Worst book I've read in years. Got it on Kindle - skimmed through pages and pages of pointless drivel with a - what is the male equivalent of a Mary Sue protagonist? It seems Downie's Roman "mystery" series is on the NYT bestseller list. If that's true, both of my books should be there too, just above hers.

I really enjoyed this introduction to Gaius Petreius Ruso, his new slave Tilla, and all of his other woes. Ruso is an army medicus in Brittania, which is under Roman rule, and I liked that this put me in mind of a sort of ancient Roman M*A*S*H. The details of daily living are interesting, and the characters are great. I like Tilla, but I think Albanus, who is Ruso's scribe, is my favorite. Everybody should have an Albanus.

The mystery plot itself was a little off in its pacing, but I was having too much fun for that to bother me much. I especially liked how Downie presented the culture clashes, often showing the same scene from both Ruso's and Tilla's perspectives to give the reader a fuller understanding of what motivated whom. And I am glad that Downie resisted making Ruso an enlightened progressive. He may be a better class of slave-owner, but he is a still a slave-owner, and he thinks like a slave-owner simply because it would not occur to him that there is any other way to think. So even though Downie had to make lots of educated guesses about life in Roman times, everything feels quite real for its setting, and this makes me want to keep reading.

An undemanding, but enjoyable read set in Roman Britain. This is the first book in a series and I will happily read more.

Roman mystery set in Chester featuring a doctor attached to the occupying 20th legion, this is very much in the tradition of Lindsay Davis' Falco series and that is fine with me. I found it amusing and witty with well drawn characters and a good story line. I look forward to reading more in the series.

I did enjoy entering a day in the life of a Roman Doctor in a less than civilized town of Brittania on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. It's difficult to read the disrespect towards women and their very few choices to support themselves.

Ruso seems to be one of few men with some integrity and compassion. But, no good deed goes unpunished.

Part of the authors parting comments was that slavery is now illegal. That may be so for most of the world, however he failed to mention that it is alive a well in some parts of the world with approximately 40 million people enslaved at any given time in the modern world. India and China being the worst perpetrators with the highest numbers of slaves.

World wide, over 70% are women and girls.

A detective story set in Roman Britannia, what a treat! I was really happy when I got this reading suggestion and now I cannot wait to read the other books in the series. To be clear: not everything is historically accurate and the writer explains that at the end of the book. I was actually wondering if some elements were just "poetic license" and it turned out they were. However, that takes away nothing at all from the story, that is funny and heartwarming, but also very modern. Human trafficking, the arrogance of the powerful, colonialism, financial problems, women's abuse.. these are all contemporary topics and you will find all of them in this work, where the world is seen through the eyes of a generous doctor who is unable to say 'no'.
The characters are overall very believable, especially Priscus, the Roman bureaucrat who counts every sheet and stripe of bandage in the hospital. Romans were famously accurate and precise accountants - luckily for us, I must say.
Well, get a nice cup of tea or coffee, sit down in your favorite and couch and enjoy.

Given that this book is about Rome, or at least Romans in Britain, it is a no-brainer that I would want to read it. However, the reason it has passed me by until now is that it is a crime novel. This genre is not my favourite, it has to be said. I ended up buying a copy in June when I had the good fortune to meet Ruth Downie at the Roman Festival in Chester. I started reading it a few weeks ago, and was instantly engaged and delighted by its central character, the hapless, kind, curious surgeon Ruso.

This is a wonderful and well-written story, full of rich detail of the time. Downie has a deft touch with humour, tragedy and drama. The pages of this book turned themselves, and I was sorry to reach the end. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and will be moving swiftly on to the next book in the series.

I've found a new series!!!! New mysteries, historical!! Never was a girl so happy. . . .Ruth Downie has brought me something to comfort my aching heart since all the Cadfael Chronicles have been read and re-read. . . .

This is the first Medicus: a crime novel of the Roman Empire and I enjoyed it. . . Gaius Petreius Ruso, is like Cadfael in that he is a healer, but the unlike the army Cadfael joined (God's), Gaius finds himself in the midst of the Romans on one of those inevitable roads that lead to . . . Rome. He coming from Gaul on some inspiring day in the 2nd Century AD, as one would if one wanted such a future.

Being the first book in a mystery series, bodies deceased are early encountered in his latest posting, Briton. He's not very likeable right off, a snooty sort, lots of judgments about the natives. But as the book moves on he sees the good in the people who come to him for help and healing, and as he unclenches, a reader can, too. He shows who he really is, and as an ambassador for the 2nd Century AD, for all things Roman, and a progressive who can see the value of diversity, a Reader discovers she's knee-deep in a great book!!!!

Yes. I will be reading the next one: Terra Incognita.

This excellent historical mystery is simultaneously tense and funny, as we meet the dour Roman medicus Ruso, a man with a lot of debt and memories of a bad marriage and plenty of motivation to write his book, a concise first aid manual, and make lots of money. Unfortunately for Ruso, he is a man of compassion and decency in a corrupt world, and I suspect he will be a while making his fortune in Roman Britain.

I will certainly want to check in on his progress through future installments of this series.

I have been spoiled by the Marcus Didius Falco books by Lindsey Davis. This book tries hard but did not hold my interest enough for me to want to read more in the series.

Medicus is a story I've been meaning to read for a long time. I'm just glad I finally got around to this well written depiction of a Roman doctor of the Twentieth Legion who seems to have a gift for walking straight into trouble on the streets of Deva - modern day Chester. Gaius Petreius Ruso should know better than to get involved in anything going on in the streets of this outpost of the Roman army. Now he's saddled with a slave with a broken arm and she will most likely die before he can even attend to her injury. Since Tilla didn't die, Ruso needs to get her well enough to serve as his housekeeper until he can sell her. He certainly doesn't need a slave to worry about when his credit is so thinly stretch and his brother needs his financial contributions to keep the farm going back home. The best place Ruso can find for Tilla to recuperate is a bar/brothel. The problem with this place is that slave girls seem to keep disappearing from there. Did they run away or is the truth darker than that?

I love mystery novels of all types but Roman Britain especially appeals to me. Ruth Downie has given the character of Ruso just enough of everything I like: intelligence, morality, inquisitiveness, kindness and humor. I liked Tilla too, but I'm going to need to read more books in the series in order to have her personality unfold more for me. Ruso's roommate, Valens, another doctor, is a wonderful character who helps get Ruso in and out of trouble while keeping any of the damage from sticking to his reputation. Together the three of them promise to provide me with many hours of entertaining reading. I'm off to put the second book on my e-reader.

I read along with a group on the knitting site Ravelry. I found the book an unexpected enjoyable read. More so the slowly developing story about the main character (Ruso) and his slave, Tilla - than the "mystery" which was not compelling alone to hold my attention. But I like grumpy Ruso and will eventually read more in the series.

It was my first book set in Roman ruled Britton. The dialog seemed surprisingly modern, so that was a bit jarring. I kept picturing modern structures and buildings, because of the description - but then would realize the setting was during the Roman empire. Maybe it was all accurate, but if so there was a lot of modern infrastructure that didn't seem to be around in England several hundred years later during the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, which I've read more about.