The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits: Murder Mysteries from the Dangerous World of Ancient Rome by Simon Scarrow, Tom Holt, Michael Kurland, Caroline Lawrence, Gillian Bradshaw, Peter Tremayne and Many More, Edited by Mike Ashley.
DESCRIPTION: Softcover: 526 pages. Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers; (2003). Size: 8 x 5 x 1½ inches; 1 pound. A host of totally new stories written by some of the most popular writers of historical mysteries brings to life the glorious and nefarious world that for nearly a thousand years; from the founding of the Republic in 510 B.C. to the deposing of the last emperor, Romulus, in 476 A.D. was ancient Rome. Events from the turbulent reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Caligula, and Nero provide the colorful background to tales ingeniously contrived by contributors like Paul Doherty, Gillian Bradshaw, and Richard Butler.
While John Maddox Roberts offers a new SPQR story, Steven Saylor, Marilyn Todd, Rosemary Rowe, Darrell Schweitzer, and Michael Kurland challenge their sleuths Gordianus the Finder, Claudia, Libertus, Pliny the Younger, and Quintilian with baffling new cases. Mary Reed and Eric Mayer conjure new intrigue for John the Eunuch, and Peter Tremayne sends his Fidelma on the trail of a Roman Legion lost in Ireland. In addition to the original stories specially commissioned for this volume, this book also includes such rare reprints as a Slave Detective story by Wallace Nichols and one of the earliest historical mysteries to be set in Rome, "De Crimine" by Miriam Allen de Ford. which features Cicero as the investigator.
CONDITION: NEW (but "remaindered"). New oversized softcover. Carroll & Graf Publishers (2003) 526 pages. Unblemished, unmarked, pristine in every respect EXCEPT for VERY slight edge and corner shelf wear to the covers and EXCEPT that there is a black remainder mark (drawn with a black marker) on the bottom surface of the closed page edges indicating that the book was unsold surplus inventory). The mark is not visible of course on individual opened pages, only to the mass of closed page edges. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, (otherwise) unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Condition is entirely consistent with new (albeit "remaindered") stock from a bookstore environment wherein new books might show minor signs of shelfwear, consequence of simply being shelved and re-shelved. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #1864.
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PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
REVIEW: Murder mysteries from the dangerous world of Ancient Rome by Simon Scarrow, Tom Holt, Michael Kurland, Caroline Lawrence, Gillian Bradshaw, Peter Tremayne, and many more. A total of twenty tales of intrigue, murder, and mayhem from this most bloodthirsty and exciting of times. With dramatic settings ranging from the Eternal City of Rome to the most remote outposts of her empire, here are new tales from masters of the historical detective story, with classic gems and rare reprints, plus a special introduction, and a new Gordianus the Finder novella from Steven Saylor.
Short stories include: “A Gladiator Dies Only Once” by Steven Saylor. Set just before the rebellion of Spartacus, Gordianus is sent to investigate, not a murder but a resurrection. “Heads You Lose” by Simon Scarrow. Someone is beheading soldiers during the siege of Jerusalem. Could the assassin be within the Roman camp? “Never Forget” by Tom Holt. Having defeated Hannibal, Scipio Africanus has a murder to solve and consults a wily Greek philosopher. “The Hostage to Fortune” by Michael Jecks. During Caesar’s invasion of Britain, the murder of one of the hostages causes a real problem for the guards. “The Finger of Aphrodite” by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. With Rome under siege by the Ostrogoths, John the Eunuch is faced with a locked room murder.
REVIEW: A stellar collection of Roman mysteries with something for every ancient history fiction buff. Very entertaining!
REVIEW: Anyone who loves Roman 'history mysteries' cannot fail to relish this new collection, gathered together by the ever-dependable Mike Ashley. The stories span the whole extent of Roman history from the Republican period to the Byzantine world and beyond. A major selling point will be the latest short story featuring Steven Saylor's sleuth, Gordianus the Finder but plenty of other old favorites turn up. Rosemary Rowe's Libertus the Freedman gets involved in an assault case. Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma is set on the trial of the lost Eagle of the Ninth Legion.
In fact all the main 'players' of the Roman Whodunnit pantheon are featured, with the notable absences of Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco and David Wishart's Marcus Valerius Corvinus. The standard of each story is generally good, admirably illustrating the dual pleasures of reading into this genre: compelling msyteries spiced up with a strong historical ambience. An unexpected delight is Gillian Bradshaw's entry in which fourth-century historian Ammianus Marcellinus turns detective on the trail of the vicious Anicii family. Hopefully it won't be too long before Mike Ashley assembles another collection. This one certainly relieved many a dreary tube journey.
REVIEW: Being an avid fan of Gordianus the Finder and Marcus Didius Falco, buying this book of short stories concerning mysteries set in the Roman world was a "no-brainer". I assumed that this collection, like all collections of stories, would vary in quality from indifferent to excellent. Thankfully, I was wrong, for all of the stories are top-notch examples of mystery writing at its best, including the one supposedly from 1866 or so, which is a good example of older writing. I'm pleased that Gordianus is in this book, but did miss Falco, although I did make the acquaintance of new friends of mystery whose careers I will follow in other published works by their authors. If you, like me, enjoy mysteries set during Roman times, and can't get enough of them through novel length works, I highly recommend this wonderful collection. You will not be disappointed!
REVIEW: I love the mysteries from Steven Saylor and Rosemary Rowe so I thought this would be a great collection. They each have a story in this collection. Both are good, Rowe's better than Saylor's. I was also very impressed with Wallace Nichols older story; it made me want to try and find his other work. Caroline Lawrence's children's story was also interesting.
REVIEW: For those who love Steven Saylor, you are in for a treat further into Roman times before Gordanius, the Finder and beyond. For those who have never traveled to ancient Rome or have other favorite "Roman era" authors, you are sure to find them here and maybe some new ones!
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