Get Out or Die

Aurelia Marcella #1

by Jane Finnis

Roman Britain in 91 AD is a raw frontier province, a troublesome part of the mighty Empire ruled by Domitian Caesar. Though it is almost fifty years since the legions invaded, many native tribes still hate their conquerors and seize any chance to harass the Roman settlers who are flocking in to colonise the new province. Tension is especially high in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young innkeeper from Italy, runs the Oak Tree Mansio on the road to York. A string of savage murders disrupts her peaceful life, and she and her Roman friends find themselves under attack from a secret native war-band, the Shadow-men, whose aim is to drive all Romans out. A traveller, Quintus, is nearly killed close to the inn, and he and Aurelia must track down the rebel warriors and identify their mysterious masked leader, the Shadow of Death. Their investigations bring them into personal danger from ruthless killers and devious deceivers. Can they find and destroy the Shadow of Death before his campaign of terror turns into open rebellion, so that all Romans must get out or die?

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

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

JANE FINNIS has been fascinated by the past ever since as a child she walked the straight Roman roads of East Yorkshire. After reading history at London University, she worked for some years in London as a freelance broadcaster for BBC Radio. Now she is settled in East Yorkshire again with her husband, Richard, and spends much of her time researching and writing about the Roman Empire. GET OUT OR DIE, the start of a series set in Roman York, is her first novel.

Reviews

[Tannaz · Rating 1 out of 5]

طولانی و کشدار. دوستش نداشتم. شاید هم دلیلش این بود که زیر سرم تزریق داروی تای سبری در مرکز تحقیقات ام اس بیمارستان سینا خواندمش. سرنوشتش گمانم جا گذاشتن باشد گوشه حیابان برای کسی که دوست داشته باشد بخواندش.

[Nori Fitchett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book from PoundLand and at first for me this book was a good 4 stars but as I progressed bit by bit it fell to it’s true rating of 1 star and I understood why it was in PoundLand.

Here are the main issues that causes it to fall so low (these aren’t the only issues but these are the main ones).

1. There are very small sections where the main characters talks directly to the reader in the format of this book being a 356 page letter to a governor. Ordinarily I would not mind this but it happens so infrequently that it just becomes jarring and may be a device used to cover up certain parts where the writer does not know what to say.

2. In the story many of the main characters have slaves, which I know was common in this time setting, who all seem very happy to be there. They are portrayed as simple creatures who are loyal to the death. At certain points in the book several freed slaves leave due to the deaths and violence which is happening all around them. This unfortunately is portrayed as being disloyal and almost as bad as the barbaric killers.

3. Near the end of the book the main characters is captured by the Shadow of Death, who’s identity I guessed correctly quite early on, and he intends to “claim her” and she in an attempt to save her boyfriend plays along and pretends to be really into it. This made me physically sick due to personal trauma.

4. My biggest problem is the reveal that the side character of Marius is a gay pedophile traitorous murdered who “seduced” a stable boy into giving him information about the workings of the place. I wouldn’t mind this if it weren’t for the fact he was the ONLY lgbtq+ character in the whole uncomfortably straight book and he had no other development.

All in all this book just made me uncomfortable and sick. I’m certain others may read it and not see the problematic elements, but that I cannot do. I could not give this dumpster fire a good review by any stretch of the imagination.

[Arezoo · Rating 1 out of 5]

طولانی و کشدار بود دوسش نداشتم

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of the title, this started out as quite a good historical mystery, convincingly set in Roman Britain in 91 CE, with good characters and lots of believable lore. And it was quite timely, too, since it dealt with representatives of modern civilization being threatened by terrorists who consider them to be corrupt imperialists, and who are determined to teach these Americans Romans a lesson, throw them and their modernism out, and re-establish their own more barbaric customs and religion. The uncertainty and fear that arise from terrorist attacks were vividly invoked. But gradually the book turned into an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit, with five possibilities for who the Mr. Big terrorist leader might be, all clues pointing with equal ambiguity to all of the candidates. Eventually, after the first-person heroine has gone through a series of harrowing sieges and adventures, Mr. Big is identified. The attentive reader will not be surprised by the revelation or fooled by the many red herrings. After a promising start, the book became little more than a melodramatic romantic-adventure yarn. All the very real difficulties of dealing with terrorism got simplified into unmasking Mr. Big, and and although his identity was finally revealed, he got away, presumably to plague the heroine in at least one sequel.

[Marla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't quite like this one and I can't put my finger on why, exactly. It took place in Roman Britain so that sounded good, in theory, but in practice...

It was in first person, which I don't care for normally, if it's done right I'm okay with it, but that wasn't the case here. It's fairly long, page-wise, but it still somehow felt rushed, like we were skimming over things in a hurry to get to the ending. Or maybe that was just me. I did want to know who the villain was, so I did find myself quickly reading through it to get to the end and the reveal. They had a handful of suspects and every time they decided it was one person something would happened that would make them decide it wasn't them after all and they kept repeating that cycle til it seemed like everyone had been suspected at least twice.

If I could give half stars I'd rate it 1.5, but it was free, so that's worth another half a star there. If the others in this series come up for free I'd download them, but otherwise, not so much.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth Downie writes entertainingly about Romans in Britain, and I feel her novels to be more credible than this particular title by Jane Finnis. The main character in Shadows in the Night, Aurelia Marcella, is a 21st century feminist in first century Britain. She runs an inn, while dabbling in official spying for the occupying Roman army, where her brother is serving. This story involves a clash between native Britains, Romans, British Romans, and Druids. Aurelia and her sister Albia are in the thick of the action. Most of the plot revolves around discovering who is killing Roman travelers and leaving threatening messages on the corpses. I had it figured out (unusual for me) by midway through. Perhaps Finnis will improve in later novels; this one is announced as the first in a series. Kirkus called this an "endlessly absorbing historical adventure." I can usually rely on Kirkus reviews. I would call this entertaining in a slightly irritating fashion.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed like it would be a charming series: a mystery-solving female innkeeper in the Britannia of Roman Emperor Domitian. Basically, it read like a Murder She Wrote script [substituting a Roman young female innkeeper and her sister as the detectives, for the 50ish authoress of the television series]. I felt as though this was a 21st century light mystery story, with a Romano-British gloss.
The characters seemed too much of the 21st century, rather than the 1st. The book was enjoyable as light reading, but I don't think I'll be reading others in the series.

[Cindy Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. I can't wait to read more...this is the UK title. The US title is Get Out or Die.

I enjoyed this story because Aurelia is a fantastic character, she and her sister run a mansio in 91 AD, Roman Britain. The place, the setting, are all fantastic, giving you a nice feel for the time. The romance was pleasant but sort of just there...but the mystery was fantastic. (I think I get why the romance was the way it was, but if I got into it, I am afraid I would be writing spoilers, so I will leave it at that.)

[Abtin Mainson · Rating 2 out of 5]

تقریبا از همون اول پایان داستان مشخص بود. مشکل دیگه این‌که نتونست من رو خیلی تحت‌تأثیر قرار بده با اتفاقات و ماجراها. بیشتر شبیه یک رمان زرد پلیسی بود تا چیز دیگه.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed a new Roman detective series to fill the space left after finishing the Ruso series and I think this will fill the gap nicely. Although the author does not have the writing skills of Downie or Davies, this was an enjoyable and engaging read.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the setting and think the idea of setting a series in a Roman inn is a fantastic idea and gives the author some great possibilities for storylines over the series. The author brings the place and time to life with little snippets describing little parts of daily life, which definitely helps this to feel like a ‘cozy mystery’.

Whilst the characters are nowhere near as real or rounded as Ruso and Tilla (from Downie’s series) the main characters are likeable enough, although at times the female narrator definitely was acting in a much modern way than a real Roman lady would have. There is a great cast of supporting characters (Titch was a personal favourite) and there are lots of suspects to choose from. Finnis does a good job of moving the spotlight from one to another. I thought I had figured the culprit out early on but I was proved wrong in the reveal.

The author does a good job handling the mystery element of the plot, at times the main storyline and campaign of terror felt a little at odds with the lighter tone of the book. The body count is very high for this type of cozy mystery and the characters are quickly over horrific events .Another couple of issues with the book were the use of idioms that just didn’t work and felt very inauthentic and there were many repeated phrases; the overuse of describing heartbeats and the colour of a characters eyes were particularly grating towards the end. I also thought the two romance storylines were annoying additions that weren’t necessarily needed.

On the other hand, there has clearly been a lot of research gone into this book, and other than the issues already mentioned, the history feels authentic, which is no easy job considering how many gaps there are in our knowledge of the Romans. Finnis also does a good job in being sympathetic to the native characters whilst having a Roman character as the main protagonist. Overall the book somehow works to be quite an enjoyable read and I plan to read the next in the series shortly and feel the series has a good potential.

[Ktmholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her brother writes to say that a ‘cousin’ is coming, and a badly injured Roman is found near the inn that Aurelia runs with her sister, Aurelia sits up and takes notice. Especially when dead bodies start piling up, each with a peculiar disc that says, “All Romans will be killed; get out or die!” Fifty years after ancient Rome extended its empire to Britain, many of the new Roman residents are feeling themselves at home, but not all the locals agree. Some have banded together, calling themselves the Shadowmen, led by a mysterious masked figure called the Shadow of Death, aided by the Druids, which have been outlawed by the Roman emperor.
The injured Roman turns out to be no ordinary traveler, but rather a secret agent on business for the emperor. As the story progresses, the tension grows, and not only the inn but Aurelia herself—as well as her family and friends—are in mortal danger.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read such a page-turner, and I’ve already begun reading the next in this entertaining series. (Originally titled GET OUT OR DIE, it has also been issued under the title SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT.)

[Latricomtoise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a Roman Festival in York because I love mysteries and was very curious to see how a plot set in the Roman times.

First of all, Aurelia Marcella is a very enjoyable character. I loved following her and her sister in this novel.

The book starts strongly, with a good starting point and some good ideas. However, I must say that it did not take me long to find who was behind all of that.

The best part is definitely the fact that you can tell that a lot of research went behind the book and that's definitely something I like.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finnis doesn't quite have the writing skills of Ruth Downie or Rosemary Rowe but this is not as bad as I feared, given other reviews. The identity of the traitor was pretty obvious from very early in the story. The characters are rather shallow and some of the narrative could be more concise. Her use of "I say" made some of the characters sound like Bertie Wooster. Still, the story line showed promise.

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in the Aurelia Marcella series. This shows the great potential for this series; set in Roman Britain, it focuses on Roman innkeeper Aurelia Marcella at a main crossroads in the north on the way to York. The Roman military, local Britons, retired Romans, rebels... this inn sees everything. Great storytelling - the obvious research never gets in the way or slows the tale. Intriguing characters, good plotting, excellent mystery. Highly recommend.

[Miriel68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather liked it. I was a bit too descriptive in parts (like, you know, when an author wants to smuggle some educational information about history) and the mystery was not really exciting, but reading it as an adventure book it was a pleasant diversion. Not sure I will have patience to read other Aurelia's entries, though.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took some time to get into this but enjoyed it once I had all the characters straight.

[Robin Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally released in the USA in 2003 as "Get out or Die" "Shadows in the Night is book one in the Aurelia Marcella Mysteries

The story is told as a recounting of events / a report to the Roman Governor, which in a way gives away Aurelia survival, but lets face it, who kills the hero / heroine in book 1!

In all honesty i struggled with the style of the book to begin with, so much so that by about page 100 i nearly put it down, and then it suddenly made sense to me, the characters transformed from that 1 dimension paper thin effect that they had had to that point. Suddenly they popped off the page, and i found myself being drawn back to Roman Britain.

I had the bad guy pegged from about page 155, but every now and again the author did have me question myself, she plays the threads of the scheme out very well to keep the majority of readers guessing to the end. I'm going to be very interested to see where Jane Finnis takes Aurelia next in the second Aurelia Marcella mystery, this book was strong enough by the end to make me want to read the next but i will be looking for some growth in the characters and the dialogue which occasionally had a stilted quality.

I feel that the Machiavellian XXXX (name removed as its a spoiler) will return to bring more of his madness and mayhem to the lives of the family at Oak tree inn. This can only be a good thing, he brought a refreshing edge to the story which had the habit of getting a comfortable at times, this coupled with my biggest gripe of Aurelia's bad habit of going all alpha female again nearly destroyed the book for me. I get what the author was saying and if you want to write about about how women are just as good as men at things great, but if you set a book in Roman Britain you need to accept that it wasn't accepted back then and so some of the things she did would not have happened, would have been shut down by the male dominated society immediately. (its either historical fiction or alternate history, you have to choose).

So should you the casual observer buy this book?

Do you like a Mystery? (Yes: buy the book)

Do you like Roman books (Yes: its worth a read, its a first book and has some of the failings of that but also some great ideas and promise)

This book is Caroline Lawrence for grown ups, although i think teenagers who like a good roman mystery would enjoy this also. Think Caroline Lawrence, Ruth Dowie, Lindsey Davies,

Jane Finnis may have been around for some time, but she is new here and i think has potential to build a solid reputation.

(Parm)

Product Description

BRITANNIA, 91 AD: A raw, frontier province lying at the northern edge of the Roman Empire. Its fifty years since the legions invaded, but the land still simmers with tension, especially in the north. But in the Oak Tree Inn on the road to Eburacum, both Roman and Briton are welcome. Innkeeper Aurelia Marcella fled the devastation of Pompeii to build a new life here, and though her roots are Roman, her heart belongs to Britannia. Then a messenger is brutally decapitated outside her Inn, a crude message scrawled on his body: ALL ROMANS WILL BE KILLED. GET OUT OR DIE. An act of rebellion, or something more sinister, something more personal? Amid shadows and deception, Aurelia will have to face the possibility that someone she knows and trusts her and her family dead...

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back we go to ancient days of the Roman Empire. It’s a heady time when the reach of the Legions of Rome cover the known world. The setting is Britain where the quarrelsome tribes of the island have been largely subjugated. But now there appears to be an unusual level of unrest in the land. Author Jane Finnis takes the interesting approach to this historical novel by placing us in the hands of a Roman colonist, a woman who has come to Britain to establish a life, and a successful one at that, managing an inn in the new province.

Her name is Arellia Marcella and the time is 91 A.D. She cannot, of course, own the property, but her brother seems to be constantly off on adventures of his own around the island so she and her half-sister Albia are there to make a go of things. They are admirable characters, possessing large measures of good sense, a flair for adventure of their own and the will and ability to interact with the male members of the town council and their own slaves, servants and passing travelers in positive and interesting ways.

Finnis draws the reader quickly into the story and charms us with the two young women who are the center of this novel. Her matter-of-fact use of language and circumstance keeps us inside the story. A mysterious traveler is found beaten and nearly dead outside the gates of the establishment. The more Arellia and Albia learn about him, the more questions are raised. A string of vicious murders now occurs in the province and it appears a leader calling himself the Shadow of Death is trying to rouse the native tribes in a revolt against Roman authority. Finnis does a nice job of balancing sympathy for the rebels against the understandable concerns of the authorities who are all Latin citizens of Rome.

The Shadow of Death has apparently decreed death for all Romans. They are repeatedly warned to leave Britain or die. The death of travelers on the roads naturally reduces travel and causes economic concern for Arellia.

The pace of the book works well, welded as it is to the time and the limitations of travel. The writing is excellent and the characters are interesting. Late plot twists are carefully handled and surprises are there to be savored. One hopes for further adventures of this young, vibrant inn-keeper in ancient Britain.

[Seth Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in a series (currently three books) of mysteries, set in Roman Britain, featuring Aurelia Marcella. At this time 91AD Britain is a recently conquered country – around 43 AD, discounting Julius Cesar’s brief encounter. Aurelia runs an Inn just outside Eburacum (York). This makes the region one of the outcrops of the Roman Empire.

I don’t like the title – it is used in the book but it doesn’t feel right. I haven’t been able to think up a much better one either. The story is good. The British are trying to remove the Romans by using guerrilla tactics. (leaving messages like Get out or Die). This consists of murdering travellers at night and carrying out attacks on pay convoys. There is no satisfactory reason why Aurelia’s inn is targeted, and it does appear to have been singled out. The novel is written in the first person from Aurelia’s point of view so attention is going to be focused on her property above that of others.

The book reads well and is engrossing. I felt there were a few week points which let it down a little. I’d worked out who had done it and why early on and felt a little annoyed when then they dismissed this suspect. I won’t say too much about it, although I felt it was week on this point I do tend to get these things very early on. More importantly I enjoyed reading this book. Aside from the too easy ignoring of a suspect the writing is good and well paced. There were a few phrases which I particualry liked: Aurelia describes things as having taken a few heartbeats. In those days the concept of a second, or even a minute, would not have existed.

[Spuddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Aurelia Marcella historical mystery series set in A.D. 91 in Roman Britannia. Aurelia runs the local mansio (inn) with her sister and with their brother Lucius' permission--he is technically the owner, but as an army spy, is away "on business" most of the time. When a series of local attacks occur, with Roman travelers being killed and left with a badge that says "Get Out or Die!" Aurelia feels threatened to her core, especially as one of the victims is left for dead in her courtyard! But Quintus is another spy, like her brother, although he is loathe to tell her much at first.

They all decide that the best way to return their small village to safety is to catch "The Shadow of Death" who is organizing the attacks is to catch him. The list of suspects includes some of Aurelia's friends and the town leaders, and although I knew right away who it was, it took Aurelia and company ages to figure it out.

I did quite enjoy the book--the settings and characters were very well drawn, the writing style was easy to read, and I learned plenty of new things about that era. However, I did find the book a bit draggy in the midsection especially and it seemed like they hashed over the suspects' motives, means and opportunities to commit the various crimes over and over again to the point where it became repetitive--which is the only reason I didn't give it top marks. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book in series and hope that the editor had a bit more a judicious hand with the draggy bits

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmm difficult one. I liked the concept/plot idea/setting of the story but, I did not like the voices of the characters, their speech patterns and actions just sounded jarring and false. I felt no immediacy in tension in the plot, everything seem rather sanitised to be honest. I also did not like the voice etc of the main character Aurelia, which us a pity as she could have been made more vibrant, more realistic and added mire tension & immediacy to the story if her voice had been different. I saw through the plot and worked out who the "baddie" was almost immediately, it was just so obvious. Some if the characters felt like ciphers/cliches especially the "baddie". Not believable at all. I felt a lot of the plot relied too much on coincidence / luck and the reader being a bit dim lol. As I said, the central idea /plot and setting in Roman Britain is good. Unfortunately the book is unconvincing to say the least, and did not meet my expectations of what a good historical novel should be. it lacked tension and immediacy because of the jarring effect of the speech patterns and the way it was written. I am sad about that, as I hoped I had found another series I could read. Unfortunately I don't think I will be following this series through as this book was a disappointment. To see what I mean about immediacy and excitement you only need to compare it to the "Ruso" series of books set in Roman Britain by Ruth Downie. The "Ruso" series have all the excitement and immediacy and believability that us lacking in this book.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept and the mystery compelled me to finish this book, but I won’t be reading any more in the series. The concept of writing a letter to the Governor was a bit ham-fisted and at times unbelievable. It also meant that the climactic moments never really evoked much emotion from me, as I knew Aurelia must make it out alive. Indeed, it felt like the author thought this too, as most of the climactic or dangerous moments ended rather too quickly and simply fizzled out. The only scene of note was the battle scene, which did have some drama. The writing itself was quite good, but there were times where it felt like the author was talking down to the reader, repeating key information a bit too much. Overall, I had easily guessed who the mysterious Shadow of Death was, and I think the book ended rather abruptly. There was a total disregard for anyone who died, and I ended up sympathising more with the rebels than with annoying Aurelia. Finally, I didn’t give a flying fuck about the romance between Aurelia and the spy, which was layered on very thickly and was totally unbelievable. Wouldn’t recommend.

[Rebecca Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit I am not much one for Romans. I spent half my childhood holidays being dragged around Roman sites and I hope I have a proper appreciation for their building and drainage skills, not to mention their sculpture and pots. I have read Lindsey Davis with enjoyment, but for the most part my historical preference lies in the mid 18th Century and beyond. That said I am very glad to discover Jane Finnis. Her heroine, Aurelia, the innkeeper, is a woman I should like to have met. She has a family and a context and a world that the reader is brought into. I love the Yorkshire setting and the way the author weaves the familiar into a wild-west past where the Brigantes lurk in the woods waiting to take back their land from the Roman settlers. Aurelia’s world is painted so vividly that you can imagine it as you walk among the trees that still stand today. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series. I want to know more of Aurelia and her world.

[Carolyn Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I've been in the mood for fiction lately and have decided to try some historicals. This is a great mystery novel set in 91AD Britain. The lead character is a Roman citizen who escaped the devastation of Pompeii along with her sister and brother to open an inn in the new Roman territory of Brittania near the modern day city of York. Together with her sister and a mysterious stranger they determine who is behind a series of attacks on Romans travelling through the area. There's a nice little compact romance (that never takes center stage) and commentary on the Roman mores of the time but the author never veers too far from the mystery and existential threats at hand. I thoroughly enjoyed this light little novel.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in Aurelia Marcella mystery series. Set in Roman Britain in 91 AD opening on August 4th in the area of modern day York. Aurelia, along with her half sister, is an inn keeper in charge of her family’s inn in northern Britain when she discovers an injured Roman outside her inn as she opens the place in the morning. There is small bone disc on the man that says “Shadow of Death” on none side and “All Romans will be killed. Get out or Die” on the other. Soon there is information that several Romans have been killed. There is a secret movement among native Britains to drive out the Romans and restore Britain to how it was before the Romans arrived. They are led by the Shadow Man and members are called Shadow Men who are threatening Aurelia.

[Kratima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical historical mystery set in 1st century Roman Britain.
If it is to compare it to Agatha Christie, it is less then a Miss Marple mystery and more like a Tommy & Tuppence adventure, only not so good. Enjoyable reading, that convinced me to buy the other 2 books in the series, but when you can guess who the vilain is in the first third of the novel, you have a problem. There were a few almost good red herrings, but not good enough.
The Roman atmosphere feels a bit rushed (yes, I know, Lindsay Davis and Steven Saylor spoiled me), but I can live with that. If you are a newcomer to the genre, start with Lindsay Davis or Ruth Downie.
"Get Out or Die" is good without being brilliant.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel set in 91 A.D., in Roman Britain. This is a frontier world and the natives are restless.
A series of murders take place, trying to force the Romans from that part of Britain and hopefully encourage the rest of Britain to join in the rebellion.
The story follows Aurelia Marcellus who is running an inn near York, in the absence of her brother.
To my mind the heroine was too much of our age and sentiments didn't really ring true. The master manipulator behind everything seemed to be quite obvious and the ending seemed just a bit too convenient.
Probably 2 1/2 stars.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book -- the narrator's voice was very engaging, simple and straight forward, and I learned a lot about Britain in Roman times. Aurelia Marcella is an innkeeper outside what is now York, and she's very clever, charming and resourceful. When Roman travelers begin to be murdered, not only is her livelihood threatened -- but she herself is as well. As the daughter of a Roman soldier she's determined to figure out who wants all Romans to get out of Britain or die. Well-drawn characters and a clever plot.

[Francoise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and fun way to learn history and enjoy a mystery story. As a result of reading this
book I took the time to refresh my knowledge of Roman history. I watched some documentaries from the History Channel, etc. about the history of Rome and its conquest of Gaul and Britannia. It certainly gave me a renewed appreciation for what the Romans accomplished. Also, makes me want to go to Europe and see some of the sites where their constructions are still in existence, such as York and Colchester. Recommended!

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book...I enjoy historical mysteries and like Yorkshire. However, this was disappointing. Too many characters with similar names, so keeping track of the story and who was who was difficult. Also, Aurelia and the supposed investigator were truly TSTL at times, bailed out by sheer luck at times. It was obvious who the main villain of the piece was, probably 2/3 into the book.