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Roman Blood

Author: Steven Saylor
Publisher: Robinson Publishing
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

15 reviews
Sales Rank: 4969

Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.7

ISBN: 1845292480
EAN: 9781845292485
ASIN: 1845292480

Publication Date: June 16, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book sourced directly from the publisher. Delivery in 3-5 days. Customer service 7 days per week

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Roman Blood: A Mystery
•	Mass Market Paperback - Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
•	Paperback - Roman Blood
•	Mass Market Paperback - Roman Blood

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Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

First Book in the Series January 31, 2007
5 out of 8 found this review helpful

Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in his childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both here in England and also in America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too.

This is the first book in the series and we are introduced to Gordianus the Finder, the main character in this great series. He is an investigator of crimes at a period in history when the only aid you had to solving a crime or a mystery of any kind for that matter were your powers of deduction. Gordianus is renowned for his integrity and his ability to get to the bottom of a mystery and is much sought after in the city of Rome.

He is hired by the young Cicero to acquit or convict a man accused of murdering his own father in a delicate case that soon begins to produce dangerous problems for our esteemed detective.

2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing and no substitute for Falco January 30, 2007
8 out of 14 found this review helpful

Having worked my way through the whole of the excellent Falco series, I was on the look out for another Ancient Roman detective series to fill the gap. Sadly, this is not it.

Although Saylor's work seems historically accurate, he lacks Lindsey Davies' ability to bring the ancient city of Rome to life - which for me is half the joy of reading a historical mystery.

He also lacks her warmth, wisdom, and understanding of human nature. I found his female characters thin and unconvincing. Bethesda seems to be there to fulfil the traditional female roles of being menaced by the villains and providing the hero with (remarkably frequent)sexual services. Gordianus claims to be fond of her, but never goes so far as to hold a conversation with her. The other main female characters were frankly unbelieveable.

The mystery was not particularly enthralling(more a "How long is it going to take him to work out what's going on?" than a "Whodunnit?") and if I want a life of Cicero, I'll read Robert Harris' Imperium.

Not for me, and I won't be bothering with the rest of the series.

5 out of 5 stars

First of a Great Series December 18, 2006
9 out of 12 found this review helpful

Steven Saylor's fascination with Ancient Rome began in his childhood. A history graduate and former newspaper and magazine editor, he lives in Berkeley, California. His series of books about Ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder are extremely popular both here in England and also in America. Anyone who is a fan of Lindsey Davis will love these books too.

Gordianus the Finder, the investigator of crimes, a man whose skill and integrity have made him much sought after by some of the most important men in Rome. Men who may need a secret to be kept, men who need to know that when Gordianus is working for them he will be discreet and not susceptible to bribery.

Such a man is Cicero, who hires Gordianus to look into the affairs of a man who is accused of murdering his own father. He wishes Gordianus to acquire evidence that will either acquit or convict the man. It is a delicate case and one that soon puts Gordianus into more danger than even he is used to.

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent roman who dunnit December 6, 2006
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

I'm not normally a fan of the detective genre but this book is excellently written. Surprisingly Mr Saylor is able to translate an old Cicero mystery into something we can enjoy. Intelligently written possibly better than the Falco books although I enjoyed those as well. Gordianus is a character that you can take an almost instantaneous shine to.

4 out of 5 stars

Hooked instantly January 1, 2006
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I stumbled across this book quite by hazard but was hooked from the very first page. Gordianus, 'the last honest man in Rome', is thoroughly believable because - how rare this has become in historical thrillers and novels - he is depicted as a real human being with real emotions (happiness, joy, sadness, jealousy, you name it) instead of a one-dimensional puppet.

The setting is very well drawn and the plot engrossing, the hours you'll spend reading this book will afterwards feel as if you've stepped back in time. What more can one ask for? I for one immediately went after all the other books in the series.