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All Roads Lead to Murder - A Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger - a murder mystery, by Albert A. Bell
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All Roads Lead to Murder - A Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger |
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| Pros |
• pro #1 Exciting chapter endings make it impossible to put down
• pro #2 Delightful characterizations of familiar Roman writers
• pro #3 The relevant history is gracefully woven in
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| Cons |
• con #1 Modern emphasis on the injustice of slavery
• con #2 Witches' sub-plot could have had more impact
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The Bottom Line -
An absolutely wonderful, engaging story, which breathes life into the Roman Empire of the first century and the story of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, while showing the conflicts inherent in period social customs.
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Bell jumps headlong into the story, with an attention-grabbing opening confrontation.
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Bell's Pliny is a man of modern tastes who is offended by prevailing sexual mores and bloodthirst.
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Satisfying in itself, All Roads paves the way for future sleuthing episodes with Pliny and Tacitus.
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| Guide Review |
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All Roads Lead To Murder - A Case From the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger, by Albert A. Bell, Jr.
A new testament scholar, Bell highlights first century Roman aristocratic attitudes towards alien religions, like Christianity (suspected of cannibalism), witchcraft, and Judaism. Bell also uses Pliny to worry over the problems inherent in the unquestioned institution of slavery.
What makes Pliny such a good character to use as the sleuth of a murder mystery is that because we still have the letters he wrote, we have some idea of what he was like and what he disliked -- the pervasive races, gladiator games, and loud dinner parties. A slightly priggish character, Bell's Pliny doesn't mind circumventing cherished Roman tradition when it suits his purposes, which it does when he sees a chance to rescue a lovely young slave woman.
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