The Loyal Centurion (Quintus Valerius Mysteries)
AD 224, and Quintus Valerius, Imperial Investigator, travels to Eboracum (York), administrative base of the most northern outpost of the Roman Empire. At an overnight stop in Lagentium (now Castleford, Yorkshire), a girl is discovered dead, presumed murdered.
On his travels around the province, Quintus and his right-hand man Tiro pass through busy markets, garrisons of disciplined soldiers, and noisy, smelly industrial areas. Everywhere, there are crowds of people – so many that I struggled to remember them all. However, characters important to Quintus soon resolve.
In the tradition of detective stories, more bodies are discovered, and Quintus begins investigating. Quintus, however, is not Miss Marple. He is a Roman soldier, he suspects a wider conspiracy, and his own life is threatened. Who, of all the people he has met, can he trust? As the northern winter bites, Quintus and Tiro must go beyond the Wall, alone into the land of the mysterious – and terrifying – Picts.
This is a competently written murder mystery/thriller, keeping the reader alert with multiple jeopardies, characters, and motivations. I’m not an expert on Romans, but I live near York and recognised some of the museum exhibits and archaeological discoveries that form the historical setting. This setting is deftly described: enough to evoke the period, but no long history lessons to dull the action. After all the thrills, I thought the end a little drawn out, but all was explained.
For those of us interested in the history, there’s an author’s note on sources, and a glossary. I’d have liked a map, too, but there’s a list matching Roman and modern place names. Recommended for readers who enjoy action, adventure and mystery as they time-travel into the Roman Empire.
