Mystery and romance, set in Britain during the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Features a cranky young army doctor, some of whose values are probably anachronistically modern. The plot advances primarily because he does things that fly in the face of common sense and doesn't notice stuff that is right in front of his face. Since he's narrating, and the reader notices what he does not, the book makes the reader feel smart. Part serious and part silly. Characters are well fleshed out.

Well narrated by Simon Vance (who sometimes annoys me, but not in this book).

The author includes an afterword in which she explains which aspects of the novel are historically based and which are made up.

I plan to read the next book in the series.

Note, the novel includes slavery and I felt ambivalent about the neutral to positive attitude that the sympathetic characters have toward slavery. The author does make it clear in her afterword that her own viewpoint is more negative.