Ruth Downie -- Medicus

MEDICUS by Ruth Downie

Personal Information: Born April 18, 1955; married; children: two sons.

Career Information: Writer and novelist.

Medicus (2007)

Downie's debut has Gaius Petrius Ruso, a Roman military medicus, or doctor, serving in a remote post in Britannia. There he rescues and buys an abused slave girl, Tilla, and investigates the mysterious deaths of young women from the local bordello. A reluctant detective, Ruso realizes that his investigation threatens both his life and his military career. This is a promising debut with an amusing take on the Roman world in Britain.

Terra incognita: a novel of the Roman Empire ( 2008)

Army doctor Gaius Petrius Ruso journeys to early second-century Britannia in the hope of securing a quieter life, only to encounter local turbulence, a circumstance that is complicated by the vengeful plans of his slave, Tilla.

Series: Ruso mysteries, 2

Persona non grata: a novel of the Roman empire ( 2009)

Gaius Patreius Ruso and his companion, Tilla, return to Gaul and receive an icy greeting from relatives and news of hard times, a situation that is complicated by the untimely murder of the family's chief creditor.

Series: Ruso mysteries, 3

Caveat emptor: a novel of the Roman Empire ( 2010)

A latest entry in the series that includes Persona Non Grata finds newlywed Ruso moving back to Roman-occupied Britannia, where he investigates the disappearance of a tax man and a considerable sum of money amid sinister warnings and a treacherous conspiracy.

Series: Ruso mysteries, 4

(UK titles are different, but the book is the same; see author’s website below for an explanation)

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Author’s website:  http://rsdownie.co.uk/