Despite the opulence of the evening's banquet, Libertus is keen to return to his wife and a warm bed. But this feast has a finale to put any diner off his dessert—the guest of honor is found dead in the vomitorium. To Libertus's horror, his patron Marcus Septimus is arrested on suspicion of murder. Then when Libertus is accused of being Marcus's accomplice, he is forced to go on the run. Hiding in a dark corner of the city, he quickly realizes he's an unwelcome visitor to those who haunt the shadows. Soon Libertus is in danger, and this time there's no one to help.
Read this book in 2012, and its the 6th volume of the delightful "Libertus" series.
The year is AD 187, with Libertus at a banquet, but keen to return to his long lost and now returned wife, but a warm bed is put on hold because the guest of honour is found in the vomitorium.
The man who will be accused of murder and arrested therefore will be Liberus's patron, Marcus Septimus.
Not long after that Libertus will seen as a accomplice to this murder, and he goes on the run to evade his pursuers.
Haunted by unknown shadows and ghosts, and Libertus in serious danger he will get help from unexpected quarters, and the investigation into this murder will set off in a most fascinating fashion.
What is to follow is an astounding Roman mystery, in which Libertus, although in difficult circumstances himself will get the help he needs, and with combined forces they will be able to reveal the real culprit behind this heinous murder.
Highly recommended, for this is another splendid addition to this tremendous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fabulous Libertus Mystery"!
This is edge of your seat tension as Libertus is challenged in every manner possible to save Marcus from the charge of murdering one of his dinner guests. It becomes necessary for Libertus to hide amongst the money-hungry men of the shadows to avoid his own arrest and find the true force behind the murder. There is a great deal of unpleasantness in store for Libertus and most of it is rather unappetizing to read. Somehow...things turn out in the end. But in the midst of losing clothes, shoes, homes, possessions and sanity at times, it is hard to see how he will survive the hardships and manage to rescue Marcus. After such great hardship, it is difficult to accept the brief and abrupt wrap-up. so...3.5 stars for putting me on edge of seat and then boom, all is fixed.
Just Brilliant. I could not stop.reading.till I got to the end.
I have rarely read a.book which has captivated me.more. There is a death at a banquet held but Libertus's patron Marcus. Before he can think better of it Libertus points out that the death seems suspicious, if he had stopped to think he would have kept silent as next thing his patron Marcus is denounced as the murderer and arrested. Libertus then begins to spiral down the rabbit hole, within twenty four hours he is ostracized, homeless, hunted, desperate and starving. He ends up hiding in the worst area of Glenvum where the lowest of the.low hide (displaced people due to injury illness, runaway slaves, discarded slaves etc) all those who have no way or means.of earning a living...........or even a meal. Libertu s is so caught up in just trying to survive that he has no hope of.trying to work on who the actual murderer is and.most importantly why they would choose to implicate Marcus. The plight of these "Ghosts" in this story is heartbreak as is how quickly Libertu s goes from a man with (what now looks like) a comfortable life to a desperate individual at risk of being murdered for his shoes...............
This series of historical mysteries is set in AD 187 Roman Britain. Libertus is a pavement artist; he makes beautiful mosaic floors for the wealthy citizens of Glevum, what is now Gloucester. This is the sixth book of the series.
Basically, I kept reading this story because I like Libertus, a reluctant detective who was formerly a slave and therefore can appreciate a good thing when he sees it. However, many of the supporting cast in this volume were not good things, and he only spends time with them because he’s forced to. And I don’t only mean the beggars and theives . . . the rich and powerful were just as bad. This and the descriptions of the living conditions didn’t make the story any more enjoyable to read, but it did make Libertus shine in the darkness.
Furthermore, Libertus either had to solve this particular mystery or lose almost everything he has. That dark side was very evident in this book, where Marcus, Libertus’s patron, was accused of murder and treason. This leaves our hero with no help from his main supportor or anyone else nearby.
Ms. Rowe’s descriptions are excellent, as usual, but the pacing was a little choppy. Perhaps that was intentional because of the hero’s circumstances; he had to sit around and wait a lot.
The mystery itself was a bit of a letdown. Libertus must rely on the “ghosts” of the story to help him investigate, and it felt like he wasn’t even present for most of the legwork, which is half the fun.
I’d taken a hiatus from this series for several years, and I’d hoped for more from this volume. I will give Libertus one more try before giving up.
This story contains some violence, no sexual content, no foul language.
Rowe excels at her depiction of Roman society, particularly the class differences and their living standards. She makes excellent use of her descriptions of what the characters are wearing to show the readers exactly how important dress was to power play; how a simple change of clothing, from wearing the toga to simply donning a tunic, can affect the way you're seen and treated by other members of society.
Although this is described as part of the Roman mystery/detective genre, her mysteries are surprisingly not particularly interesting nor difficult to deduce. It is Rowe's in-depth knowledge on life in the provinces, particularly for the Roman classes, that made this book a joy to read.
I was entertained by this mystery, though I was nowhere near solving it, in fact, it looked quite hopeless. Every book in this series entertains me and teaches me more about life in the Roman Empire. I also like spending time with Libertus and his household.
Libertus and that household are personally threatened in this episode - if I hadn't known there are more novels about him, I would have been worried!
I already knew much of the potentially dismal lot of the oman slave - even slaves well-treated by their masters were tortured by the government if their testimony was needed in a criminal case. But I hadn't realized that their masters had no obligation to care for them if they were disabled or disfigured in any way and could throw them out to starve, steal, or prostitute themselves. There was generally no social safety net for the destitute, except for kind people like Libertus who buys kindling he doesn't need from a former miller (not a slave) who can't run his mill after losing most of a hand. Also, in this story, a foodseller's Christian wife has their slave give the leftover soup to the poor each day. Of course, since he naturally wants to buy his way out of slavery (and who wouldn't?), he charges them a bit for it, without mentioning that to his mistress. A poor old woman describes the foodseller's wife to Libertus as "'a member of that peculiar sect. You know the one. Believe in all sorts of peculiar things - only one God and that crucified Jew who was supposed to have come back from the dead.'" We're told that while the Emperor persecuted Christians because they wouldn't sacrifice to him, most people appreciated their giving to the poor.
This is the sixth book in the series - I strongly recommend reading them in order. Even if you don't care about learning history, you can enjoy the setting as an alien fantasy world - it's different enough from our world, even if it is in Britain.
I have enjoyed Libertus novels in the past but found they tended to be slipping into a rut. Heavy recurring patterns are common in mystery novels, but the last few seemed to be a little too paint by numbers for my taste. So I was very excited early on when Libertus’ patron Marcus got arrested leaving Libertus on his own trying to investigate with no support or sanction from above. Finally, something fresh and original!
Be careful what you wish for I guess. While the books could do well to focus less on Marcus forcing Libertus to investigate some new fantastical crime of the week, there are sound structural reasons for him to be present. For a detective to be effective they need to have the ability to interview suspects (officially or unofficially), examine evidence, and move freely. With Marcus not just uninvolved but under arrest and with Liburtus’ life under threat the whole mystery element gets shoved to the backburner as the story becomes an adventure novel where Libertus has to elude the soldiers and mob long enough to solve the crime. And, well, it turns out that Rowe isn’t very good at adventure on its own.
There’s no easy way to say this, but Rowe cannot write criminals if her life depended on it. The guys here seem cartoonishly evil, even when we’re meant to be sympathetic. Somehow, even when one of them starts to desecrate a murdered child and take joy in poking his eyeballs (yes, it gets that dark) the characters don’t feel like a threat. And their reasons for helping Libertus instead of turning him in for a nice safe reward are rather unconvincing. Plus, how many criminal masterminds do you know who explain their every motivation to their victims? What turns this from a problem into a small catastrophe is the fact that the novel’s plot requires Libertus to leave behind his generally enjoyable cast of side characters and hang around with these guys the whole time. The strongest theme of these books was always the stresses that slavery and the patron/client relationship places on characters. And that theme vanishes.
The solution to the mystery is not that impressive either. We’re given little information to go on, which was only partly a result of the direction the plot took. The frustrating issue is that nobody asks any obvious questions. The most irritating example of this is when Libertus has the key witness right there and seems on the right path, only to decide (for no reason) to call it a night and continue the interrogation in the morning. Guess how that goes? Shock/horror/awe. The result of this lack of clues is that not only is there no gradual reveal but Libertus’ leap seems somewhat miraculous as well. In the end, possibly because of the lack of details, I wasn’t left completely clear who did what and why. It all seems a bit too much.
While I don’t normally criticize these books’ accuracy too much (all pre-modern detective novels make major compromises with the facts) the entire premise of this book is based around the existence of a vomitorium where guests at a banquet can go purge themselves so they can stuff down more. This is an old myth that was disproved years ago but still gets bandied about in lazy popular guides. In reality, a vomitorium was the exit to an amphitheater, so called because it vomited forth patrons. When the setup for the mystery requires a room that never existed there is a problem with your book.
Not one of her better works.
Plot: 3 (Boldly different but at the cost of not doing anything interesting) Characters: 4 (All but Libertus sidelined, and criminals unbelievable) Accuracy: 4 (Lower than usual) Mystery: 3 (Obviously 1 of 2 people, but I still don’t understand who did what)
This time it is Liberus himself, and his patron, the O so noble Marcus, who are in trouble. Marcus is accused of murder, AND, treason. He is imprisoned and awaits shipment to Rome, for a trial before the emperor Commodus! Libertus is forced to flee to the outcasts of society, the beggars and petty thieves. With their help, he proves his master innocent.
My one problem with this novel, the conclusion. Far too quickly executed, skipped over and told in retrospect, at a dinner party! Did the author run out of time or pages? Nevertheless, still enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really liked the earlier installments in this series and this one starts out very well too with our hero’s rich and powerful benefactor being suspected of murder. It’s an interesting shoe on the other foot-situation and the victim being bumped off in a vomitorium is unsavoury in a smelly, fascinating fashion. But... After that it’s all downhill.
For what seems like ages Libertus mixes with a group of poverty stricken criminals. It’s a squaller of Dickensian proportions, and these lice infested and rag tag conditions seems to rub off on the story itself. It’s dull, slow and pointless. And even worse, it brings the charm factor to its scabby knees. Frustrating speed reading ensues. There’s comings and goings, but no plot to speak of. We don’t even get to se how the mighty Marcus deals with his world gone topsy-turvy experience. That at least would have been interesting because it sure must have been sweaty for the feather-bedded big wig. But no... We’re stuck in the gutter, eating muddy soup and shovelling rotting refuse with our bare hands. And even if it’s a realistic description of life in the Roman Britain underbelly, I can’t say it does anything for me. Not without a stronger storyline and more engaging characters.
The guest of honor at a banquet hosted by Marcus Septimus is murdered and he is arrested. Libertus, realizing that he is also under suspicion, goes in to hiding and discovers the underworld of Glevum known as the "Ghosts of Glevum." Rosemary Rowe is brilliant on the details of life in ancient Rome, but as this particular title focused more on those who lived on the margins of society rather than the mystery of the murder, it was a disappointing read for me.
3.5 Stars Not my favorite of the series at all, I thought the plot was awkward and unbelievable. The Ides of June was the one so far I have liked best, perhaps they have gotten better? I must check it out.
There was some merit in the glimpse of the underclass or non-persons living in Glevum- hence "Ghosts" and what that could mean. However this invisible group certainly had a lot of resources.
As always,Rosemary Rowe's depictions of Roman Britain are marvelous.
187 A.D. Marcus Septimus, master of Libertus, is hosting a dinner which unfortunately does not end as he hoped, but with a death. Libertus foolishly points out that the death is no accident and soon Marcus Septimus has been arrested. This results in Libertus being on the run but how can he free Marcus. Soon he will have the help, for money, of the Ghosts of Glevum run by Sosso. An enjoyable and well-written story
Maybe 2.5 if half stars were available. 90% of the book seemed to be things going from bad to worse to worst for Libertus, to the point that he's reached the bottom of the pile. A few pages of somewhat unlikely behaviour by the worst of the paupers in the town followed by a sudden revelation - and with one bound they were free. It almost seems as if the author felt the final denouement was too unlikely to even write it in detail.
This is a fast paced, well plotted story with lots of twists and turns. It would be nice, however, if Libertus displayed a bit more intelligence. The slaves and downtrodden poor who help him solve this mystery are also the most interesting characters in the story. Still, this is a well written addition to the series.
I love the series, but felt this novel let Libertus down. The murder itself was deeply unpleasant, and then Libertus doesn't do much actual detecting until the last chapters. The plot had him confined and having to hide, which, as Junio was not included, made it very disappointing.
Book 6 of the Libertus series, and it threw me for another surprise! I really think that Rosemary Rowe got more confident after book 4 and started taking more risks. Book 5 and Book 6 have been more original in terms of the mystery and the situations that Libertus gets in.
In book 6, Libertus gets to explore the underside of society. When the guest of honor dies, Marcus, Libertus' patron, is accused as the murderer. When the charges are escalated to conspiracy against the Emperor, Libertus has to find the real culprits before everything is too late. Oh, and at the same time, he's being hunted down, so he can't investigate as normal.
So why is the book called The Ghosts of Glevum? Because Libertus is thrown together with a group of beggars, thieves and the lowest of the low. Those are the people that he has to pay for any scrap of information.
And I'm not sure if that makes me a callous person, but I had absolutely no sympathy for the ghosts of Glevum. I know that they have to eke out a living any way they can, but their opportunism and lack of charm makes it awfully hard for me to sympathise with them. In fact, it's only at the very end of the book that one of them (only one) does something that we can call "generous".
Mystery-wise, it's a bit disappointing. Since Libertus spends most of the book on the run from the law, there's very little investigating going around. In fact, I re-read the ending a few times, and I still don't understand how Libertus managed to piece it all together.
Overall, this is a pretty good story. It's an interesting look at the darker side of Roman Britain (remember, read the introduction so you know how much of it is accurate). Mystery-wise, it was meh, and I'm hoping the next book ramps up the investigating and the deducing again.
Imagine the ambiance of a Cannery Row set in the Roman provinces and written by an English Zola. In its own way this book is thoroughly depressing even as it entertains. I highly recommend it.