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Sub Rosa

The Valerius Mysteries, Book 1

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Rome, 58 AD.

The dinner party didn’t turn out the way Aemilius Valerius expected. He didn’t expect a place at the main table. He didn’t expect to drink that much. He didn’t expect to hook up with one of the scarier dancers. And he most certainly didn’t expect to trip over the bloody corpse of his host on the floor of the informal dining room.

One man’s grisly murder is another man’s opportunity. Valerius teams up with the investigator, a plebeian with a chip on his shoulder, to discover the killer. Mad Uncle Maro promised it would be a smart career move, but that was before a second senator turned up dead. Now everything points towards a corrupt legion, an imperial assassin, and the emperor’s mother. It might have been smarter to accept that honorary priesthood, stupid hat or not.

©2023 Jennifer Burke (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing
Amateur Sleuths Historical Mystery
All stars
Most relevant
Enjoyable crime solving duo in Nero’s Rome. Plenty of sweet and suitably despicable characters and a generally well-fleshed out cast. I was mildly annoyed by the narrator’s pronunciation of Roman names but I got what he meant.

Roman Buddy Cop tale

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Loved it.

Fabulous detective tale set in Rome, 58 AD. When Aemilius Valerius was still occupation hunting, no urgency, he didn't med the money, he attended a banquet which ended disastrously and landed him the unwanted position of investigator. Together with the proletarian leader of the local vigiles, the nobleman tries to hunt down a killer when any one who knew anything was not in any way compelled to speak with him and avoiding being badly harmed by illegally armed bandits, discovering ever growing sexual desire for his companion, whilst also trying to sell a share in a useless racehorse for much more than it was worth, dispose of a vacant house, appear to be head of the family when constantly outshine by his fabulous female relatives and almost always in an at least semi intoxicated state. All is told in the first person so very up close and personal. Perfect for anyone who enjoys books humorously set in the ancient Roman world which are not just a military reinaction, but more domestic day by day. Great fun, informative, and action filled with both domestic and street visuals

All is performed by Vikas Adam, who really becomes the young nobleman used to the luxury life jand ust filling in time until he can start on his civic duties several years in the future.
A definite recommendation.

"All dogs have four legs."

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