with her characters to keep you listening. Simon Vance is one of my three favourite male narrators ( Humphrey Bower and Scott Brick are the others ) and he doesn't disappoint with excellent representations of the varied male characters from different backgrounds and the many wonderful female 'persona'... Worth the credit for light entertainment but too bad that the first two books of the series are not available on Audible.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Pearly Girl
- 09-22-10
Humorous and Witty, Delightful Narration
This fun historical mystery novel comes alive with Simon Vance's narration. Ruth Downie's writing puts a sometimes amusing face on life in the Roman Empire despite its darker aspects. Downie created engaging characters with distinct personalities and a decent mystery plot. Honestly though, I enjoyed the characters and their dryly humorous interactions well highlighted by the stellar narration so much that the plot felt more like a side show. A very pleasant listen.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean
- 09-01-13
A trip to Gaul
This is book 3 in the series and finds Gaius Petreius Ruso with a fractured foot and given medical leave. He receives a urgent letter from his bother to come home immediately. He and Tilla go to his family home in Gaul to find that his brother did not send for him but the families major creditor (Severus), who is married to Claudia, Ruso ex-wife did so. Downie weaves a complex plot of ship wrecks, murder of Severus, thief, along with some witty humor of a dysfunctional family. Ruso and Tilla are trying to solve the murder of Severus. Tilla has some adventures of her own from stomping grapes in a vat with another slave; to going with Ruso's sister-in-law, Cate to a near by town hunting for information on Justin (Cate's brother) who was missing in a ship wreck. Tilla and Cate get into a dangerous situation while questioning sailors in a shady waterfront bar and Tilla ends up killing a man. Needless to say there is lots of action, suspense, humor and information about the countryside and lifestyle in Gaul at that time. Downie provides interesting description of the games in the Coliseum and Ruso as the physician to the wounded gladiators. Simon Vance does a great job with the narration. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- january
- 03-01-13
Surprisingly entertaining
I have never been a fan of historical fiction. I thought, it's either history or it's not. No need to make up stories about things that really happened. I have since changed my mind.
I started this series when Terra Incognita was featured as a Kindle book for $1.99. I figured, what do I have to lose if I hate a $2 book? Then I couldn't get enough. I wanted to find out what happened to Tilla, a very likable and strong willed woman.
I honestly couldn't care less about the male characters in this series. Most of them seem flat and boring, except for the evil ones. Tilla is interesting and complicated. Not to say this is a book that makes you think or feel. It's just a good story that entertains. It's fun.
As for the people who have said that it is not historically accurate, I say, ppptttthhhhhtttt.... Who cares? We don't know much about that time anyway. The Roman's only wrote from the conquering heroes point of view, and the Celts didn't write about it, or anything else. So Ms. Downie has some room to fill in the blanks.
These are good books. Read them for what they are worth and you will enjoy them.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- G Reinhardt
- 05-31-10
Roman Mystery?
When the summary of Persona Non Grata mentioned a Roman setting, I was expecting a story a bit more "historical" in nature. However, this story (with the exception of gladiators) could have been set in any time period or culture. However, I still enjoyed the mystery and would read something from this author in the future.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rogayah
- 12-03-16
Festina lente
This is a story that is slow to build. Ruso and Tilla return to his family home. A letter and a broken foot sends Ruso into the stifling summer heat of the South of France and his family. He and Tilla face his rackety family, the family's intractable debt problem, the heat of summer, and the hostility of the locals. Ruso feels obliged to sort it all out. Tilla's problems include Ruso's family and the mysteries of Roman customs.
All will be well, but not without a lot of luck and hard work. On the way the readers learn much about the life of Romans at work and play in the South of France. Simon Vance tells a good tale and, although this was my first audio tale of Ruso, I am sure I shall listen to more of the Medicus and Tilla.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- L. Collins
- 12-30-20
excellent
I love the world of Ruso and Tilla. immediately absorbed in this latest adventure. off to next chapter.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mair
- 12-30-20
Excellent romp through ancient Neimes
This, the third instalment of Tilla and her Roman Medicus’ tale takes us to Gaul. The pace is exhilarating, the characters wonderful, and the historical detail is woven beautifully throughout the whole. I loved it! Off to buy the next one.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Claire Kendall-Price
- 09-02-20
Medicus in Southern Gaul
The warmth of the sun, sound of cicadas and smell of the olive groves makes this a lovely book to listen to on a cold English afternoon.
A good mystery full of baddies, a body and Gaius's extremely annoying family.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- R. J.
- 06-25-19
Excellent story with good characterisation
Like all good historical novels this tale has the credibility that it really is set in the past. I could not fault the audio performance and look forward to listening to further exploits of Russo and the other excellent characters.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- C. D. Hough
- 02-25-18
Thoroughly enjoyable
This is a very interesting story, giving a great insight into ordenary life in the Roman Empire, coupled with a compelling mystery, expertly read.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kindle Customer
- 02-15-18
book has everything a murder mystery needs
the murder setting of an Agatha Cristie novel, the upstairs downstairs narrative of an episode of downtown Abbey and characters that a modern audience can relate to- but set in ancient Rome!
the narrator is good too!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- GlosterLass
- 09-19-17
Another wonderfully researched Roman Whodunit
The third book in the Ruso series. It's every bit as good as the first two! This time Ruso and Tilla travel to Italy, summoned by a note from his home. He arrives to discover his family on the brink of bankruptcy and flatly denying they sent for him. His brother in law has been killed and his sister is demanding her dowry. Within days, Tilla is being treated as a slave, and their creditor (who happens to be married to Ruso's ex-wife) has dropped dead in Ruso's study. Then things really start to go downhill . .
As ever, Ruso's eye-rolling 'not again' attitude and Tilla's practical nature are great fun as they struggle through an adventure with many twists and turns.
I loved every minute of it and can't wait for the next one.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kevin
- 08-12-18
Developing nicely
I'm still impressed at the different angle on the Roman story this series takes. The characters are really becoming familiar and their relationships developing nicely. It's a refreshingly different series, haphazard and comedic
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Paul McMahon
- 10-31-16
Relocation to Gaule & the Family
I was very disappointed in this addition to the series.
Ruth Downie squanders the previous quirkiness of the characters and their relationships; Ruso, Tilla and Valens.
Ruso and Tilla go from quirkily mismatched to frustratingly uncommunicative; and it doesn't work. Tilla is forever being tricked into foolishness, sneaking away, behaving like a naive idiot (uncharacteristically - even given the new location); things between Ruso and Tilla are forever being "misunderstood"; mainly because Ruso is busy with his internal dialogue and Tilla is consumed with doubt about her status. Her spunk has been stripped away to be replaced with a sort of dumb petulance. My god I was wishing someone would clip all the players over the head; and not wishing in a good way.
All the characters are unlikable, and willfully stupid; it seems that's the main contrivance to drive the plot.
Ruso spends the book fixated on his inner dialogue; mulling over ALL the possible outcomes via endless internal questioning; while at the same time missing key conversations because he has stopped listening ... then the conversations either prove pivotal, and he missed it; or have to be repeated when Ruso "realises he's been asked a question but wasn't listening".
The rehashing, and the repeating of relationship interactions (how many times do we have to have the conversation, internal and external, with his step mother going over the same attitudes; or with his brother?).
Simon Vance's narration, so good previously, doesn't help.
Vance has radically changed his approach. Tilla, Ruso and Valens are all different voices; as is the "Narrator". The style was so different, and poorer, I had to check the other book I have to see if was the same reader.
Sadly the basic plot could have done without all this squandered opportunity. It didn't need padding, nor contrivances. It would work without them.
It was frustratingly tedious. I persevered for about half the book then jumped to the last hour to get the ending.
I hope the next installment gets back to value. I'll have a listen and see.