Terra Incognita: A Novel of the Roman Empire - Hardcover

Downie, Ruth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410407470 ISBN 13: 9781410407474

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2008

Synopsis

Previously published in the UK as Ruso and the Demented Doctor.

It is spring in the year of 118, and Hadrian has been Emperor of Rome for less than a year. After getting involved with the murders of local prostitutes in the town of Deva, Doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso needs to get out of town, so has volunteered for a posting with the Army on the volatile border where the Roman-controlled half of Britannia meets the independent tribes of the North. Not only is he going to the hinterlands of the hinterlands, but it his slave Tilla's homeland and she has some scores to settle there. Soon they find that Tilla's tribespeople are being encouraged to rebel against Roman control by a mysterious leader known as the Stag Man, and her former lover is implicated in the grisly murder of a soldier. Ruso, unwillingly involved in the investigation of the murder, is appalled to find that Tilla is still spending time with the lover. Worse, he is honour bound to try to prove the man innocent - and the Army wrong - by finding another suspect. Soon both Ruso's and Tilla's lives are in jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romantic relationship.

Previously published as Ruso and the Demented Doctor.

About this title

Review:

Downie's attention to day-in-the-life period details, judiciously doled-out twists, and dry British humor make Incognita one hell of a toga party. (Entertainment Weekly)

This well-researched novel places Downie alongside such established masters of the Roman historical as Steven Saylor and Rosemary Rowe. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

Downie distributes the action throughout 91 brisk chapters, and heightens the narrative's energy level by commenting sardonically on her characters' (often very witty) conversational exchanges. The puzzle's solution is immensely satisfying, and the story ends with Ruso and Tilla apparently prepared to part ways. But it isn't set in marble, and we're given reason to hope another sequel is in the works.
Ruso rocks. Let's hear it for those Romans.

(Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

Book Description:

"This book, which is even better than the first, opens with the pair headed to northern outposts, where Ruso hopes to gain some advancement...This is a terrific series that historical mystery fans shouldn't miss."--Globe and Mail (Toronto)

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1410407470
• ISBN 13: 9781410407474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 675