
Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
Medicus, Book 7
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Ruth Downie
About this listen
Ruso and Tilla's excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors - some skilled - but others positively dangerous.
Ruso thinks that he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor, Doctor Kleitos, has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning "be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos' debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress' dead father - Ruso's patient - and the unfortunate man in the barrel.
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Ruth Dqwnie has once again shown us a very real feeling experience of life in the human world of ancient Rome. Here you will see a version of ancient people that shows that technology changes but people and how the relate to each other stay much the same. This book will take you to the side of Rome, the capital of the world, where common people live lives of drama that will not show in the writings of the great latin authors but still rings true. The real Rome would have had to operate much as this book shows because even Rome has to provide a living for the common people.Another step into a real feeling Rome
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AWESOME
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A HERO IS NOT ALWAYS THE WARRIOR
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The series gets better and better.
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This time both Ruso and his British wife, Tilla are struggling badly to find a place in Rome, and when his ex-commander finds him a fill-in position as a doctor, nothing goes right from the very start. As usual, they're both very quickly involved in a number of mysteries.
It's great watching the growing strength of their relationship and poor Tilla, struggling in vain, to be a "proper" Roman wife.
Great fun to read.
Thoroughly enjoyable
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Sheer delight
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Enjoy this wonderful tale
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Another great Roman murder mystery.
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Another Delightful Installment
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What did you love best about Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire?
Each story gets better and better. Exacting detail of life in Rome portrayed with humanity. Same universal emotions of love for family, fear, anxiety, economic survival, and pleas to higher source.What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Simon Vance is superb. His voicings of each character give a reality to the storyline that surpasses what could be achieved with the written word. The man is a unique talent and I thank him for the hours of entertainment he provides whatever the novel.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Couldn't turn the recording off. Addictive and reliable source of great enjoyment.Outstanding: Can't Wait for Next Book in Series
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