Gaius Russo move to new post to find that there have been mysterious deaths and injuries among British recruits but the more questions he answers the more he is obstructed and threatened. Imminent arrival of Emperor Hadrian brings matters to a crux as Russo and his wife are in conflict over actions.

See review for book 8.

She does well at the separate voices of her characters. There is a very military feel to the stories' setting. I'm hooked. ( )

This is the fifth installment of an entertaining historical crime fiction series set in the Ancient Roman Empire.

It is A.D. 122 and Roman Army medic Gaius Petreius Ruso is now back with the Twentieth Legion after sojourns in Gaul and Britannia. When the legion gets “swept up into an orgy of practicing, polishing, and sharpening” in preparation for the visit of the Emperor Hadrian, Ruso volunteers to go on a tour to inspect the medical facilities of remote outposts.

He and his wife Tilla find themselves in Eboracum (now York) where they discover that the new British recruits have been subject to a rash of accidents. The men believe they are under a curse, but Ruso suspects something more is afoot. In spite of his loathing of becoming embroiled in investigations, he begins to do just that, helped by Tilla, who, being a native herself, is able to get more information out of her fellow Britains than Ruso could.

As Ruso’s friend Valens says to Tilla, “He just can’t resist taking on other people’s problems, can he?” Tilla replies, “No. That is why I like him.”

As Ruso and Tilla begin to ask questions, their own lives are in danger, but as always, they manage to sort out the truth of what is happening and who is behind it.

Tilla continues to grapple with her own problems: her failure to conceive, which she believes is from the damage of a botched abortion after being raped; her desire to learn to read and become a better healer; and her quest to find a faith that serves her needs. Back in Gaul, she learned about Christianity, and sometimes resorts to praying to Christos. In this book, when she is threatening someone with bodily violence, “She hoped Christos was too busy tending to some other follower to listen to this. This was a matter for the old gods.”

Evaluation: This series is quite entertaining. While there are few facts about the period to base her stories on, the author does what she can to fill in the gaps with her imagination. Ruso and Tilla fight an uphill battle to do good in this violent society, but Downie makes them believable, and adds just the right amount of humor, affection, and exasperation to their relationship. ( )

IT wasn't as good as some of the previous ones, but at least there's the familiarity of the characters. ( )