Memento Mori (Medicus Investigation – 8) by Ruth Downie
The eighth gripping novel in the bestselling Medicus series, in which Ruso and Tilla investigate the death of the wife of Ruso’s friend in the sacred hot spring of Aquae Sulis.
A scandal is threatening to engulf the popular spa town of Aquae Sulis (modern-day Bath). The wife of Ruso’s best friend, Valens, has been found dead in the sacred hot spring, stabbed through the heart. Fearing the wrath of the goddess and the ruin of the tourist trade, the temple officials are keen to cover up what’s happened. But the dead woman’s father is demanding justice, and he’s accusing Valens of murder.
If Valens turns up to face trial, he will risk execution. If he doesn’t, he’ll lose his children.
Ruso and Tilla do their best to help but it’s difficult to get anyone–even Valens himself–to reveal what really happened. Could Ruso’s friend really be guilty as charged?
Amazon Barnes and Noble Goodreads
Author’s Bio
I was lucky enough to be born in the West Country, in beautiful North Devon. Some people know from a very early age that they are going to be writers: I wasn’t one of them. I fear this will upset some readers, but I left university with an English degree and a plan to get married and live happily ever after. Perhaps it was all that Jane Austen.
Some of my earliest ventures into creative writing were attempts to type up my indecipherable shorthand in such a way that the boss wouldn’t realise I was making it up. As secretaries were replaced with computers, and my higher-flying contemporaries discovered to their horror that they were expected to type their own letters, there were fewer and fewer outlets for creativity in the office. Finally I took the plunge and started working on my own material.
And then came the Romans. I wasn’t looking for them: we only went to Hadrian’s Wall because we thought our children should do something educational on holiday. Sheltering from the rain in a museum, I read, “Roman soldiers were allowed to have relationships with local women, but they were not allowed to marry them.” Obviously, here was a terrific story waiting to be told. All I had to do was find out everything there was to know about Roman Britain, invent things to fill the gaps, and work out how to put it all together in a novel…
I’ve been accompanied throughout this impossible mission by a patient husband. We have two grown-up sons, two two cats at the last count, and an unknown number of badgers who live down a dark hole in the garden.
When I’m not researching or writing the Ruso novels, I spend the occasional joyous week grovelling in mud with an archaeological trowel, because Roman Britain is still there. Underneath our feet.
My Review
4 stars
Ruso and Tilla have been asked by Ruso’s friend, Valens, to look into the death of his wife at the new bath house at Aquae Sulis. It seems she has been found stabbed in the heart and her father thinks that Valens is responsible. Valens is in a troubling spot. If he shows up for trial, he will surely die. But if he doesn’t his children will be without a father.
This story has a little bit of everything in it. There is the initial murder that Ruso and Tilla are investigating. But you also have a new bath house that was just constructed that has had a murder, who will want to be there? What about those that worship the goddess Minerva Sulis and how this is affected by the murder?
This is my first book from Ruth Downie. It was an interesting story. One that kept me captivated through the book. But it is so much more than just a murder mystery. You learn about the extended families and how everyone seems to be connected. I also loved the settings, I felt like I was right there in the bath house.
I think this is a great story that can be read as a standalone book. But I have the feeling that if you read the other books in the series it would add volume to this world.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read and share this book.
jbronderbookreviews 
Leave a Reply