THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA serial killer is on the loose in Roman-occupied Britain, and Gaius Petreius Ruso is out to catch him… if he isn’t killed first.The Gods are not smiling on army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso in his new posting in Britannia. He has vast debts, long shifts, and an overbearing hospital administrator to deal with . . . not to mention a serial killer stalking the local … . . not to mention a serial killer stalking the local streets.
Barmaids’ bodies are being washed up with the tide and no one else seems to care. It’s up to Ruso to summon all his skills to investigate, even though the breakthroughs in forensic science lie centuries in the future, and the murderer may be hunting him down too.
If only the locals would just stop killing each other and if only it were possible to find a decent glass of wine, and someone who can cook, Ruso’s prospects would be a whole lot sunnier….
The first novel in the New York Times bestselling Gaius Petreius Ruso series. With a gift for comic timing and historic detail, Ruth Downie has conjured an ancient world as raucous and real as our own.
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MEDICUS ushers in a wonderful whodunnit series set during the days of the Roman Empire. Gaius Petreius Ruso, a doctor serving with the Roman legions in remote Brittania, is wonderfully portrayed as the reluctant sleuth thrown into the midst of a murder inquiry. Beset by financial difficulties and a slave acquired to save her life, Ruso follows a …
Ruso is a Roman doctor, recently arrived in Britannia, having discovered that his new home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Nevertheless he’s trying hard to overcome his disappointment and make the best of things. A kind gesture inadvertently lands him with the problematic ownership of a slave called Tilla. Not only does she have a broken arm, she …
Take a break from tanning: Medicus will take you where the sun —almost— never shines: the rainy hills of a tiny, hostile Roman province of Brittania in 122 AD. Our guide and Downie’s reluctant sleuth is Ruso, a freshly debarked, debt-saddled and endearingly awkward army doctor.
What follows is a never-ending stream of misfortunes in which Ruso …
I’ve read all the books in Ruth Downie’s series about Gaius Petreius Ruso and find them delightful. I highly recommend any book in this series.
I think this may be my favorite in Ruth Downie’s historical mystery series so far. This one takes Ruso home to Gaul and into the clutches of his family. Funny and fast-paced, I couldn’t put it down.
Oh what fun! Medicus and its sequels tell the story of a Roman military doctor, Russo and Tilla, his, well I’ll let you find out just who she is to him. I found myself totally engrossed in the books and their reluctant exploits in Roman Britain. Ruth Downie does a great job researching. I have both read and listened to this book. The audio is …
An exceptional romp through the Roman Army Camp alongside medicus Gaius Ruso. I love how the author wove the threads of mystery together with Roman medical practice and administrative angst. We’ve all worked with someone solely focussed on following the rules, and so it was easy to sympathise with Ruso and his dealings with the hospital’s …
I loved this book. Original premise, wonderfully executed.
I’m a bit of a Roman detective nut (shocking, I know), and have read several such series. I usually jump from one series to the next, interspersing with Urban Fantasy or non-fiction reading. I read this whole series front-to-back without pause, which should give you an indication of how much I loved it.
My reviews tend to focus on setting …
Downie’s characters in Roman Britain are so enjoyable, two people who are thrown together in locations that are strange to them both, for different reasons. Gaius Ruso the Medicus ( a doctor and surgeon from Gaul, serving in the Roman Army) and Tilla (a native Briton midwife) are two of my new favorites. Very entertaining.
Great story line in an ancient setting.
I love this series about a Roman doctor who is posted to the wilds of Empire—Britain. Great historical world-making, good characters who grow as the series continues. Interesting situations and charming writing are some of the strong points of these books.
This book builds a good feel of life in Britain during the Roman occupation. The characters are original and likely realistic for the time. I would have liked the plot to be a little deeper.
Always enjoy a Ruth Downey book!
slow to start, good finish
Good Read!
Very interesting topic about a time we don’t learn much about in school. Well – done!