When he found it, the passage proved of doubtful use. 'Picking out one of the scrolls, he held it dangerously close to the lamp and began to scan it for diseases of the mind. It was as if his two visits had been to two different men.' 'He had met patients with problems of the mind before, but even in the spring-known to be a dangerous time for people prone to madness- he had never come across one displaying both mania and melancholy on the same day. There are interesting discussions of diseases and afflictions (as viewed through that period’s lens).

On the other hand, I found the medical issues and the state of medicine, as well as, the culture and beliefs of the indigenous tribes fascinating. I was surprised that I had some difficulty identifying primary characters and their “issues.” Maybe it was because there was a lot of space devoted to people not understanding each other or being very secretive for often illogical reasons. But this narrative splits between Ruso struggling to treat the mental illness and Tilla returning to the region where she was born and raised. There are several puzzling circumstances that include a murder victim missing his head and a legion’s physician who seems on the verge of insanity. This time we are in the wild reaches of Britain where Roman rule is barely tolerated within their fortification and hardly at all outside of them. The “terra incognita” is the part of Britannia into which Ruso and his legion march, fraught with natives and their superstitions.Īgain, there is a fresh murder and there is a cast of very idiosyncratic characters that starts with Ruso’s native “housekeeper,” Tilla, who sees and believes the manifestation of spirits. This is another Downie novel about Gaius Petreius Ruso the medicant with the Romans in occupied Britannia. “You don’t understand what the right thing is.

But you’re so determined to do the right thing.” Persona Non Grata was Ruso and the Root of All Evils,Ĭaveat Emptor was Ruso and the River of Darkness -īut SEMPER FIDELIS, TABULA RASA, VITA BREVIS, MEMENTO MORI and PRIMA FACIE only have one title each - hooray!

Terra Incognita was Ruso and the Demented Doctor, Medicus was Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls, Since she is unable to wind back time, British readers may find it useful to know that: Ruth is still wondering how this ever seemed like a good idea. *The first four books have all had two titles. Downie, but she isn't the person with the same name who writes medical textbooks, and recommends that readers should never, ever take health advice from a two thousand year old man who prescribes mouse droppings. A combination of nosiness and a childish fascination with mud means she is never happier than when wielding an archaeological trowel. Ruth is the author of nine mysteries* featuring Roman Army medic Gaius Petreius Ruso and his British partner Tilla. Terra Incognita shines light on a remote corner of the ancient world, where Ruso's luck is running short-again. Jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romance.

Soon both Ruso's and Tilla's lives are in Worse, he is honor-bound to try to prove the man innocent-and the army wrong-by finding another culprit. Ruso, filling in for the demented local doctor, is appalled to find that Tilla is still spending time with the prime suspect. These hinterlands are the homeland of Ruso's slave, Tilla, who has scores of her own to settle there: Her tribespeople are fomenting a rebellion against Roman control, and her former lover is implicated in the grisly murder of a soldier. With that in mind, he has volunteered for a posting with the army in Britannia's deepest recesses-a calmer place for a tired man.īut the edge of the Roman Empire is a volatile place the independent tribes of the North dwell near its borders. After his long and reluctant investigation of the murders of a handful of local prostitutes, Ruso needs to get away. It is spring in the year 118, and Gaius Petreius Ruso has been stationed in the Roman-occupied province of Britannia for nearly a year. Army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso strikes out for the uncivilized borders of Roman Britain in this highly anticipated sequel to Ruth Downie's New York Times bestselling debut.

Medicus ruth downie