CAVEAT EMPTOR Roman Empire, Book 4

Author Ruth Downie and narrator Simon Vance have devised the perfect listening escape. Forget about modern life and follow medicus-turned-investigator Ruso to Roman Britain. In Book Four of this captivating series, the Gaul-born Ruso and his Brittania-born wife, Tilla, become embroiled in the death of a local tax collector. When Ruso is asked to help solve the mystery, he and Tilla leave Londinium for northern Verulamium (modern St. Albans), where they encounter a mess of treachery, hints of buried treasure, and the legacy of the warrior queen, Boudica. As always, Vance offers believable characterizations of everyone from bored Roman bureaucrats to native baths-house guards. His smooth delivery of narrative enhances the wealth of historical facts that Downie blends into the satisfyingly complex plot. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2011]