The Ides of April

Roman Empire Sequence #2

by Mary Ray

Hylas is young Greek slave in the household of Caius Pomponius, a Roman Senator involved in political schemes. When the senator is found mysteriously murdered, the household slaves (including Hylas and his mother) fall under suspicion. Hylas escapes capture long enough to enlist the aid of a young tribune, Camillus Rufus. The desperate attempt to unravel the threads of the political intrigue carries Camillus into the very presence of Nero and brings Hylas into contact with the new secret sect of Christians. An unique teenage mystery.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, School, Mystery, Young Adult, Historical, Middle Grade

165 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Born to a teacher and his wife, Ray enjoyed learning about the ancient history of Greece, Rome, and Britain. While working at a variety of jobs and gaining a wealth of education, Ray also traveled widely. This travel enabled her to give extra life through realistic details to her books.

An author of fourteen books and three plays, Ray's writing style often seemed stilted and formal. Thus, she often appealed more to adults than her intended young audience. However, her series about the Roman Empire will live on as significant in the historical fiction genre. Living with her cat, Phoebe, in Canterbury, England, Ray is currently working on science fiction for adults.

Reviews

[Kyle Publius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ides of April, by Mary Ray, is a very suspenseful and exiting book based on Roman history. In this book there is a smart, young, witty slave named Hylas who is able to escape from his master’s house after an unknown man murders his master. When a master is murdered in ancient Rome, it means death for all of his slaves. While Hylas is trying to survive, he is also trying to find the real killer so all of the slaves, including his mother, can escape from jail. He enlists the help of a powerful, reasonable, and well respected military tribune named Camillus. Will they find the true murderer? Read this exciting book to find out. I loved this book because of all of the suspense and the challenges that the book brings to the reader. There are so many interesting characters, so you always have to be alert to understand what you are reading. The plot is also very realistic for ancient Rome so it makes the book feel like it could really happen. If you are looking for an easy read this probably isn’t a good book for you, but if you’re looking for a challenging, well-written book based on real Roman history then this is the book for you.

[mairiachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeeep, it's April, so I'm rereading it.

(the following review was written a long time ago so try not to roll your eyes too hard.)

I loved this book. It was clever and compelling and very interesting. In order to save himself (and fellow slaves) from certain execution, the mc seeks to find the one who murdered his master (if no one is found, it is assumed that a slave did it, and all are summarily put to death). All of the sleuthing is done while running from the law, and he gets pulled deeper into the mystery and intrigue. A good read for anyone interested in the crime and culture of 1-500 A.D. Rome.

[A.R. Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hylas is a secretary in the house of senator Caius Pomponius during the time of Nero's rule of Ancient Rome, in 62 A.D. But when his master is found dead, stabbed with one of the knives that his slave Aulus would use to trim his master's hair and nails, Hylas knows that he must escape-- for "a slave who has killed is like poison in the veins of a household; when he dies his companions must die with him. Four or four hundred, it is the law, or the household could infect the whole city. There can be no exceptions to the general sentence of death." In a story fraught with political danger, Hylas befriends a secret Christian named Varro and a young patrician named Camillus in a desperate attempt to free his mother and the other slaves and find the true murderer of Caius Pomponius.

This book was... okay. It is one of the books in the Sonlight curriculum, and those are almost always very good books, but this one just fell short. I found myself continually thinking, When's the action going to start? Then, before I knew it, the book was over. There was one scene that really stuck out to me and provoked my thoughts-- the confrontation between Camillus and Hylas and who they suspected to be the murderer and his mother. Read it and you'll see what I mean-- But, I hear you asking, if there's only one scene that 'stuck out to you and provoked your interest', why would I read the entire book? Here's my answer: it's your choice. If you enjoy a good representation of Imperial Rome, stories with more mental than physical action, and the intertwining plots of political mysteries, then by all means, go for it! Unfortunately, that was not the case with me, though I wish it was.

"Is there no man left alive here?"

Tolle et lege.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed me in to the world.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 5 star book about ancient Rome, but a 3 star mystery

[Katie Killingsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read out loud with the kids with our Sonlight curriculum. This was an interesting mystery that shed some light on that time period. We didn’t love it, we didn’t hate it.

[Jacque · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book for school. MD gave it 5 stars, CN 4 and MK 3.5. I give it 4. It was an interesting story and we all enjoyed it. The language and names were difficult to pronounce at times, which made it harder for the kids to follow along.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a little hard to read and follow, but the plot is gripping, and it reminded me of how much I really enjoy the niche genre of murder mysteries set in ancient Rome. Though this was less of a murder mystery and more of a "we know who murdered, now what do we do?"
Apparently there's more books in this series, including one set in Roman Britain, so I'm going to have to look up the ones we don't already have.

[Bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so bad. If you want to be bored then read this. It is confusing and hard to follow. My book is bent cause I threw it across the room since I was so bored. I would rather smash my head against the wall for an hour than read this again. When I read this I feel like my brain is being pried open, salted, and let out to dry.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping mystery set in a unique time, Rome, A.D. 62. I was really impressed with Hylas, Camillus, and Thrasea Paetus. As well as Varro and Matidia. A story about justice and seeing a slave as a human being with intelligence and the right to live. I was caught up in the time period and wondering what would happen next.

[Shruthi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I definitely did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It was extremely herd to follow, and the ending is a bit of a let down.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer makes an ominous declaration to the powerful Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March.” Shakespeare certainly magnified the feeling of doom associated with the Ides of March, and many think Shakespeare even *created* the feeling of impending catastrophe by popularizing the story of Caesar’s demise on that ancient afternoon of March 15th.
For more on Caeser, Shakespeare and the Ides of March, see…
https://www.thoughtco.com/ides-of-mar...

Diligently illustrating ancient Rome for the reader, Mary Ray’s The Ides of April has this classic feel. First, alluding to classic drama, Ray provides us with a setting date and a cast of characters. Ray has set the Ides of April in AD 62 as the reign of Nero is bending away from its initial promise into salacious debauchery. Nero has already killed his mother, Agrippina and his wife, Octavia, is missing. Thrasea Paetus’ opposition to Nero is becoming public knowledge, but the Emperor’s order of Paetus’ demise is still four years in future. Both of these men, memorialized in history, feature in the storyline.

For more on Emperor Nero and Patrician Thrasea Paetus, see
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...

Secondly, Ray is attentive to the Roman Calendar in focusing us on the Ides of April. To understand the Ides, we need to briefly consider Roman calendaring, which held no connotation of peril for the Ides. Each month had a Kalend, a None and an Ides, which roughly corresponded to phases of the moon. The Kalends was always first of the month. The Nones were on the 5th, except for the longer months, when they fell on the 7th (March, July, October and May). The Ides were 8 days after the Nones. Longer months (such as the famous March mentioned previously) therefore celebrated the Ides on the 15th. But for the eight shorter months in the year, such as the April with which this title is concerned, the Ides fell on the 13th.

Furthermore, Ray has convincingly set her story during the Cerealia, which often spanned the Ides of April. Mythopedia.com summarizes, “The Roman's main celebration of Ceres was the Cerealia, a raucous affair held each April when the crops were budding with new life. The Cerealia featured circus games and races in the Circus Maximus, the great Roman race track that ended beneath the Temple of Ceres on the Aventine Hill. The Cerealia was chiefly a plebeian affair, organized by plebeian magistrates and characterized by indulgence. The event ended with the releasing of foxes into the Circus Maximus; each fox had a torch attached to its tail.”

For more on Ceres and her festival, see
https://mythopedia.com/roman-mytholog...

Finally, Mary Ray further develops her setting with astute references to the geography of the city, explanation of the class structure of the Romans, and attention to their customs in love, legal processes, politics and …murder.

This is what makes this story sing. With all the attention to the setting that Ray has clearly given, she adds a compelling story with cultivated fictional characters whose competing desires set them into deadly conflict. There is the murder itself, for which Ray provides abundant clues but little initial clarity. But there is also the tricky pursuit of justice for the innocent in direct opposition to the resistance of the guilty being found out. The story turns on two questions: “Who done it?” and “What will the outcome be for our heroes?” Throughout this clever plotting, Ray develops memorable characters, particularly the slave Hylas and the patrician Camillus. Immersed in ancient Rome, the reader hardly notices how much you are learning about the Romans and their lifestyle as the narrative progresses.

I found the setting, characters, and inspiration to learn intriguing. I also had the serendipitous pleasure of reading the book over the Ides of April in the days the Festival of Ceres would have been celebrated. It was an added indulgence to feel the spring warming in Chicagoland as in Rome, but certainly not necessary to enjoy the book. It is a pleasure to recommend The Ides of March for middle school readers (and beyond) who love a good story nestled in a strong historical setting. Find a copy if you can! I’m happy to have one in our home library.

There’s more, (if you can find it!)…
Sword Sleep (Roman Empire Sequence #3), Mary Ray, 1975
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Somewhat easier to find…
Beyond the Desert Gate (Roman Empire Sequence #4), Mary Ray, 1977
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For more information on the author and this series, see
A Tent for the Sun (Roman Empire Sequence #1), Mary Ray, 1971
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In 2013, Lindsay Davis used this same title, The Ides of April, to begin a new series set in ancient Rome. Here is a GoodReads review of that topic that I found insightful…
The Ides of April (Falco: The Next Generation), Lindsay Davis, 2013
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Angie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an interesting story, and the flavor of the period came through very well, not just in the physical setting and customs of the period, but also in the attitudes and perspectives of the characters. I've read historical books where it feels like modern characters were just given a costume change and dropped into a new setting, but this was absolutely not one of those! And yet, there were lessons scattered through it that showed our perspective characters transcending their upbringing in some ways--Hylas not calmly submitting to his fate and seeking justice for his mother and the others, Camillus befriending Hylas and beginning to view him as more than a slave--it was really well done! The side characters were interesting and varied, and I just about held my breath when we reached the climax, knowing these lives I cared about were now in the capricious hands of Nero. In being true to the period, there's quite a bit of worship of false gods that isn't corrected or really commented on at all, but I did hugely appreciate the inclusion of the one Christian character and the way that his witness, small and brief as it was, left us with hope in the end for the rest of the characters we loved to find the light. Even though murder mysteries aren't really my thing, I enjoyed this quite a bit and would recommend it.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended for ages 14 and up, according to the cover. Yet it's classified as children's historical fiction. I don't know, some of it was a little hard to follow. I thought the emergence of Christianity would be a bigger aspect of the story, but I'm thankful that it isn't blown out of proportion as some Christian writers tend to do. Without an author's note to the historical detail, I don't know what sources Ms. Ray used, which is unfortunate. I also wondered why the name Hades was used in a passage clearly about the Roman character Camillus instead of Pluto. When Hylas speaks, and refers to Zeus instead of Jupiter, I think it's because Hylas is Greek first and foremost. Ceres, Venus, and Fortuna are the only other deities named.

[Margaret Doner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my teenage son and we have both enjoyed it highly. The author assumes a certain pre-understanding of Roman life so it would make a fantastic companion read to a study of Rome. Read Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman books as well. Mary Ray reminds us a little of Sutcliff in her somewhat stilted presentation of characters, but Ray’s have slightly more emotional resonance. The murder mystery aspect adds a compelling note of danger and detection which my son really enjoyed. He recommends it highly-but not for “little kids who don’t understand Rome”. For example, Camillus is a “tribune” but his rank and duties are not explained. The architecture of the house and of Rome are also “givens”.
We intend to purchase the other books in the series, if we can find them.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A literature assignment to go along with our core curriculum, my daughter and I read this one aloud. As an introduction to the mystery genre set in Rome under Nero it did a great job of incorporating historical facts and events into an interesting story.

I probably would have given this story a four star rating except that we did have some issues keeping the characters straight for the first half of the book. Yes, there is a list of characters at the beginning of the book, but working some explanations into the story would have really helped the flow of the whole thing.

[Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery set in ancient Rome, 62 AD. A household had many slaves back then. When someone was murdered, they assume a slave did it and all the slaves in the household would be killed. People were all too eager to blame it on the slaves.

Hylas is a slave of Greek origin. Camillus is a military tribune, married to the victim's daughter, whose position enables him to pursue the mystery.

The blurb about the book mentions a secret sect of Christians, but that is barely touched on in this book. I was disappointed that there wasn't more on that.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining story about "preventing an injustice." For all the talk in the book about Roman justice, the main situation in the story shows just how UNjust Roman "justice" really was. Justice, apparently, depended upon your wealth and political connections. Otherwise, the innocent were readily swept away with the guilty or, in the case of slaves, occasionally because of the guilty. This was never directly pointed out in the book though; the reader is left to detect the hypocrisy himself.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for our family summer reading program. Mom's pick. Ellie practically begged me not to have her read this. She says she doesn't like to read historical fiction books. So glad I did not give in to her because it turns out she rated it 5 stars and really enjoyed, so much so, that dad is now reading this book for a book club with her..:)..krb 6/22/20

[Alec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel unsettled. It is a mystery taking place in Roman times and does well in setting the stage for questions, intrigue and a shocking twist. I was always haunted by the cover image as a kid and will not lie when I say this book delivered more than I was expecting; I was expecting a lot.

[Angela Squires · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 9- and 11-year-old girls. They enjoyed it and would have rated 4 or 5 stars. I give it 3 because, for me, it was hard to follow the large cast of characters. That being said, I think it did give us a picture of what life might have been like in Ancient Rome.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read! Clean but suspenseful. I found it challenging to keep track of the myriad of names for the first three chapters or so... I was constantly flipping to the list of characters... but after that, I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

[Shofam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this could have been a good story, but I found it hard to follow at times and it was pretty thick for the boys. I'm not even sure I understand whodunit in the end... not a good sign. I'd give two and a half stars if I could.

[Tatana Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting. It kind of reminded me of Twice Freed by Patricia St. John. The slave is the main character, but unlike Twice Freed, it is up to the slave to save the day and find the one who is framing the household of the master's murder.

[Shobana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice mystery read that is set in ancient Rome.

Camillius and Hylas’s friendship is wonderful. To find out who the murderer is and if the slaves will be freed keeps us at the edge of the seat.

I am interested to read other books by this author.

[Sharla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this enough to finish it. But I don't think it's a 2-star book so I'm giving it 3 stars.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Lekeshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an intense read but good read aloud with son. A great mystery I wish I had read as a child.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really great ideas but had to start skimming after two-thirds.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was great, though it kind of just jumped in to it. After a few chapters though, I really enjoyed it!