Ancient Roman sleuth Marcus Corvinus has had an eventful
life, chronicled in several earlier books, but those just
meeting him can easily dive in to AD 41 and the reign of
Emperor Claudius. A merchant dealing in import-export
pottery and glass is found dead and Corvinus is asked to
look into the matter by the man's family. He uncovers TRADE
SECRETS worth killing for, perhaps.
Corvinus lives comfortably in a villa with his wife
Perilla, his visiting daughter, son-in-law and grandson,
and a few capable servants. He's on cautious terms with his
neighbours, who keep cats and suspect anyone else of ill-
treating them. He is good at uncovering the truth so keeps
being asked for help by the respectable citizenry. In this
instance, the deceased man Gaius kept mistresses, but would
not give a divorce to his wealthy wife. Nor does the man's
business partner seem distressed by his loss. What's more,
the latest two outraged husbands had come and threatened
Gaius. The suspects for the stabbing are plentiful. This is
even before Corvinus's daughter comes home from a day's
visiting the library and announces she discovered a
murdered man and told the Watch her father would look into
the matter.
All of Roman daily life is here, including dinner of snails
sautéed with fennel, roasted pigeons with sweet onion
sauce, followed by preserved fruits and custard tart. I
particularly like the visit to the glassworks, and the
docks at Ostia. The bustle, colours and sounds of the city
surround us. Homes and districts varying according to the
wealth of the occupants, but everyone aspires to better.
The people have the same worries and desires as anyone,
with promotions, pensions, business and family matters.
Everyone's careful when they mention the Emperor, just in
case. There's also the shrines and scribes to add
local flavour.
The language is chatty; maybe I'm the only one who finds it
odd to see terms like OTT and chummy sprinkled in, but the
people are talking informally not writing documents so it's
good to give a sense that this is normal life. Some strong
language is used for verisimilitude. If you've read the
Falco books by Lindsey Davis, you'll be familiar with the
format, also with names like Titus, Gaius and Quintus.
TRADE SECRETS by David Wishart is ideal for anyone
interested in mystery, Rome and human nature.
The intriguing, witty and irreverent new mystery
featuring Ancient Roman sleuth Marcus Corvinus May, AD 41. The emperor Claudius has acceded to the
throne, and the citizens of Rome look forward to an era of
peace and stability. Not so Marcus Corvinus however, who
finds himself embroiled in not one but two investigations.
A
friend of his wife has asked him to look into the murder of
her brother, found stabbed to death at the Shrine of
Melobosis. A wily businessman and notorious womaniser, no
one seems to have a good word to say about Gaius Tullius,
not even his less-than-grieving widow. But who would have a
good enough reason to want him dead?
At the same time, Corvinus’s daughter comes across a dead
body in the Pollio Gardens, and urges her father to
investigate. At first Marcus refuses to get involved – but
when his enquiries lead him to Ostia, Rome’s busy trading
port, he uncovers a disturbing connection between the two
deaths.
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