I really enjoyed the setting of this mystery novel. It felt authentic but contemporary. Unusual blend of history and fiction.

This is another excellent mystery taking place during the days of the Roman Empire. Instead of taking place during the Roman republic like the works of Steven Saylor and John Maddox Roberts, Medicus takes place during Imperial Roman rule, specifically at the beginning of Hadrian's reign.

The story follows a medic in the Roman legions. As he tries to save his family from crushing debts, he reluctantly becomes involved with a series of disappearances. The result is this very good debut novel.

A Roman Army doctor in Britain in the time of Hadrian investigates the murders of some barmaids/prostitutes, acquires a baffling female slave, and attempts to, if not become wealthy, at least break even. The characters and setting were well-done. This is the first of a series and I will be reading more.

I really enjoyed this introduction to Gaius Petreius Ruso, his new slave Tilla, and all of his other woes. Ruso is an army medicus in Brittania, which is under Roman rule, and I liked that this put me in mind of a sort of ancient Roman M*A*S*H. The details of daily living are interesting, and the characters are great. I like Tilla, but I think Albanus, who is Ruso's scribe, is my favorite. Everybody should have an Albanus.

The mystery plot itself was a little off in its pacing, but I was having too much fun for that to bother me much. I especially liked how Downie presented the culture clashes, often showing the same scene from both Ruso's and Tilla's perspectives to give the reader a fuller understanding of what motivated whom. And I am glad that Downie resisted making Ruso an enlightened progressive. He may be a better class of slave-owner, but he is a still a slave-owner, and he thinks like a slave-owner simply because it would not occur to him that there is any other way to think. So even though Downie had to make lots of educated guesses about life in Roman times, everything feels quite real for its setting, and this makes me want to keep reading.

Fine and entertaining read.

I loved this book! Our hero, Medicus, a doctor in ancient Roman-occupied Britain, is a fascinating and totally lovable guy. The book jacket compares him to young Harrison Ford, and I think that's perfect--surly, oblivious to his own charm, professional, and totally adorable underneath a mildly prickly exterior. The writing somehow makes it easy to imagine living in Deva, Brittania (an area in a period I know nothing about) and all the characters are well-written and very engaging. I am really looking forward to the sequel, [b:Terra Incognita|209966|Planetary Vol. 1 All Over the World and Other Stories (Hardcover)|Warren Ellis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172709494s/209966.jpg|423192], and any further adventures of Gaius Petreius Ruso.

I liked this book even though the characters lacked depth. It was a light, fun read and the story was good enough that I kept reading to see what happened. It was also interesting that it took place in the Roman Empire. This is not my usual sort of book, but for some reason I just liked reading it.

Years ago I devoured Lindsey Davis's Roman mystery series, then I went through Stephen Saylor's Roman mystery series, then I guess I moved on. But when I stumbled across this first book in a mystery series featuring a Roman Army doctor, I thought it could be fun to revisit ancient times. This one takes place about 200 years after Saylor's series, and about 40 after Davis's -- in AD 117. It opens in Deva (present day Chester, England, about ten miles south of Liverpool), where Gaius Petreius Ruso is starting a new job as doctor to the 10th legion.

A rationalist unskilled at the schmoozing and scheming necessary for social advancement, he is fleeing his failed marriage, and burdened by crushing debts incurred by his dead father. He signed up for this job at the edge of the Empire, and is learning Britannia along with the reader. It doesn't take long for a corpse to wash up and get him unwillingly involved in a murder investigation. His scruples then also push him into buying a local slave woman he doesn't actually need or want.

And so the story unfolds with Ruso in a more or less constant state of exasperation, confusion, and empty pockets. The murder mystery isn't particularly compelling or interesting, but it gets the job done. The pacing isn't the greatest either -- the story doesn't tick along fast enough -- but gets there in the end. All in all it does an adequate job of laying the foundation for the series, with various relationships and characters set up for the next book, but it's not groundbreaking stuff. I'll definitely be reading the next one, and hoping that the stories get a little more interesting over the course of the series.