A Whispering of Spies

Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain #13

by Rosemary Rowe

A gruesome discovery leads Libertus on a dangerous quest . . . - Wealthy Volus, ex-lictor to the Imperial Governor of Gaul, is retiring to the town of Glevum. Libertus is sent to his new apartment, where he is informed that one of the ex-lictor’s treasure carts has been intercepted, the guards and horses brutally butchered. When his actions are misinterpreted by a network of spies, Libertus is suspected of involvement in the massacre and marched to the garrison to await trial. But after daringly escaping, Libertus embarks on a dangerous quest to discover the truth . . .   

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Roman, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Ebooks, Historical

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

A pseudonym used by Rosemary Aitken

Series:
* Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain

Reviews

[Mary Heron]

Love this series but why does every book have to see Libertus in danger.

Yet again Libertus somehow managed to find himself embroiled in trouble thanks to his patron Marcus. There's a new citizen moving to Glenvum from Gaul, he is an ex lichter (chief torturer) called Vollus and is rumoured to be extremely wealthy............ As rich as Marcus it's said. Marcus wants Libertus to.find.how how rich the.man is and also where he acquired his wealth. No easy task. Next thing Libertus knows is he's being arrested and accused (by some of the highest councillors in Glenvum ) of being responsible for the theft of Vollus 's treasure and also the.murder of the.people escorting the treasure to.town. Libertus is in serious trouble this time, all that's required in Roman law is for an accuser to make an accusation against a person, that person must then proove his.accuser.is wrong. There is no.innocent till proven guilty in Roman law. Libertus cannot rely on his.patron Marcus to get him out of this he has no.choice but to find the true criminals responsible for the theft and murder otherwise the best he can expect is exile........................

[Clemens Schoonderwoert]

This exciting Roman mystery by Rosemary Rowe is the 13th volume of the delightful and thrilling Libertus mystery series.
The historical details concerning this tale have as ever been very well researched and explained within the author's foreword and thus making this book so easy to read.
Story-telling by this lady author is as always of a top-notch quality, simply because she has the ability and the skill to keep you spellbound with these very fine books of her from beginning till the end.
This entertaining tale is set in the winter of the years AD 191-192, and it's situated in and around the town of Glevum (modern Gloucester) once more.
The story itself involves the wealthy Voluus, ex-lictor to the Imperial Governor of Gaul, who has come to the town of Glevum to retire there, and to celebrate this occasion certain invitations have been sent for a feast.
Libertus on the other hand is summoned by his patron, local Magistrate Marcus Septimus Aurelius, and subsequently he's sent on a mission to find out everything he can about the ex-lictor's riches.
What follows is a thrilling and suspenseful Roman mystery, where Libertus after a few difficult moments at the beginning of his investigations will embark on a dangerous quest to discover the thruth about the ex-lictor's rumoured wealth, but finally he will succeed to get to the bottom of this eventful spying game.
Very much recommended, for this is a fantastic series, and that's why I like to call this book, "Libertus the Wonderful Super-Sleuth"!

[Carol]

Not the best entry in this series. I normally enjoy Libertus' exploits a lot, but this one seemed slow, dragged out and the denouement forced and improbable.

[jammaster_mom]

Really great period mystery!

This series is one of my favorite to read. They are a great look into life in Britain during the Roman occupation. I think the author puts in enough details to give you a peek into the period but not so many that you get bogged down in them. I don't enjoy it when I usually figure the mystery out before the end of the book; this series keeps me guessing til the end! You could read these out of order but you get to know the characters more if you start at the beginning.

[Tammy]

It was a fun ancient jaunt for a mystery/detective series. The names of the characters were hard for me to keep straight on the audiobook. The impending threat of death at each turn was a little monotonous but probably historically accurate.

[Joan]

Sloppy writing and a rehash of the scenario from a previous book where Libertus had to escape from the "authorities" to prove his innocence.

[Colin]

I really do enjoy this series, but I feel like it is becoming an overused trope that Libertus ends up suspected of the very crimes he is investigating . . .

[Susan]

Living in the fringes of the Roman empire during the reign of Commodus offers little in the way of security, even for the wealthy. Retired lictor (and torturer) Volus does not trust his steward, so he sets spies to watch his new house. When they report that Libertus has been seen there and he is arrested for the theft of a treasure cart by the town councilors, it is not clear whether the pavement-maker or his rich patron Marcus is their target. I like the character of Libertus and the setting of the series in late 2nd century England even though the writing could be better. It is common in old-fashioned mysteries (and a few new) for the detective to gather all the characters together at the end to explicate all of the details of the crime. In this book, the explanation is provided by the guilty, going on for several pages of narrative and making for a rather unsatisfying ending.

[April]

Enjoyable book in a series about a freeman named Libertus (former Celt, enslaved, and now working as a free man who does tile mosaics by day and solves mysteries for his wealthy Roman patron by night. Enjoyable escape into the past. In this book, Libertus tries to solve the mystery of a cart full of treasure which disappears, with horses and driver all hacked to death. He becomes even more motivated to solve the crime when he is accused of it and threatened with exile, at best. I liked his character and his adopted son Junio, a former slave, as well as his slaves and his patron Marcus.

[Tchipakkan]

Always a pleasure. I am incredibly fond of Rowe's Libertas series. Settled in to read a few chapters and put it down, finished, at four A.M.! Like Libertas, I'm too old for this foolishness. I can't complain about not being given all the clues, but the case was so complex I was confused and could figure out what was going on until the end. As usual, wonderful characters- I'd have liked to have seen more of the lictor- always off scene, and am left curious as to Rowe's suggestions about their duties.

[Linda Murray]

This is another in the Libertus The Pavement-maker series,set in Roman Britain. Libertus is a Celt,and a freed slave,who works as a mosaic maker. He has a Roman patron,Marcus,who accidently involves him in a murder mystery that he must solve to keep his freedom.
This is an enjoyable read,although unlike most of the other books in the series there is little or no mention of Libertus' growing family.

[Ian]

Enjoyable read. Rowe creates a vivid recreation of ancient Rome. That being said, the story, after reading so many Libertus novels, seems much of the same. Anyway, gruesome mass murder, Libertus suspected, trickery and skulduggery, and then Libertus discovers the true conspiracy and identifies the evil instigator. Along the way he picks up a new, tiny slave. Good fun.

[Steve]

Another fun mystery that takes place in Roman Britain. One thing I like about this series is that the detective and his family grow older as the books progress. I'd guess he's in his 50's is this one.

[Margareth8537]

Have enjoyed all the books featuring Libertus

[Greg]

Another amusing entry into the Libertus mystery series set in Ancient Roman Britain. Better than some of the earlier books in the series. Entertaining

[Amanda]

3.5

[A Reader]

It was very historical. The plotting was complex. The logic of it was not apparent until the end, but the ending still felt hurried up in its solution.