What do you think?
Rate this book
Claudia Seferius #12
Sour Grapes
The latest adventure for the glamorous Roman sleuth Claudia Visiting her stepmother at the family estate in Tuscany, Claudia is concerned at the gaggle of hangers-on surrounding the old lady. And what of the series of recent local murders, and the mishaps that have befallen a number of people? Amidst the mysteries of the local religion, could the god Fufluns be working some plan; or even Veive, the god of revenge? Or are there even more sinister forces at work?
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Todd
87 books45 followersMARILYN TODD lives with her husband on a French hilltop, surrounded by vineyards, châteaux and vines. As well as sixteen critically acclaimed historical thrillers, she's a prolific writer of short stories, most of which are crime, but range from commercial women's fiction to comic fantasy and all points in between. When she isn't killing people, Marilyn enjoys cooking. Which is pretty much the same thing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 8, 2018
This exciting Roman mystery is the 12th part of the very likeable and cheeky "Claudia Seferius" series.
It's certainly a story that's written in a really playful fashion by the author, where the storyline is also very well worked out, and not to forget the characters come all splendidly to life within this gripping mystery.
Storytelling is of a very good quality, and our main characters, Claudia Seferius and the aristocratic Security Policeman Marcus Orbilio, come very much to the forefront in these mysteries as a loveable sleuthing couple.
This story is set in Tuscany where Claudia is visiting her stepmother Larentia, when all of a sudden strange happenings occur and local murders are committed, while also certain people are working in a most sinister and mysterious way.
Can Claudia face up to these mysteries, and by starting to investigate these crimes , and with the help of Marcus Orbilio, will she be able to solve these same mysteries?
What will follow is a series of eventful thrilling events in which Claudia must find a way into this web of intrigue and murder to find the culprit(s) in the end of these strange happenings and brutal murders.
Really recommended, for this is a very enjoyable series, and this lovely exciting tale is in my view: "A Thrilling Sweet Juicy Roman Mystery"!
It's certainly a story that's written in a really playful fashion by the author, where the storyline is also very well worked out, and not to forget the characters come all splendidly to life within this gripping mystery.
Storytelling is of a very good quality, and our main characters, Claudia Seferius and the aristocratic Security Policeman Marcus Orbilio, come very much to the forefront in these mysteries as a loveable sleuthing couple.
This story is set in Tuscany where Claudia is visiting her stepmother Larentia, when all of a sudden strange happenings occur and local murders are committed, while also certain people are working in a most sinister and mysterious way.
Can Claudia face up to these mysteries, and by starting to investigate these crimes , and with the help of Marcus Orbilio, will she be able to solve these same mysteries?
What will follow is a series of eventful thrilling events in which Claudia must find a way into this web of intrigue and murder to find the culprit(s) in the end of these strange happenings and brutal murders.
Really recommended, for this is a very enjoyable series, and this lovely exciting tale is in my view: "A Thrilling Sweet Juicy Roman Mystery"!
July 21, 2014
This mystery series, the Claudia Seferius Mystery Series, set in Ancient Rome under Caesar Augustus (circa 10-15 b.c.) runs for 13 books. These are not cozy novels, despite the books' deceptively cozy covers. All the novels feature perverse sex and sex crimes. The books also gloss over the institutionalized sadism of Roman society, especially slavery.
The protagonist, Claudia Seferius, is a former prostitute, who does not hesitate to return to her former profession when short of cash.
Claudia manages, at the age of 18, to become the trophy wife of a rich wine merchant. The man dies soon after. Claudia defies the paternalistic Roman society, and the powerful Wine Merchants Guide, and takes over the running of her husband's wine business. She thus becomes the financial provider, the head of household, for her late husband's mother, sister, daughter and brother--in-law.
As the need comes up (which is does in each novel, of course), Claudia also investigates crime, sometimes with the help or obstruction of a Roman official, Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, who has the hots for Claudia.
That is the premise of the series, and the "romantic" element, actually, the lustful attraction, between Claudia and Marcus, is not resolved until the final book. The first book sets up the characters and the premise, and they are explained again near the beginning of each book of the series.
I cannot stress strongly enough that these are not cozy (or cosy, since this is a British series) novels. They are as sexually vile as David Hewson's novels. Sour Grapes alone features homophobia, pedophilia, incest, and rape.
Claudia's character is unpleasant: driven, self-centered, unprincipled, curt, harsh, snarky, profligate, mercurial and superficial. But she is gorgeous, and vain enough to invest money in remaining gorgeous. Marcus admits he does not love Claudia, and realizes he is drawn to her nasty nature and loose sexuality; he has a bad-girl complex.
For fans of historical fiction set in Ancient Rome, the author includes lots of historical facts, and works hard to bring the past to life for the reader. Having a female protagonist means that the focus is often on the poor position of women in Ancient Roman society; women were second-class citizens in a paternalistic and misogynistic society.
Stylistically, the books follow the cozy formula: a wide cast of suspect characters are introduced, a crime surfaces, Claudia investigates and gets into a dangerous situation, and she eventually succeeds in bringing the guilty to justice. I found the punctuation odd. The author seems to have something against colons and semi-colons, using periods instead. I found the fragmentary sentences distracting.
There are many fans of this series. As you can probably tell from my review, I am not one of them, but to each his own...
Please read my full, illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
The protagonist, Claudia Seferius, is a former prostitute, who does not hesitate to return to her former profession when short of cash.
Claudia manages, at the age of 18, to become the trophy wife of a rich wine merchant. The man dies soon after. Claudia defies the paternalistic Roman society, and the powerful Wine Merchants Guide, and takes over the running of her husband's wine business. She thus becomes the financial provider, the head of household, for her late husband's mother, sister, daughter and brother--in-law.
As the need comes up (which is does in each novel, of course), Claudia also investigates crime, sometimes with the help or obstruction of a Roman official, Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, who has the hots for Claudia.
That is the premise of the series, and the "romantic" element, actually, the lustful attraction, between Claudia and Marcus, is not resolved until the final book. The first book sets up the characters and the premise, and they are explained again near the beginning of each book of the series.
I cannot stress strongly enough that these are not cozy (or cosy, since this is a British series) novels. They are as sexually vile as David Hewson's novels. Sour Grapes alone features homophobia, pedophilia, incest, and rape.
Claudia's character is unpleasant: driven, self-centered, unprincipled, curt, harsh, snarky, profligate, mercurial and superficial. But she is gorgeous, and vain enough to invest money in remaining gorgeous. Marcus admits he does not love Claudia, and realizes he is drawn to her nasty nature and loose sexuality; he has a bad-girl complex.
For fans of historical fiction set in Ancient Rome, the author includes lots of historical facts, and works hard to bring the past to life for the reader. Having a female protagonist means that the focus is often on the poor position of women in Ancient Roman society; women were second-class citizens in a paternalistic and misogynistic society.
Stylistically, the books follow the cozy formula: a wide cast of suspect characters are introduced, a crime surfaces, Claudia investigates and gets into a dangerous situation, and she eventually succeeds in bringing the guilty to justice. I found the punctuation odd. The author seems to have something against colons and semi-colons, using periods instead. I found the fragmentary sentences distracting.
There are many fans of this series. As you can probably tell from my review, I am not one of them, but to each his own...
Please read my full, illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
August 20, 2011
Ah Claudia, I love thee. I wish I was you.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews