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Ancient Rome #2
Murder Imperial
313 AD. Under the rule of Emperor Constantine, Rome finally appears to be emerging from its turbulent past. In order to consolidate his control and under the guidance of his mother Helena, Constantine plans to harness the power of the increasingly influential Christian Church. But his loyalties are brought into question when three courtesans from the Guild of Aphrodite - a guild Constantine himself frequents - are found dead. All three bodies have crosses etched on their foreheads and each cheek. Aiming to protect her son's future, Helena calls upon the service of an 'agente in rebus politicis' - or spy. Claudia is the niece of a tavern-owner and is placed as a wine-server in Constantine's household. But Claudia has secret motives of her own...
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
58 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doherty
263 books611 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 20, 2021
Read this book in 2007, and its the 1st part of the Ancient Rome mini-series, featuring Claudia as the main protagonist.
Set in AD 313, at the court of Emperor Constantine of the Western Roman Empire, narrowly won after his victory over Maxentius, with Diocletian now ruling as Emperor in the East.
Close by Constantine's side is his strong mother, Helena, who guide him in almost everything, being the manipulating force to her son in persuading him to bring the Christian Church as his and Rome's guiding light.
The Emperor a frequent visitor of the courtesans of the Guild of Aphrodite, will see his faith severely tested when a series of murders are happening, and three of these courtesans are found with crosses etched on their forheads and cheeks.
In order to protect Emperor Constantine, Helena with the assistance of the priest, Anastatius, will seek the help of the spy, Claudia.
This Claudia will be placed as a wine-server within Constantine's household, while she has also motives of her own for solving these hideous murders.
What will follow is an intriguing and very atmospheric Roman mystery, where Claudia will have to move in very dangerous places, and after a tremendous worked out plot, she will get the right result in the end, by identifying the guilty person of these murders.
Highly recommended, for this is an awesome beginning of a new Roman mystery series, and that's why I like to call this 1st episode: "A Fascinating Claudia Mystery Start"!
Set in AD 313, at the court of Emperor Constantine of the Western Roman Empire, narrowly won after his victory over Maxentius, with Diocletian now ruling as Emperor in the East.
Close by Constantine's side is his strong mother, Helena, who guide him in almost everything, being the manipulating force to her son in persuading him to bring the Christian Church as his and Rome's guiding light.
The Emperor a frequent visitor of the courtesans of the Guild of Aphrodite, will see his faith severely tested when a series of murders are happening, and three of these courtesans are found with crosses etched on their forheads and cheeks.
In order to protect Emperor Constantine, Helena with the assistance of the priest, Anastatius, will seek the help of the spy, Claudia.
This Claudia will be placed as a wine-server within Constantine's household, while she has also motives of her own for solving these hideous murders.
What will follow is an intriguing and very atmospheric Roman mystery, where Claudia will have to move in very dangerous places, and after a tremendous worked out plot, she will get the right result in the end, by identifying the guilty person of these murders.
Highly recommended, for this is an awesome beginning of a new Roman mystery series, and that's why I like to call this 1st episode: "A Fascinating Claudia Mystery Start"!
April 27, 2020
Una entretenida novela digamos de género negro en la que una chica del servicio doméstico de la Emperatriz Helena (madre del emperador de occidente Constantino) pasa a ser una espía al servicio de la misma emperatriz, para investigar los asesinatos de unas cortesanas de lujo que son asesinadas en serie y que tienen en común haber visitado la alcoba del emperador. Intrigas y asesinatos en un imperio romano partido en el que el cristianismo está creciendo hasta convertirse en la lacra que es hoy en día.
December 10, 2023
Good but quite short not even 200 pages but it does pack a lot into those pages. Another little bug, I worked out who the killer was quite easily which also spoiled it somewhat hence only four stars but it's well written and the story flows. Claudia is an interresting character. Her parents are dead which results in Claudia and her younger brother Felix being raised by their uncle and aunt who own and operate an inn in Rome. Claudia and Felix enjoy going to the banks of the River Tiber when the tide is out and searching for treasure in the mud. Felix is mentally disabled but has a deep and abiding love for his sister, he is her constant shadow accompanying her everywhere (even to bed at night). This one night Claudia and Felix stumble into a man hidden in the shadows by the river, he grabs hold of Claudia and before she can stop him Felix jumps to her aid trying to get the man to let go of her. Before Claudia's eyes Felix is struck down, his throat cut then the man proceeds to.rape Claudia, she never gets a good look at his face the only recognisable feature she sees is a tattoo of a chalice on his wrist. Claudia takes a long time to recover and the only thing left for her is the opportunity to find and get revenge on her attacker and for Felix's murder. To this end Claudia offers her services to the Emperor Constantine's mother Helena who is operating a spy ring in Rome, the price of her services the identity of her attacker. To achieve this Claudia finds herself working amongst the imperial palaces as a servant engaging in whatever her mistress requires of her. This story sees an assassin at work, he is killing women close to the Emperor Constantine and as such is causing the Roman people to loose confidence in his ability to bring stability to the realm after the disastrous rule of the previous Emperor Maxentius whom Constantine recently defeated in battle the city desperately needs a strong ruler so it's vital that the killer be found and the murders stopped.................
October 20, 2021
My first exposure to Paul Doherty. This novel was a disappointment: boring story, wooden characters; I also didn't like using modern names for places although story set in Constantinian times and the many modern terms, e.g., boyfriend. The character of Empress Helena was especially unpleasant. And I didn't like her terming Claudia, the heroine as "little mouse." Unusual for me, I guessed the murderer in this novel not far into the novel; I thought it pretty obvious. I regret buying the book. Well, here's another one for the public library book sales.
I nearly abandoned this book but did slog through the whole thing, skimming most of the way. The prolific Doherty doesn't entice me to read more of his works set in ANY era.
I nearly abandoned this book but did slog through the whole thing, skimming most of the way. The prolific Doherty doesn't entice me to read more of his works set in ANY era.
March 10, 2018
I was looking forward to reading this as I absolutely fell in love with every ancient Egypt novel by Paul Doherty.
But I felt that the use of languished was convoluted. The story was boring and slow , the characters two dimensional and had no depth. I found I was just turning the pages to get the book over with rather than out of desire to find out what happens.
I am unsure if I will continue to read the Ancient Rome series as this was a bad start.
But I felt that the use of languished was convoluted. The story was boring and slow , the characters two dimensional and had no depth. I found I was just turning the pages to get the book over with rather than out of desire to find out what happens.
I am unsure if I will continue to read the Ancient Rome series as this was a bad start.
November 20, 2017
Рим през четвърти век ми е непозната територия и това засили удоволствието от книгата. Не можах да изловя дребните волности, които знам, че автора обича да си позволява и съответно не ми развалиха удоволствието от четенето(блаженни са невежите).
Може би за първи път в творчеството на Дохърти (все пак не мога да му наваксам) имаме жена протагонист(Ура, ура, ура!). И то - много добра. Младате Клавдия е част от хаотичната шпионска мрежа на императорската майка Елена. Невидима между силните на деня, тя може да докладва всичко, което се случва пред очите и. Момичето обаче е и доста интелигентно и умее, освен да наблюдава, да прави изводи и да развива читави хипотези. Историите и се развиват на фона на затвърждаването на клатещия се трон на император Константин и укрепването му на връзките с придобиващите все повече влияние христиани. Някой не е доволен от тези политически стъпки и започва да избива куртизантки, сякаш го прави самият император. На Клавдия се пада част от нелеката задача по намирането на убиеца. Има и едно странично класичесок "убийство в заключена стая", което хитрото момиче успява да разкрие.
Точно такъв Дохърти ми се чете. Целеустремен и интелигентно вкарващ в епохата.
Описанията на Рим са чудесни, каквито са повечето му исторически описания, но този път е изоставил академичния тон и е успял да им придаде живот, като ги намести през очите на Клавдия. ДИалозите отново са дървени и пълни с анахронизми, но тук това ми се стори бял кахър, може да съм свикнал вече. Рим е показан като жив, голям и опасен мегаполис, какъвто най-вероятно е бил. Интригите на големите не са само констатирани, а подробно разчепкани с подизпълните лите им, шпионите, клеветниците и т. н.
Искам още истории от мястото и времето и като погледнах следващата книга, явно ще ги получа.
Аз доволен.
Може би за първи път в творчеството на Дохърти (все пак не мога да му наваксам) имаме жена протагонист(Ура, ура, ура!). И то - много добра. Младате Клавдия е част от хаотичната шпионска мрежа на императорската майка Елена. Невидима между силните на деня, тя може да докладва всичко, което се случва пред очите и. Момичето обаче е и доста интелигентно и умее, освен да наблюдава, да прави изводи и да развива читави хипотези. Историите и се развиват на фона на затвърждаването на клатещия се трон на император Константин и укрепването му на връзките с придобиващите все повече влияние христиани. Някой не е доволен от тези политически стъпки и започва да избива куртизантки, сякаш го прави самият император. На Клавдия се пада част от нелеката задача по намирането на убиеца. Има и едно странично класичесок "убийство в заключена стая", което хитрото момиче успява да разкрие.
Точно такъв Дохърти ми се чете. Целеустремен и интелигентно вкарващ в епохата.
Описанията на Рим са чудесни, каквито са повечето му исторически описания, но този път е изоставил академичния тон и е успял да им придаде живот, като ги намести през очите на Клавдия. ДИалозите отново са дървени и пълни с анахронизми, но тук това ми се стори бял кахър, може да съм свикнал вече. Рим е показан като жив, голям и опасен мегаполис, какъвто най-вероятно е бил. Интригите на големите не са само констатирани, а подробно разчепкани с подизпълните лите им, шпионите, клеветниците и т. н.
Искам още истории от мястото и времето и като погледнах следващата книга, явно ще ги получа.
Аз доволен.
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August 23, 2021Esta predecible, pero si me gusto, es muy fácil de leer y cada capítulo te deja con ganas de mas, si me gusto el final pero me irrita un poco que quede abierto, desconozco si tiene una continuación, pero si es una lectura amena, Claudia es un personaje muy inteligente incapaz de no caer bien
August 30, 2008
Actual rating: 3.5.
This book is the first in Doherty's fourth-century-Rome series, which features a female spy as a protagonist. Claudia is the daughter of a centurion, but she and her brother have been raised by her tavern-keeper uncle. The book opens with a traumatic event: Claudia's deaf-mute brother, Felix, being killed and herself being raped by a man with a chalice tattooed on his wrist. This sudden and chilling opening then segues into the main storyline: courtesans frequented by Emperor Constantine are being found dead with crosses etched into their cheeks, a mockery of the Christian faith that Constantine is considering supporting. The deaths, while not directly linked to Constantine in the sense of making him a suspect, are embarrassing enough to him and his mother, Helena, that Claudia is assigned to the case. Claudia is a member of the Agentes in Rebus ("the doers of things", per Doherty's introduction) and as such is a master spy -- a "little mouse" who scurries around catching tidbits of information and formulating plans.
The story is an okay one. The writing isn't terrifically memorable; actually, in some parts it is downright pedestrian. Claudia doesn't have any zing when she talks, and for the entire book I could not picture her in even the vaguest way. The deaf priest, Anastasius, was clearer in my mind than she was, and he didn't speak. Guess he left a bigger impression on me.
Now while I am down on the writing quality, I did enjoy the story. It was well done and kept me hanging on waiting to see what came next. The introduction, which sets the stage for fourth-century Rome at the time of the story, was another nice touch for those of us who are not entirely up on our Roman history, although my Latin experience made me smile at things like "In hoc signe vinces" and "Agentes in rebus". (I even recognized a quote that introduced one of the chapters -- "Anger is a brief madness", from Horace. It was in our textbook.)
Another interesting aspect was the fact that Anastasius was deaf. I suppose there have been deaf people throughout the ages, but they probably don't appear very often in historical fiction, and if they do they probably don't have as prominent and as useful a role as our friend the priest. Such a unique character definitely added to this book's appeal, and even Claudia was a smart and resourceful protagonist. (She just didn't have a forceful personality in her speech; it was more in her actions that she shone.)
So all in all, I'd say that I wouldn't buy this series, but I'm not about to turn up my nose at it if I see it in the library.
This book is the first in Doherty's fourth-century-Rome series, which features a female spy as a protagonist. Claudia is the daughter of a centurion, but she and her brother have been raised by her tavern-keeper uncle. The book opens with a traumatic event: Claudia's deaf-mute brother, Felix, being killed and herself being raped by a man with a chalice tattooed on his wrist. This sudden and chilling opening then segues into the main storyline: courtesans frequented by Emperor Constantine are being found dead with crosses etched into their cheeks, a mockery of the Christian faith that Constantine is considering supporting. The deaths, while not directly linked to Constantine in the sense of making him a suspect, are embarrassing enough to him and his mother, Helena, that Claudia is assigned to the case. Claudia is a member of the Agentes in Rebus ("the doers of things", per Doherty's introduction) and as such is a master spy -- a "little mouse" who scurries around catching tidbits of information and formulating plans.
The story is an okay one. The writing isn't terrifically memorable; actually, in some parts it is downright pedestrian. Claudia doesn't have any zing when she talks, and for the entire book I could not picture her in even the vaguest way. The deaf priest, Anastasius, was clearer in my mind than she was, and he didn't speak. Guess he left a bigger impression on me.
Now while I am down on the writing quality, I did enjoy the story. It was well done and kept me hanging on waiting to see what came next. The introduction, which sets the stage for fourth-century Rome at the time of the story, was another nice touch for those of us who are not entirely up on our Roman history, although my Latin experience made me smile at things like "In hoc signe vinces" and "Agentes in rebus". (I even recognized a quote that introduced one of the chapters -- "Anger is a brief madness", from Horace. It was in our textbook.)
Another interesting aspect was the fact that Anastasius was deaf. I suppose there have been deaf people throughout the ages, but they probably don't appear very often in historical fiction, and if they do they probably don't have as prominent and as useful a role as our friend the priest. Such a unique character definitely added to this book's appeal, and even Claudia was a smart and resourceful protagonist. (She just didn't have a forceful personality in her speech; it was more in her actions that she shone.)
So all in all, I'd say that I wouldn't buy this series, but I'm not about to turn up my nose at it if I see it in the library.
July 30, 2022
Unusual for me to be this critical and give a book less than four stars...
I liked the setting. As I learned quite a lot about ancient Rome (and latin, which to this day remains a trauma actually) I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the city and the intricate details about how that society works. It was the first time that familiar latin words made me smile, so that in itself would deserve one more star.
I particularly enjoyed the parts about the still half-hidden Christian community. A little more of that would've been very nice.
About the plot though... there were exciting parts and completely boring, disjointed ones which didn't seem to fit into the story. (Mostly they were better and more interesting than the main plot-line. And yes, I'm thinking about the signature closed-door murder - in the tavern. The courtisans' case unfortunately wasn't as thrilling as the summary indicated.) Just like among the characters - I found the heroine somehow lacking. We got to know her mostly through action and by other's descriptions. But even with all the bravery, street-smart behaviour, sympathetic motivation and the tragic backstory she remained... strangely unremarkable. (Anastasius, the deaf counselor made a huge impression compared to her. He felt more alive.) And I'm not sure if this was intentional from the author's part - after all, we're talking about a quite successful spy, who's painted as a gray mouse even by her employer - or she's just a little empty. Take her past, for example - her sick brother who was murdered. Thoughout the whole book he becomes somewhat of an afterthought. Supposedly all the spying and the danger Claudia gets herself into is for revenge for her brother and herself. But I cannot feel the emotions behind that. For me, nothing comes through. I felt the same with the conversations. They were about gripping topics and mysteries but still felt... flat. Methodical.
Sometimes I felt that characters came into the story too quickly, without much fanfare and the next moment they were acting like they were there all along and knew the heroine all along too. (And I'm not talking about the uncle, who was amazing and his entire side-story was well-crafted and superb.) That got me thrown more than once and sometimes I couldn't really follow who was who. (Or maybe I'm just dumb, who knows.)
What I wanted more of was the first mystery - the man who started Claudia in her dangerous journey. But that part is probably in the following books. Maybe that's the Hungarian edition's fault but there was nothing that indicated this was part of a series and I haven't done any research beforehand so when the book ended it was too abrupt and it made no sense.
All in all I mostly enjoyed the book and it was good enough of an experience that I'm invested in the sequel. But I'm not in a hurry with it. If for some reason I'll never get to it, it's (almost) perfectly fine by me.
I liked the setting. As I learned quite a lot about ancient Rome (and latin, which to this day remains a trauma actually) I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the city and the intricate details about how that society works. It was the first time that familiar latin words made me smile, so that in itself would deserve one more star.
I particularly enjoyed the parts about the still half-hidden Christian community. A little more of that would've been very nice.
About the plot though... there were exciting parts and completely boring, disjointed ones which didn't seem to fit into the story. (Mostly they were better and more interesting than the main plot-line. And yes, I'm thinking about the signature closed-door murder - in the tavern. The courtisans' case unfortunately wasn't as thrilling as the summary indicated.) Just like among the characters - I found the heroine somehow lacking. We got to know her mostly through action and by other's descriptions. But even with all the bravery, street-smart behaviour, sympathetic motivation and the tragic backstory she remained... strangely unremarkable. (Anastasius, the deaf counselor made a huge impression compared to her. He felt more alive.) And I'm not sure if this was intentional from the author's part - after all, we're talking about a quite successful spy, who's painted as a gray mouse even by her employer - or she's just a little empty. Take her past, for example - her sick brother who was murdered. Thoughout the whole book he becomes somewhat of an afterthought. Supposedly all the spying and the danger Claudia gets herself into is for revenge for her brother and herself. But I cannot feel the emotions behind that. For me, nothing comes through. I felt the same with the conversations. They were about gripping topics and mysteries but still felt... flat. Methodical.
Sometimes I felt that characters came into the story too quickly, without much fanfare and the next moment they were acting like they were there all along and knew the heroine all along too. (And I'm not talking about the uncle, who was amazing and his entire side-story was well-crafted and superb.) That got me thrown more than once and sometimes I couldn't really follow who was who. (Or maybe I'm just dumb, who knows.)
What I wanted more of was the first mystery - the man who started Claudia in her dangerous journey. But that part is probably in the following books. Maybe that's the Hungarian edition's fault but there was nothing that indicated this was part of a series and I haven't done any research beforehand so when the book ended it was too abrupt and it made no sense.
All in all I mostly enjoyed the book and it was good enough of an experience that I'm invested in the sequel. But I'm not in a hurry with it. If for some reason I'll never get to it, it's (almost) perfectly fine by me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2017
The author wrote a pretty engaging mystery and gave you little bits of information as the story went so, while you could have figured out who did it a bit before Claudia, it would have been very hard to actually figure out the how and why before she does.
It's an easy read and I quite enjoyed the main character. She is engaging, sympathetic, interesting, and likeable. I've noticed many people in the reviews say she doesn't really have a character but I do not agree with that, mostly because this is primarily a mystery novel and Claudia, while she's the main character and the POV character, isn't exactly the focus of the story and isn't supposed to be?
I also really liked the relationships in the book, they all seemed very natural and human and it made me realise that (mostly female) characters don't really get acquaintances? As in, people you know casually and are friendly with but aren't exactly friends with? At least not in the way they're written in this book, that I personally relate to.
On a rather strange note, while the female characters seemed like individuals, it was really hard for me to keep track of all the men in the story.
I can't comment on the actual writing because my copy is a translation and there is always something lost in translation. I also have no idea how historically accurate this was because I don't exactly know too much about Rome and this period, but it seemed pretty well researched.
I gave it 3 stars because, while it is interesting, I will not be rereading it and I don't really feel like it left an impression.
It's an easy read and I quite enjoyed the main character. She is engaging, sympathetic, interesting, and likeable. I've noticed many people in the reviews say she doesn't really have a character but I do not agree with that, mostly because this is primarily a mystery novel and Claudia, while she's the main character and the POV character, isn't exactly the focus of the story and isn't supposed to be?
I also really liked the relationships in the book, they all seemed very natural and human and it made me realise that (mostly female) characters don't really get acquaintances? As in, people you know casually and are friendly with but aren't exactly friends with? At least not in the way they're written in this book, that I personally relate to.
On a rather strange note, while the female characters seemed like individuals, it was really hard for me to keep track of all the men in the story.
I can't comment on the actual writing because my copy is a translation and there is always something lost in translation. I also have no idea how historically accurate this was because I don't exactly know too much about Rome and this period, but it seemed pretty well researched.
I gave it 3 stars because, while it is interesting, I will not be rereading it and I don't really feel like it left an impression.
August 19, 2017
Humor and charm? A light touch and cozy atmosphere? No. Not really. This is a historical murder mystery that takes itself quite seriously. Which would be fine if the story was believable, but it's not. And if the main character was more of a... well, character, but she's not. What can I say?
Every thing from the melodramatic start with a murder and a rape and the subsequent long term vengeance hunt for the man with the chalice tattoo, to the very position that our young heroine finds herself in, employed and trusted by no other then the First Lady of Rome... Well, it all feels a bit to much and adding a superman assassin to the plot doesn't help any. (The best part is actually an ordinary down to earth closed room murder in a taverna, a side feature that would have fitted just fine as main event. Sometimes simpler is better. But it was not to be. Ah, well.)
A two star story with one star added for the sake of some very nice descriptions of life in Ancient Rome, sight, sound, smell and all.
Every thing from the melodramatic start with a murder and a rape and the subsequent long term vengeance hunt for the man with the chalice tattoo, to the very position that our young heroine finds herself in, employed and trusted by no other then the First Lady of Rome... Well, it all feels a bit to much and adding a superman assassin to the plot doesn't help any. (The best part is actually an ordinary down to earth closed room murder in a taverna, a side feature that would have fitted just fine as main event. Sometimes simpler is better. But it was not to be. Ah, well.)
A two star story with one star added for the sake of some very nice descriptions of life in Ancient Rome, sight, sound, smell and all.
June 6, 2018
Another good Doherty read
I have often wondered how someone as prolific as Paul Doherty manages to keep turning out quality historical mysteries. While they may seem formulaic, including his signature "locked room"; his characters are diverse and his attention to historical detail keep his stories are interesting. He is usually good at keeping the reader guessing, a challenge in itself. This is the first in the series and there is plenty of room for character grow as Claudia hunts for man with the wrist tattoo.
I have often wondered how someone as prolific as Paul Doherty manages to keep turning out quality historical mysteries. While they may seem formulaic, including his signature "locked room"; his characters are diverse and his attention to historical detail keep his stories are interesting. He is usually good at keeping the reader guessing, a challenge in itself. This is the first in the series and there is plenty of room for character grow as Claudia hunts for man with the wrist tattoo.
October 26, 2022
Readable, but rather mediocre whodunit. The setting is a plus: it is nice to go to a different period of Ancient Rome's history (most books are about are set in the I b.c and I a.c). The mystery was... not very exciting and the evil murderer easy to figure out (not so many candidates, so it goes by exclusion). Too much exposition is clumsily incorporated into the dialogues. The protagonist, Claudia, is not yet a fully developed character, but she has some potential and I will give the series another chance.
April 5, 2025
Murder Imperial
Another great read by Paul Doherty. I've read quite a few of his books now, and they never fail to bring enjoyment. All are Rich in period detail. This series is set in fourth century Rome.
Another great read by Paul Doherty. I've read quite a few of his books now, and they never fail to bring enjoyment. All are Rich in period detail. This series is set in fourth century Rome.
June 13, 2022
Muy bueno, pero con un final ligeramente abierto que deja queriendo saber más
June 18, 2025
Малко слабичко откъм мистерия, но откъм детайли и познания за Древен Рим книгата е право в целта. Пол Дохърти "съживи" града пред очите ми и ми позволи да се потопя изцяло в атмосферата.
March 10, 2026
I enjoyed this! As a fan of Lindsay Davis’ Flaco series this was a treat to come across!
September 25, 2012
There is something unusual in this book: the spy and main character is a girl. I don't know if there were female spies in Ancient Rome, but there is a good explanation in the novel. Sometimes a girl has easier access to the information she has to find, for example if the person who has that information is a female servant and servants are usually overlooked. They're there but most people don't really pay attention to them. These things make it possible for Claudia to find out secrets unnoticed.
It is interesting to see how the more you read, the more you doubt everybody. All the people in the novel are hiding things and you never really know who they're really helping (or if they're helping anybody at all). Also, everybody has their own interests, so they may be helping somebody at one point and trying to make things difficult for them at another. This makes it difficult for Claudia to find the killer, but it also makes it difficult for us as readers to know who the bad guys are.
Claudia is also hiding something: her past. She is working as a spy for Constantine's mother to be able to find the man that killed her brother. All she knows is that the man had some sort of tattoo in his wrist but she soon learns that this just means that the man belongs to a certain group.
In the end you don't know how bad all the characters are, because while the most immediate problem is solved, half secrets have been revealed that are probably part of further novels (I haven't read the next books in the series, so I can't be sure, but it is strongly hinted).
It is interesting to see how the more you read, the more you doubt everybody. All the people in the novel are hiding things and you never really know who they're really helping (or if they're helping anybody at all). Also, everybody has their own interests, so they may be helping somebody at one point and trying to make things difficult for them at another. This makes it difficult for Claudia to find the killer, but it also makes it difficult for us as readers to know who the bad guys are.
Claudia is also hiding something: her past. She is working as a spy for Constantine's mother to be able to find the man that killed her brother. All she knows is that the man had some sort of tattoo in his wrist but she soon learns that this just means that the man belongs to a certain group.
In the end you don't know how bad all the characters are, because while the most immediate problem is solved, half secrets have been revealed that are probably part of further novels (I haven't read the next books in the series, so I can't be sure, but it is strongly hinted).
September 10, 2013
Rome in 313 A.D. is now ruled by Constantine and appears to be headed for a new Golden Age. His mother, Helena, has embraced the new faith of Christianity, and Constantine wants to tap into some of the new church’s growing power. This resolve is threatened, however, when three courtesans are found murdered. All three have had the Christian crosses etched deeply onto their foreheads and cheeks. Helena calls upon Claudia, an agente in rebus politicus, or political spy, to apprehend the killer before the Christians once again become scapegoats and Helena’s plans for Empire turn to dust.
May 14, 2013
It's one of those personal things isn't it? I just find Doherty is not on my wave length. He has a tight well written historical novel here but I just can't care about the characters.
It's an easy read despite being set in Rome and the plot is well thought out. It's just that after Lindsay Davies' Falco series this Rome is rather thin and lacking in colour.
Anyone wanting a straight forward, easy historical to read will enjoy this novel.
It's an easy read despite being set in Rome and the plot is well thought out. It's just that after Lindsay Davies' Falco series this Rome is rather thin and lacking in colour.
Anyone wanting a straight forward, easy historical to read will enjoy this novel.
March 6, 2014
During the trial of Christ, Pilate, according to the gospels, wanted to free the prisoner.
This is panning out as an enjoyable light mystery set just after Constantine has fought his way into Rome and his mother Helene is the balls-of-steel behind the Emperor. Courtesan's are being murdered and signature crosses are cut into their dead faces.
This is panning out as an enjoyable light mystery set just after Constantine has fought his way into Rome and his mother Helene is the balls-of-steel behind the Emperor. Courtesan's are being murdered and signature crosses are cut into their dead faces.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2024
Good book about crimes in the Roman Empire. The author is an expert in many historical periods and has used very detailed descriptions of the Romans.
It is essentially a Roman detective story and quite enjoyable.
It is essentially a Roman detective story and quite enjoyable.
March 15, 2008
this book is truly awful i didnt bother finishing it. the conversations between charcters are so stilted.
July 30, 2011
Nice historal descriptions of Rome, enjoyed the story but probably wouldn't read another by the same author.
November 27, 2014
Amazing but I didn't like the end... I expected more.
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