Spqr XI: Under Vesuvius: A Mystery

by John Maddox Roberts

Book Overview

Things are going well for Decius Caecilius Metellus. He is praetor peregrinus, which means he has to judge a case or two outside Rome. His first stop is Campania, "Italy's most popular resort district." He and his wife, Julia, are happy for a change of scenery. But the good times end when, in a town near Vesuvius, a priest's daughter is murdered. Decius must find her killer and keep the mob off a young boy whom everyone blames but he believes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031237089X
• ISBN13: 9780312370893
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

This is a great mystery series

I've read every book in the entire series and I highly recommend them. They are interesting, entertaining and often make me laugh. This book lives up to the rest. When the next one comes out, I'll be one of the first to order it. Check this series out. You won't be disappointed.

Excellent story

An excellent story just like the previous ones. My only complaint is that Roberts needs to write more, as in, bigger books and more of them ! His characters are not so deep that you feel buried in the persons minutia, yet they are extensive enough that they are not two dimensional. The gradual progression of the main characters career gives you an overall experience of what is was like to travel the 'cursus honorum', and live in Rome during the transition from Republic to Empire. I am looking forward to future books.

The best so far, I hope there are a lot more to come!

This is the best pure mystery of the buch and perhaps the best book in the whole series which is saying something. The characters are captivating, the plots hang together and the reading is fun and easy.

History, Mystery and Humor-a Great Combination

The entire series of these well-written historical mysteries has been enjoyable, and this is one of the best yet. The combination of history, humor and mystery is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the way Julia and Decius worked together as a couple. I hope that aspect of their relationship continues to be developed by the author. It was also fun to encounter characters such as Marcus Tullius Cicero and his friend and former slave, Tiro. I originally got this book at the library, but enjoyed it so much that I have decided to buy my own copy.

A very strong addition to the series

This is a strong addition to the series and also works well as a standalone novel. Roberts both captures amusingly the atmosphere of the late Roman Republic and provides a tightly written murder mystery. Our hero and narrator, Decius Caecilius Metellus the younger, has now advanced to a senior magistracy as Praetor Peregrinus in charge of court cases involving foreigners in Italy. With his wife and entourage he is stoically enduring the extravagant delights of the resort town of Baiae. As always, Decius portrays himself as a would-be playboy, reluctantly diverted by civic duty. His relaxed assumption of upper class superiority amidst an endlessly indulgent social swirl sometimes remind me of Bertie Wooster. But behind the facade, Decius is both intelligent and remorselessly diligent. Roberts skillfully namedrops through late Republican society, with Caesars and Antonii and Cicero himself dropping by. Beside the resort atmosphere, Baiae also provides a complex murder mystery for Decius to solve, with many interlocking roles, hints, and misdirections. In some other novels of the series, the atmosphere and politics are interesting, but the murder mystery itself is weak and unconvincing. "Under Vesuvius" fixes that problem. The plot is complex, but the pieces ultimately fit together well, with a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Although this is the 11th member of the series, it is also a fine place to begin. It is one of the strongest of the recent volumes and requires no prior knowledge of the other novels. A very enjoyable five stars.