Medicus cover art

Medicus

A Novel of the Roman Empire

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Medicus

By: Ruth Downie
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

 Gaius Petrius Ruso is a divorced and down-on-his-luck army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. His arrival in Deva (more commonly known today as Chester, England) does little to improve his mood, and after a 36-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to a moment of weakness and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner.

Now he has a new problem: a slave who won't talk and can't cook, and drags trouble in her wake. Before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar.

A few years earlier, after he rescued Emperor Trajan from an earthquake in Antioch, Ruso seemed headed for glory: now he's living among heathens in a vermin-infested bachelor pad and must summon all his forensic knowledge to find a killer who may be after him next.

Who are the true barbarians, the conquered or the conquerors? It's up to Ruso (certainly the most likeable sleuth to come out of the Roman Empire) to discover the truth. With a gift for comic timing and historic detail, Ruth Downie has conjured an ancient world as raucous and real as our own.

©2007 Ruth Downie (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc. Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Ancient Rome Funny Ancient History

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Critic reviews

"Downie's auspicious debut sparkles with beguiling characters and a vividly imagined evocation of a hazy frontier." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will delight in this series debut set in Roman-occupied Britain and featuring wry army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso." (Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed the characters, the story, the narration and the quiet wit of the author who peppered the book with neat turns of phrase and some really incisive comments & observations on people & life in general. Will definitely be putting the next in this series on my Wishlist.

Excellent listen

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Excellent mix of history and intrigue. You get taken back into time with such entertainment. I enjoyed every second of it. Didn't want it to end

Roman intrigue

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Enjoyed this book set in Roman Britain with some amusing events and nice surprise ending

Interesting historical whodunnit

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I habitually listen to epic fantasy but fancied a change. I enjoyed Falco on the radio so decided to try this book. It was a very pleasant change from my usual genre and kept me entertained for a few evenings. The hero is likeable character and the story was engaging. I will be purchasing the next in the series after two Brandon Sanderson books that are waiting in my library. The narrator, by the way, is superb.

pleasant change

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Never super exciting, never boring, always entertaining. Taking place at a very specific time period, and place, a fun book about the past. There were points where I would think it didn’t make historical sense, such as locals drinking beer, and speaking ‘british’. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Surprisingly fun story.

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