Review
By Lisa E. Betz
Life is difficult in Ancient Rome, even for respectable young women such as Livia Aemilia. Her father has decided she must marry an aristocrat instead of the handsome family friend she admires. When her brother breaks the news that their father has been murdered, the two soon realize that this was not a robbery gone bad, but murder. Their scheming uncle accuses Curio of patricide and Livia knows she must search for the real killer. If she doesn't succeed she may not only lose her brother, but be married off to someone worse than an inscrutable senator. With her plucky slave and her new faith Livia will search for answers. But will she be stopped before she can reveal the truth?
A mystery set in 47AD? And the heroine belonged to a new cult?! I was thrilled, wondering which god or goddess she would be involved with, Minerva, Diana, or, perhaps a god with whom I was unfamiliar. And then I learned it was the cult of Jesus. And I got worried. In general, I am not a fan of Christian fiction and this book, as it turned out, was Christian fiction...very early Christian fiction. Although there were times the book got a little preachy (what I dislike about the genre), the preaching didn't overwhelm the story or the wonderful characters.
As for the characters, I love Livia. Not content to leave things to others, she can run a household as well get into a disguise and tail suspects. She's smart, loving, and fair. I also like her spunky slave, Roxana and Roxana's equally spunky cat, Nemesis. Roxana comes from the 'wrong part of town", however, unless the wrong part is Greek, I have a slight problem. Her cat is named for the goddess of vengeance...however, Nemesis is a Greek god, not a Roman one. My favorite character, however, is Avitus. Cunning, smart, and real, there's much more to this man than meets the eye.
Ancient family dynamics are a hot bed of lies, deceit, and violence, and all are evidenced in DEATH AND A CROCODILE. As family members, and their slaves, make strategic moves, it's hard not to believe that everyone is guilty. And, for the most part, that assumption is correct. It's a matter of what exactly they're guilty of that adds to the mystery.
DEATH AND A CROCODILE is a complex mystery set with all the familial drama, strategic maneuvering, and backbiting one would expect in Ancient Rome. Engaging and enjoyable characters inhabit the pages here and I hope to see them again. The book appears to reach a conclusive end, but I would love for this to be the first book in a series.
No comments:
Post a Comment