Prisoner of Privilege, A

The arrival of a new book in the Rosemary Rowe series is joy. The character of Libertus has been with us for 18 books in total now and doesn't show any signs of being ready to put his feet up. Rosemary's writing continues to be fresh and the situations are entirely plausible. One of the great joys of her book is the richness of vocabulary used being descriptive and more varied than much modern writing. Before the story starts there is always an introduction to the happenings that are relevant to the story giving the real context within Roman Britain, that the books contain facts from many sources is not evident as the author wears her learning lightly.
The tale this time involves the untimely death of the money-lender and the nervously awaited arrival of a spy from Rome. The mystery of various apparently unconnected deaths are pieced together by Libertus aided and hindered by an interesting cast of other characters old and new.
These stories are eagerly devoured by me and I await the next instalment and I've only just finished this one!!

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Death of a spy

Libertus, ex-slave, retired pavement maker, now duumvir (joint mayor) of Glevum, finds himself in a lot of trouble when he realises that the death of a money lender, is not natural as others believe, but murder. Throw in the representative of a new emperor, counterfeit coinage, a number of dubious Celtic businessmen and a missing doctor and there are all the ingredients for one of Rosemary Rowe’s intricate, clever and involving mysteries.

I have never read a dud in this long series; the author’s inventiveness seems inexhaustible. Add the gritty and dangerous authenticity of the Romano-British setting. The final chapters, as Libertus attempts to argue for his own life, weakened by drugs and with the odds and evidence firmly stacked against him, are a real tour-de-force. Highly recommended once again!