The River God's Vengeance

SPQR #8

by John Maddox Roberts

He would rise up as savior of the State, but Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger already has a lot on his mind. In the year of his aedileship, Decius is expected to stage elaborate and expensive games out of his own pocket. Along with his duties of pleasing the crowds with the feats of gladiators and wild beasts, are the more practical, and commonly neglected, ones of maintaining the city and its laws. It is these more mundane duties that call him to the scene of a recently built and more recently collapsed tenement building. Determined to punish the greedy parties who used cheap materials and caused the deaths of hundreds, Decius sets out to exact justice. It is easier said than done, especially when bodies and evidence go missing, and his family pressures him to cease the investigation. As he seeks out the politicians, philosophers, and tradesmen of the day, it becomes clear that the collapse of the building was deliberate, and Decius could be going after some of the most powerful men in Rome.

In this eighth installment of the series, Roberts once again provides authentic detail in the everyday Roman customs, as well as a fascinating picture of the growing unsteadiness of this famed Republic.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Crime, Historical Mystery, Roman

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

aka Mark Ramsay

John Maddox Roberts is the author of numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. The first two books in the series have recently been re-released in trade paperback.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decius is the Aediphile this year in Rome. Not only is he certain to go deeply into debt, He is in charge of maintaining the city and its laws. When a building collapses, Decius investigates. There's been a lot of shoddy building lately, and he wants to crack down. (Boy, the more things change, the more they stay the same) There is also flooding danger, and the city drainage has been very much neglected.

Decius once again finds himself in over his head as he tries to get to the truth. An excellent entry in an excellent series.

[Feles_et_libri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ο Δέκιος Καικίλιος Μέτελλος επιστρέφει δυναμικά, αυτή τη φορά ως αγορανόμος, και προσπαθεί να αποδώσει δικαιοσύνη σε μια πόλη που κυριαρχούν η διαφθορά, οι δωροδοκίες και τα πολιτικά παιχνίδια. Αφορμή για την έναρξη των ερευνών του αυτή τη φορά είναι η κατάρρευση μιας κακοφτιαγμένης πολυκατοικίας που κόστισε τη ζωή σε περίπου 250 άτομα και ,κατά τη διάρκεια τους, ο Δέκιος έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με επικίνδυνους ανθρώπους, διεφθαρμένους και άχρηστους αξιωματούχους αλλά και με τον ίδιο τον Τίβερη, που σκοπεύει να παρασύρει με τα ορμητικά νερά του ο,τι βρεθεί στο διάβα του . Ευτυχώς έχει πάντα τον πανέξυπνο και πονηρό δούλο του, Ερμή, δίπλα του να τον βοηθάει. Και να πίνει ίσως και το καλό κρασί του κατά καιρούς.
Η εκδίκηση του Τίβερη είναι, για μένα, από τα καλύτερα της σειράς, που έχω διαβάσει, και δεν μπορούσα να το αφήσω από τα χέρια μου. Η έρευνα για την υπόθεση ήταν εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα, με πολλές ανατροπές και αρκετή δράση και το βιβλίο κυλούσε πάρα πολύ ευχάριστα. Οι πολιτικές συζητήσεις ήταν περιορισμένες, πράγμα ευχάριστο, γιατί, ενω προσωπικά τις βρίσκω συνήθως ενδιαφέρουσες,καμιά φορά τείνουν να τραβούν πολύ σε άλλα βιβλία του John Maddox Roberts και να κουράζουν.
Περιμένω εναγωνίως να μεταφραστούν και τα άλλα βιβλία της σειράς επιτέλους γιατί έχει πια γίνει από τις αγαπημένες μου.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying volume of the SPQR series. The characters continue to grow and solidify and by this book the main character of Decius is more mature and solid a figure. The slow development of Roman history in the series is satisfying, particularly for someone familiar with the broad events of the tumultuous time period.

Roberts deftly handles the complex politics of Rome and as much of its culture as we understand and can be conveyed in fiction. The matter-of-fact attitude toward religion and supernatural is well done, as is the limited understanding of science and technology (more advanced than many modern people would think).

Overall the mystery is not the best in the series, but the narration and characters carry the story well and the conclusion in the flood is very satisfying.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 3 out of 5]

Läsning 2: mindre intressant vid omläsning

Läsning 1: Ytterligare en historia som slutar lika intensivt som mittpariet. Den är spännande, välskriven och finurlig. Jag rekommenderar den varmt.

[Marianna Flessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Στο όγδοο βιβλίο της σειράς SPQR, του John Maddox Roberts, ο συμπαθέστατος Δέκιος Καικίλιος Μέτελλος μπαίνει σε νέες περιπέτειες. Με φόντο την Αρχαία Ρώμη του 1ου π.Χ. αιώνα, τον βρίσκουμε να έχει εκλεγεί στη θέση του αγορανόμου. Μία θέση που, όπως ο ίδιος ομολογεί, δεν του είναι ιδιαίτερα επιθυμητή, αλλά αναγκαστικά, έβαλε υποψηφιότητα και εκλέχτηκε σε αυτή, γιατί είναι ένα σκαλί προς την επίτευξη των στόχων του. Η πρόθεσή του είναι να βρεθεί στη γερουσία. Όταν βρεθεί στη θέση αυτή, τότε θα αποκτήσει κύρος και θα ενισχύσει τη θέση της οικογένειάς του, όπως επίσης θα κερδίσει χρήματα και περιουσία. Τη στιγμή αυτή, ως αγορανόμος, όχι μόνο δεν κερδίζει χρήματα, αλλά αναγκάζεται να ξοδέψει μέρος από την προσωπική περιουσία του για να διοργανώσει γιορτές και αγώνες. Η θέση του τον υποχρεώνει να βελτιώσει τις υποδομές της Ρώμης, όπως τους υπονόμους και τους δρόμους, για να ευχαριστήσει τους ψηφοφόρους του και έτσι να κατορθώσει να επανεκλεγεί. Τέλος, μέρος των καθηκόντων του είναι και η άσκηση μιας μορφής αστυνόμευσης της περιοχής όπου εκλέγεται. Έτσι, όταν μια κακοφτιαγμένη πολυκατοικία καταρρέει ξαφνικά θάβοντας στο εσωτερικό της μερικές εκατοντάδες ανθρώπων, καλείται να βρει την αιτία της καταστροφής και να φέρει τους ενόχους ενώπιον της δικαιοσύνης.

Τα εμπόδια που βρίσκει στο δρόμο του είναι πολλά. Η αρχαία δημοκρατία των Ρωμαίων έχει μετατραπεί, με την πάροδο των χρόνων, σε δικτατορία και επικρατούν η διαφθορά, οι δωροδοκίες, η ιδιοτέλεια των ισχυρών. Είναι μία εποχή που το κοινό καλό δεν παίζει κανένα ρόλο και οι εκλεγμένοι από το λαό, που βρίσκονται σε καίριες θέσεις, στοχεύουν μόνο στο δικό τους κέρδος και την επανεκλογή τους, που φυσικά θα τους αποφέρει ακόμη περισσότερα χρήματα κι εξουσία. Μέσα σ’αυτό το κλίμα και με σύντροφό του τον παμπόνηρο δούλο του, Ερμή, ο Δέκιος ερευνά με μεθοδικότητα και προσήλωση την υπόθεση της κατάρρευσης. Φυσικά και φτάνει στο στόχο του και φυσικά το βιβλίο είναι γεμάτο ανατροπές και δράση, με τις ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρουσες συγκρούσεις τους με το status quo της διαφθοράς της αρχαίας Ρώμης.

Έχω διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία της σειράς, άλλα από το αγγλικό κείμενο και άλλα από μετάφραση. Στην «Εκδίκηση του Τίβερη», η προσήλωση του συγγραφέα στο να πλατειάζει και να είναι ιδιαίτερα αναλυτικός με τον τρόπο λειτουργίας και δομής της κυβερνώσας ιεραρχίας της αρχαίας Ρώμης, μετριάζεται κατά πολύ. Γίνεται σε κάποια σημεία λεπτομερής αλλά όχι υπέρμετρα κουραστικός. Από την άλλη όμως, είναι ένας πολύ ωραίος τρόπος για τους λάτρεις της ρωμαϊκής ιστορίας και των ιστορικών μυθιστορημάτων να μελετήσουν το συγκεκριμένο κομμάτι της ρωμαϊκής διοίκησης με διασκεδαστικό τρόπο και μέσα από την αφήγηση μιας ιστορίας μυστηρίου. Υπό αυτό το πρίσμα, μπορεί να πει κανείς ότι είναι αποδεκτή η εκτενής περιγραφή της Ρωμαϊκής Δημοκρατίας.

Στην «Εκδίκηση του Τίβερη» ο χαρακτήρας του Δέκιου γίνεται ακόμα πιο ώριμος, πιο συμπαγής, αποκτά πραγματική λογοτεχνική υπόσταση και ενηλικιώνεται. Αυτό κάνει ακόμα πιο ζωντανή και ενδιαφέρουσα την ιστορία και, φυσικά, ο σύντροφός του στην περιπέτεια, ο δούλος Ερμής γίνεται πιο πνευματώδης, πιο ζωντανός, ενώ κάποιες φορές παίρνει πάνω του την εξέλιξη της υπόθεσης με σκοπό την επίλυση του μυστηρίου και την απόδοση δικαιοσύνης.

Από όλα τα βιβλία της σειράς που έχω διαβάσει, η «Εκδίκηση του Τίβερη» είναι αυτή που μου φάνηκε πιο ενδιαφέρουσα. Η κάθε περιπέτεια του Δέκιου Μέτελλου μπορεί να διαβαστεί ξεχωριστά χωρίς να χρειάζεται ο αναγνώστης να έχει γνώση των προηγούμενων επεισοδίων. Η μετάφραση του βιβλίου από την κα. Τιτίνα Σπερελάκη, είναι εξαιρετική, ιδιαίτερα αν λάβει κανείς υπόψη του τη δυσκολία στη μετάφραση κάποιων όρων. Η προσωπική μου άποψη είναι ότι όσο η σειρά προοδεύει και η δομή των κεντρικών χαρακτήρων γίνεται πιο φυσική και πολυδιάστατη, βρίσκω όλο και περισσότερο διασκεδαστικές τις περιπέτειες του Δέκιου και θα σας πρότεινα να τις διαβάσετε. Ιδιαίτερα την «Εκδίκηση του Τίβερη».

https://vivliosimeia.blogspot.com/202...

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decius is serving as aedile, the super expensive position in charge of it seems basically running Rome through public contracts and the like. First, he discovers the sewers are clogged then comes a flood bringing that to a seriously gross and damaging conclusion. An apartment building has collapsed killing a lot of people but someone is covering the tracks of flouting building regulations. He must challenge some powerful people and Father Tiber to solve and survive this case.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easier to hide an elephant under a bed than a conspiracy in Rome""
Another delicious Roman romp as our hero, Decius, seeks to uncover shortcutting in the building industry as the water level rises and theatens to seriously flood the city.
Written with panache and humour, full of fascinating detail and robustly read by John Lee, this is a book to thoroughly enjoy

[Linda Humberstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read featuring Decius Metellus and his investigations involving the underhand bribery and corruption in both the Roman building trade and the Senate. I love the people, their characters and personalities described in these books and the shenanigans they get up to. It is all so relevant to our own times; nothing changes much!

[Maj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, as usual. I adore this series, combining my love for the Ancient Rome in the 1st century BC with my love of detective stories. Additionally, I definitely enjoyed the character development featured in this book, especially when it comes to Decius, feels very organic. Well done.

[Lena_makridina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy knows how to end a story:)

I swear these books get better and better.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six-Word review: Roman patrician with conscience does good.

This book is part of a series that does as good a job as any I've read of telling an interesting story and being as accurate as possible in describing life in the later years of the Roman Republic, that is just before Julius Caesar's dictatorship.

Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has been appointed Aedile which makes him responsible for the maintenance of Rome's infrastructure. The story opens with the total collapse of an insula (apartment building) in the Subura District. 200 people perish in the tragedy and Decius believes it was caused by poor workmanship and materials. He later discovers it was collapsed on purpose.

He is determined to see that those who build such vulnerable buildings are brought to justice. In the process, he also discovers that the sewers under the city have not been maintained and are likely to overflow during the Spring flood of Father Tiber.

The plot unfolds from there as Decius'efforts are constrained by politics and the influence of his own family. As he works to bring down the corrupt leaders of the construction industry, he is put in personal danger.

The book ends with Decius being attacked but saved by the overflowing Tiber's destruction of a shoddily built theater. Hence the title of the book.

The story flows along nicely and because Decius does not take himself too seriously has a bit of humor as well as some thrilling action.

If you, the reader, are not acquainted with the Roman culture, I would recommend you first read the excellent Glossary at the back of the book. It will help you better understand what's going on.

Even though this is volume VIII of the series, it is just fine as a stand-alone story.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine edition in the SPQR series. In this one, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger is starting off his term as aedile, expected to sponsor some plays and games at his own expense. He busies his days with seeing to his duties as aedile, with Hermes by his side. The mystery for this story is picked up earlier than most. While in the course of his duties, Decius lands upon a scheme of corruption that he cannot abide, thus launching himself into an investigation that turns dangerous when Decius discovers he is unable to rely on some of his normal allies to assist him.

JMR did a fine job showing just how much of a thankless job it was to be aedile, not to mention the personal expense it pushed upon the office holder. I also liked how none of the murders or mysteries surrounding the story had anything to do with any major historical event, leaving the culprits unknown until Decius has pieced enough clues together for me to make a logical guess--just around the same time as he does. Father Tiber makes his presence known in this story, and I thought that added element made for some interesting atmosphere for the climax, which was a thrilling one, and I enjoyed the denouement, especially since Julia was present for this one.

As I get further and further into the series, I'm liking and enjoy the characters more and more.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Maddox Roberts has written a series of mysteries that highlight ancient Rome’s political and social turmoil in Caesar’s era. In the River God’s Vengeance our protagonist Decius Caecilius Metellus, an Aedile of Rome, uncovers murder and corruption in the all too frequent collapse of an Insula (multi-story house). Collaborating with the reactionary but straight-arrow Cato amidst a fetid flooding city Metellus prevails. Roberts knows his history and social environment. And I’m a sucker for anything Roman.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 8th in the series is another fine entry set in Rome in 53 BCE with a flood threatening due to rapid snow melt and dodgy building practices investigated by Decius after an insula collapses killing hundreds.

Many of Rome’s most powerful have fingers in the pie and Decius, with Hermes’ assistance, has to tread carefully to avoid death himself.

As always, it is the immersion in the attitudes of the time and no false 21st century sensibilities that add credibility to an engaging narrative, more about the journey than the resolution.

[zsozso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun as expected from the series. I see compared them a lot to the Roma Sub Rosa series from Steven Saylor and I find that a little unfair, I don't think this series was ever meant to be taken too seriously. But if you just want a quick humorous murder mystery they are excellent for that. Of course, being an ancient Rome nerd won't hurt, otherwise, the plot can be a little confusing.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The river Tiber's in flood, and somebody is building shoddy buildings that kill people in The River God's Vengeance. And our favorite Roman, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, conscientious aedile that he is, is determined to find out who and what and why. And he does, of course, with the usual threats of violence to his person and John Maddox Roberts' magnificent look at Roman society along the way.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm smitten with this mystery series. The narrator is hilarious, the history is well detailed, and each book seems to get better as the main character matures. I was reading three Roman series at once (Harris's trilogy, Saylor's Roma sub Rosa mysteries, and this one) and when a volume of each arrived at the library for me, this is the one I read first. (And immediately ordered the next in the series and wished I could read it right away.) Super fun.

[Antonio Papadourakis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ο Δέκιος Καικίλιος Μέτελλος, συγκλητικός και αγορανόμος, διερευνά την κατάρρευση μιας πολυκατοικίας με πάνω από 250 νεκρούς, κατά τις τελευταίες ημέρες της Ρωμαϊκής Δημοκρατίας. Πολύπλοκο...
"Συχνά έχω προσέξει ότι το πιο εκνευριστικό πράγμα στη ζωή είναι όχι όταν ο κόσμος διαφωνεί μαζί σου, αλλά μάλλον όταν συμφωνεί για λάθος λόγο."

[Thomas W Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful as Usual

Love this series. It was written 30 years ago, yet it speaks to the dangers of our time. I love ancient Rome, but I'd never want to live there. Modern democracy is not easy, but autocracy is awful.

Anyway, kudos to the late John Maddox Roberts for an incredible Book 8 in an incredible series.

Highly recommended.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insula (apartment block) has collapsed and Decius is responsible for finding out why it collapsed and for investigating the substandard building materials and practices going on round Ancient Rome. This was better than that introduction sentence makes it seem!

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This must be my favourite SPQR book so far. I loved all the descriptions about the laws ancient romans made up to keep their citizens safe and their town as clean as possible. It was also interesting to learn about the ways people broke those laws and the consequences that could (or would) follow.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine entry in this historical mystery series. The author does a great job of integrating history into his plots and Decius Caecilius Metellus is a fun lead character. Listened to the audio version which was ably read by John Lee.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining detective story in Ancient Rome with some hearty laughs among the way.

[Horst Diemert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the series

[Garth Pettersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched entertaining novel.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual very entertaining and well written. I liked better than other previous one because is it more thoughtful.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, light, fluffy mystery set in late Republican Rome. The protagonist, the Aedile Decius is an appealing character. Aediles were low-level civil servants in charge of public works, games, and brothels. In this mystery, a newly built 'insula' [tenement apartment building] has collapsed and the tenants have been killed, including the owners, a charmless, brutal couple. Decius sets out, with his trusty slave, Hermes, to investigate the crime and also possible building code violations. At the same time, the Tiber is flooding its banks and the sewers are backing up. It's a race against time to solve the mystery. The style was quite casual, with simple, easy-to-remember explanations of different elements of Roman life. Every once in awhile, there was a flash of sardonic humor. One thing that didn't ring quite true was that Decius treated his slave, Hermes, as an equal. Delightful.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites of the series. Decius in his prime as a Senator and as an investigator.
He's an aedile in this book, an expensive & exhausting position for a man to hold in the Roman republic. First he learns just how clogged the sewers are right before the river starts to flood. Then an apartment building collapses killing a couple hundred, including some very unpleasant rich people. So he is dealing with lots of corruption by previous aediles & censors in issuing contracts to clean the sewers and covering up inadequacies in the building trade, then he gets the news that those unpleasant rich people were murdered. All this while planning to throw his (required by the office) funeral games for the entertainment of the masses. Decius is left hunting the murderer, through layers of cover ups and rising water levels in the forum while praying the theater where is he is to stage a play stays standing.
This is a strong plot with strong characters, well written & fun.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of me wonders why I keep returning to this series. It IS full of interesting details of Roman life during this time period, and reflects some of the complexity of Roman politics and relations in the empire. The protagonist is maturing as the series progresses and it is difficult not to like his character. The characters are strongly drawn, and there are usually an interesting twist or two as the story progresses. So I've answered my own question on why I keep returning to this series. It is a quick read for a lazy afternoon or evening, with a core cast of characters and relationships that develop with the series.

Adult material isn't graphic, but it is evocative of a very different time. This particular novel focuses on the murder of a very corrupt couple who happens to also be sadists.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a very good job setting the stage for each of these books. Details about the city, names of the roads, types of buildings (temple, apartment block, gladiator training school, etc) are given so the reader feels a part of the story. The occasional humorous comment ("sheerness" of a woman's dress or the "perfection" of her breasts) leaves no doubts in readers' minds that the author is a male! And the never-ending family "political" discussions and machinations remind me of my own family (do things ever really change?).

A very good series. Puts me in mind of the "Marcus Didio Falco" series written by Lindsey Davis. As with that series, be sure you read the SPQR series IN ORDER or you will loose the "flow" of the stories.