The Slave-girl from Jerusalem

The Roman Mysteries #13

by Caroline Lawrence

This exciting adventure recreates the siege of Masada and reveals important developments in Jonathan's struggle with his guilt over past events. Also, there's terrific insight into the workings of the Roman legal system in a page-turning court room drama. As ever, Caroline Lawrence spings new surprises for all the characters and provides motives, means and opportunities for one determined felon. And, as ever, it's up to the four young detectives to crack the case.

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

230 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Caroline Lawrence won a scholarship to Cambridge to read Classical Archaeology, then did a degree in Hebrew and Jewish studies at University College London. She now lives in London with her English husband and teaches Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Art and French to children.

Series:
* Roman Mysteries
Western Mysteries

Reviews

[Katie Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it
A real murder mystery, a satisfying courtroom drama, some lovely romantic development, absolutely brutal ending that I'd forgotten about entirely.

[chad chrysanthemum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered loving this series when I was 12ish, so I was very excited to find this book abandoned in a phone booth last week. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that this is the 13th book in the series and I didn't remember anything about any of the characters, but it really wasn't much of an issue and just added an additional layer of mystery for me as I tried to work out the relationships between all the characters. What was great about this was that unlike other books from my childhood, this one was much better than I'd remembered. Children love drama, they love violence, and they love not being talked down to. Lawrence seems to dedicate herself to this, ensuring that the book is as accurate to first century Rome as possible, and if that means half the characters are slaves and a 15 year old is both pregnant and married to a 35 year old, then so be it. I kept my friend updated throughout reading the book, and our total count was either 4 deaths, 5 deaths, or 997, depending on how you count it. There are also 6 different wills written which is pretty impressive. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good mystery, if a little convoluted. I guessed the murderer pretty quickly, but his exact motives and methods were harder to pinpoint. That said, the additional layer of (explicitly Christian?) visions was a little weird. For a book that mostly concerns itself with realism of Roman life it seemed odd to include and I couldn't work out why it was added. In general though, I really liked this book. It was intriguing, funny, sad, and had a great diversity of characters. I'm sure many classics-obsessed 9-14 year old will love this book, as well as apparently 20 year olds who are avoiding their responsibilities.

[Jennifer Wilkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You never know when a dead pigeon might come in handy.” My daughter and I had a great laugh over this one.

I didn’t think I would like Slave Girl because the focus was on the law courts, which is not an interest of mine. However, the story flowed beautifully and I actually loved how she depicted Roman courts! The story was sweet too. Lawrence has created irresistible characters.

[Dee Paisley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a wonderful story with so many good pieces of the mystery built well together. Again I'm amazed at the cultural information and historical practices that I learned bits and pieces of through this series.

[Hattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP Flavia Gemina, you would have loved true crime podcasts.

Number of times using the word swarthy - excessive (4)

Absolute sucker punch ending that came out of nowhere and made me cry.

Quotes:
(I’ve realised that the vast majority of quotes I highlight just turn out to be slightly weird similes)

It was a mild winter morning. A pearly skin of high cloud covered the domed sky, like the membrane on a boiled egg.

He slowly swivelled on one foot, sweeping the spectators with a gaze as blue and sharp as an icicle.

'By Apollo, he's good!' murmured Aristo. 'The odour of justice hangs about him like the scent of an expensive perfume.'
[Aristo ladling out the drama]

Miriam saw paradise, and so she believed. But not many people are given a sight of the next world.

[Kitty]

😭

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’m going to have to give up saying that the book I’ve just finished is definitely where I left off last time, because each time I’ve said that with this series I’ve been proven wrong with the next book. Although, with this one because I didn’t actually remember much about the plot of the trial of Hepzibah and only the death of Miriam I might only have heard about that but when I was younger.

And while I know that these marriages were common in those days, there were so many moments where I was taken aback by how young Miriam actually was. When she’s playing with her doll with Hepzibah and then struggles to get off the bed because of how pregnant she is, or the moment when Jonathan looks at her wrapped body and notices that her doll was clutched in her hands. Those moments broke my heart.

It is interesting to get more of a look into the Roman justice system and the Roman courts, although I feel like it would drive me mad to actually see a Roman trial take place. What with everyone shouting over each other and making things up about the opposition.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

the slave-girl is an interesting character who basically has nothing to do with the book. She hardly even talks. As for Merriam, I thought that no one really cared about her in this book at all. She's a very set aside character.

[Elizabeth Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but I found it really sad when I read about Miriam. I really liked her and I was sorry that she had to die😢.
I like Nubia a lot in this book too. She's so loyal and truthful.
I have always loved the roman mysteries and I wish I could be like Caroline Lawrence.

[D.K. Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're back with our old friends, the child detectives, and many of their companions. This time we've got a classic story: murder victims and a slave-girl who's in the frame for the crime.

Along the way, Lawrence gives us a whole stack of information about life in Rome 'through the back door', as it were. In my book, that's the best way to teach children history. Let it flow naturally. In this story, we learn about the Roman justice system, how to make speeches, the laws governing freeing slaves, making wills and the horrific story of the massacre at Masada - none of which you'd manage to get a class of kids to have the least bit interest in if you simply tried to drum it into their heads.

But this novel is anything but boring. Solving the mystery lies in learning about these facts and the four detectives have to overcome what seems to us as peculiarities of laws and customs that hinder them from saving their slave-girl friend.

Along the way, as usual, Lawrence continues to build on longer threads such as the burgeoning romance between Flavia (the lead protagonist) and 'Floppy' Flaccus who have not yet admitted their feelings even to themselves as yet, let alone each other. The pair are getting ever closer to the inevitable.

Of course, if you've read at least a few of the previous books, you may well be guessing that the children (and they are pre-teens though they behave more like older teenagers - everything happened at younger ages in those times) will eventually solve the mystery and save their friend from death by crucifixion. But beware...

I was on a train back from a meeting down in London when I finished this novel and I did not see the ending coming. I wish I had so it would have saved me the embarrassment of weeping like a baby on a crowded train. If you are a fan of the books then this story is going to hit hard, really hard. It is a stroke of genius on the author's part and she weaves in the mystical aspects of the previous books that I have regularly commented on. This is where it all starts to come together.

This also means that these stories, as we enter the final quarter of the seventeen-book series, have a new impetus, fresh problems to deal with. I have little fear now that the books will go stale as we head towards the end.

The Slave-girl from Jerusalem is an excellent book albeit with the caveats that you need to have read some of the previous books in the series to know the characters well and you need to be prepared for the that fact that not everything ends well. I was totally unprepared for the ending. As someone who invests heavily in characters (when well written) there's a heaviness in my heart today that is crushing.

[ChroniclesofTania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flaccus makes his debut as a new lawyer when a Jewish slave friend of Miriam’s is accused of murder, and lacking manumission evidence, by an accusing inheritance hunter. A wealthy landowner dies under mysterious circumstances setting a string of events in action. Two murders follow this death. Ostia and Rome are in uproar at a triple homicide with only one suspect, the slave girl. In this book we discover that Nubia hasn’t actually been freed by Flavia from slavery as she thought because the proper process wasn’t followed and Flavia is only a child and didn’t have recognised ownership. Nubia finds herself hiding from the police. Jonathan is beset with nightmares about his funeral and all the children make wills. At the court hearing a terrible betrayal by a friend is exposed as the two neighbouring households on Green Fountain Street have their secrets exposed to the whole Ostia and are humiliated publicly. The book starts slow and picks up pace at the end.

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This one hit me hard. I think it is because I now have experienced and lived through a very difficult birth, but the loss of Miriam to childbirth at the age of fifteen and the way that it introduces youth to this grim reality of motherhood, both in ancient times and today, was really powerful to me.

I also think that Lawrence does a good job of illustrating court proceedings and the different way that courts worked in Ancient Rome.

It also led me to Google and learn more about Masada, which I wasn't familiar with before this, and I like how this piece of Jewish history was interwoven into this story.

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending to this one was a ROUGH read. I mean, I thought something similar to this was bound to happen and be mentioned at some point given the inherit dangers of the circumstance, but to have this happen and be so openly written about and experienced is jolting and sad. I literally sat there for a second with my mouth open in shock and had to just re calibrate.

On a lighter note, give me more Flaccus please I am begging you. He is very quickly becoming one of my favourite men in this series and could potentially be overtaking Aristo? We'll see.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read from other reviewers that they were surprised to enjoy this courtroom drama as much as they did, which reflects my feelings perfectly, but Caroline Lawrence makes it effortless, and this was as gripping a mystery as any of the others. What an end... I flipped ahead while reading the beginning, and the only tiny phrase I landed on spoiled it all, and I gasped so hard I had to put the book down and recover. So sad.

[Theo Cryan-poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book but felt really sad at the end and also sorry for Jonathan because having your teenage sister die in childbirth must of really hurt and still hurt in the next couple of books but what about Miriam’s husband and Parents and also her newborn twin babies.
😢😢😭😭😭🥺👨‍👧‍👦

[Raissa Rivera Falgui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtroom Drama

An excellent introduction to rhetoric and the Roman legal system. One of the most intricately wrought Roman Mysteries, but so much tragedy. Flaccus is an excellent addition to the team and shows himself to be a suitable love interest for Flavia.

[Niamh Spiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️: Up there with my favourite of the series! I loved the character development and the maturity they're growing into. And I love any story that has Flaccus in! Had me tearing up towards the end too.

[Isabel Mwangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really was amazing. I loved it so much and I think that people who are interested in history should read it because it helps give perspective from someone who may have lived in the Roman era. I loved the mystery aspects and I would definitely recommend the series. Well done Caroline

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book which leads you from Ostia to Laurentum to Ostia etc. My favourite part was the end which is a big twist I didn't expect. I enjoyed every moment of it.

[melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novel, with a case of triple-murder!

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohmygod. One of the best, and definitely a more grown-up story. Unexpected ending. Wow.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The triple murder investigation was so interesting, and I loved the depiction of Roman law. The end broke my heart.

[ANNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite 😍 out of all the roman mysteries I will recomend the whole lot for any begginer readers who love and good historical mystery aka me a few years ago!!!!!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another highlight of the series that gives a great insight into the Roman legal system. As always, Lawerence packs the book with information and brings Ancient Rome to life like no other. She also successfully weaves fact with fiction. I personally loved the tragic ending as it mirrors the time and place of the setting. A great instalment in the series.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a long-term fan of this series since I was about 10 years old. As a series, it is a wonderful set of mysteries filled with historical facts and exciting circumstances that any young Reader would love. There are certain volumes that are not entirely appropriate for the intended age group, and as the series has progressed, the stories have not been as engaging as earlier installments.


The Slave-Girl from Jerusalem - the 13th book in this series - is one of the less enchanting mysteries out of them all (and yes, I intend to write reviews for the others eventually, too). Having gone so many years without reading a new one, I was able to assess the elements of it with new eyes, having no childhood memories to associate with this particular book. While all of the characters are perfectly sound, and the mystery promised to be every bit as good as previous ones, I lost a lot of my positive outlook when I immediately knew who the guilty person was even before the first murder was committed. Even at the age of ten, I would have seen it right off. It then became a story that I grew impatient with as the characters hemmed and hawed over who was responsible for the deaths. And it bugged me to no end that the Author did not explain why everyone suddenly had the compulsion to write out a will.



But the Author pulls a fairly clever twist in the end, when the cause for the murders is revealed and it turns out that the murderer was in fact trying to frame the wrong person, and should have tried to blame a different character. While I easily guessed how everything would turn out, this little twist I was not expecting, nor the untimely death of a certain character we fans have known since the very first book, and for those two reasons alone I bumped this installment from the "ok" position to "liked it" position.


As far as the characters themselves go, Flavia is as always an intelligent young girl, but who acts way younger than her actual age. It's more than a little disturbing that Flaccus, who is in his early twenties, would love her, when she does not at all behave maturely. Lupus, the mute boy, continues to be my least-favorite out of the four friends; there is something about his personality that always rubbed me the wrong way. While I absolutely love his character's backstory, it's hard to ignore his extremely quick temper and touchiness. And of course, Nubia is the best one out of them all: level-headed, quiet, gentle, perceptive. I have never grown tired of her, like I have with the others, including Jonathan.


This was not, in conclusion, the best "episode" in the series, but I have hopes that the next one will be quite a bit better.

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein klassischer Gerichtshofkrimi, in der Art von "Der Regenmacher" und "Der Klient". Man lernt in diesem Band viel über die Eroberung Jerusalems durch die Römer und über das rmömische Rechts und Gerichtssystem.
Flavias und Floppys Beziehung entwickelt sich auch weiter und dann passiert noch ein Unglück, welches für alle Beteiligten Folgen hat.
Auch in diesem Buch zwigt Caroline Lawrence ein Mal mehr, dass sie keine Skupel hat, mühevoll aufgebaute Charaktäre zu töten, wenn es für die Geschichte und die Charakterentwicklung der anderen Protagonisten notwendig ist.
Dieses Buch stotzt noch mehr von mystery Elementen als der Vorgängerband. Jonathan hat einen prophetischen Traum, in welchem er den Tod eines Familienmitgliedes sieht, Miriam bekommt besuch von einem Engel und sieht das Paradies... Naja, wäre meiner Meinung nach wirklich nicht nötig gewesen.

Zeitpunkt der Geschichte:
(Erster Sabbat des Dezember 80) 2. - 7. Dezember 80 n. Chr.

Mein Lieblingssatz:
S. 97: "Was Cicero the one who had his head and hands cut off and Marcus Antonis's wife took his severed head in her lap und stabbed his lifeless tongue again and again with her hairpin?" - "That's the man," said Flaccus.

Schon gewusst:
"Even the word for left-handed - "sinister" - means unlucky and ominous." (S. 162).
Linkshänder konnten den römischen Legionen nicht beitreten.

[Ujwals · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It had a great mystery, but the author also combined a well balanced amount of description. This book was a real mystery, compare to others, that are just adventures. There were just enough characters to have enough suspects, and not have too many to follow. However, my most favorite part of this book was the court case! The Romans take the who-dun-it to court, and guess what the "best technique is"... rhetoric! In this book, they describe the lawyers rhetoric, and hand gestures. I was able to relate to this book very well. The only downside of this book was the sad ending. All in all, a great book, which can be connected to. Even if you haven't read the rest of the series, you should try this book.

[Emma Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, melancholic and cathartic episode in the series: I cannot recall crying as much since TFIOS, Allegiant, Clockwork Princess et al- a true indicator of my emotional attachment to these multifaceted characters: the redemptive story that encircled Jonathan had a wonderfully primitive touch of Shakespearean heroic tragedy and truly resulted in a sensitive, emotionally charged climax. The conspiratorial elements to the mystery also really engaged me and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn of Roman law society as well as needless to say the Ciceronian references!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and surprises. These historical mysteries are really entertaining while highlighting lots of famous historical figures and customs. The emotional content is awfully heavy considering that these books are classed a "juvenille"--I place them on my YA shelf for this reason. I'm glad to have finally gotten this volume via ILL; now I can continue the series which my library has in stock!

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood friend of Miriam's was recently freed in secret by her owner, but then he dies and so does the only witness to the manumission. Then the young woman, Hephzibah, is accused of those deaths and another one. She's defended by Gaius Valerius Flaccus, aka Floppy, one of Flavia's friends from a previous adventure. During the events of this book, all four of the children write their own wills and we learn a lot about the Roman legal system.