Ruso and Tilla’s excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors–some skilled–but others positively dangerous. Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his … predecessor Doctor Kleitos has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, “Be careful who you trust.” Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.With Ruso’s reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos’s debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress’s dead father–Ruso’s patient–and the unfortunate man in the barrel.
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Vita Brevis is several books into the Gaius Petreius Ruso mystery series by Ruth Downie, and although it works fine on its own, I recommend reading them in order, starting with Medicus.
Ruso is a doctor with the Roman army in Britain, and he marries a woman from one of the British tribes. Their life together and the trouble they get into in Britain, Gaul, and Rome (so far) make fabulous reads. Generally, I like the ones in Britain best because I know Britain better, but they’re all excellent, and in Vita Brevis, Ms. Downie paints an all-too-believable picture of life in Ancient Rome. Entire series highly recommended!
Life May Be Short So Do Not Miss Reading Vita Brevis
Ruth Downie leads her readers down a significantly different path in Vita Brevis than her previous novels in this series. The story is set in Rome and not Britannia or Gaul. This change presents some difficulties for the author and some difficulties for the reader. I will leave the difficulties for the author to her Author’s Notes at the end of the novel. For the reader, the Ruso is different in this novel. The story starts with Ruso, his wife, Tilla, and his daughter, Mara, having arrived in Rome. He was brought to Rome by a Tribune from Britannia, Accius, who now is Ruso’s patron, and Ruso becomes Accius’ client. This relationship only appears in one other series that I regularly read that is Rosemary Rowe’s Libertus series. Ruso must be deferential to Accius and depends upon him for lodging and financial support. Ruso isn’t the only one who has to change; Tilla needs to be a Roman Wife. This is the B-story. Ruth Downie has portrayed the conflict between Ruso’s and Tilla’s public and private lives quite well and weaves it into the main story thread that makes a much richer novel.
As for the main story, it starts right out on page one with the delivery of a barrel. Ruso finds himself in a roach infested insula and can find a job. Then, luck seems to smile on Ruso. He is invited to cover another doctor’s practice that includes being the physician to Accius’s patron. It appears that Rome is now Ruso’s oyster. It goes downhill very quickly. Ruso is blamed by his neighbors, the deliverers of the barrel want payment, and Ruso makes a questionable decision. Ruso must find his way out of the deep pit he finds himself that only seems to get deeper by the minute. Then, Accius enlists the assistance of Metellus who may not have Ruso’s or Accius’s best interests in mind. These and many other threads are woven into an excellent story with enough twists, turns and misdirections to keep the reader’s interest. For several nights, I read way into the morning because I could not put this novel down.
Now, this is the seventh novel in the series, so will you miss anything if you have not read the first six. No, you will not. I did not see any holes in the story where the author did not provide adequate backstory.
Overall, this seventh novel was a pleasure to read. The author takes the story into a radically different environment that makes the novel very interesting. Lastly, the B-story is quite rich and furthers Ruso’s and Tilla’s story so much. Based upon all of positives, I have rated Vita Brevis with five stars.
Ruso and Tilla have finally made it to Rome…and a dead body has been left in a barrel outside their new home.
This was another terrific installment of the Ruso/Medicus historical mystery series that never fails to entertain and keep the reader guessing. And it almost seemed, like the new setting, that Downie had a new vitality with the twists and turns of this story. A wonderful mystery, a story line that leaves you eager for the next book in the series, and, as ever, a wonderful glimpse into life in the Roman Empire….even if it is a fictional one.