Rosemary Rowe's world is Roman Britain of 186 A.D. The sleuth named Libertus because he is a freed slave. He is also a Celt, who has a skill with which he tries to earn a living -- making mosaic pavements. Unfortunately, he is tied to his patron, Marcus Aurelius Septimus, the regional governor's local representative. Marcus sees no need to pay Libertus, especially if (unasked) he feeds him. What makes this food for work particualrly unpalatable is that Marcus indulges exotic British tastes for things like stinky fishsauce and expensive wine, which tastes like vinegar to the Celt.
A Pattern of Blood opens with Libertus twenty miles from his workshop, in Corinium, following a lead on his wife, Gwellia. They had been estranged twenty years earlier when they were sold into slavery. While Libertus is there, he witnesses the non-fatal stabbing of the decurion, Ulpius. Unforunately, citizen Libertus is out of uniform in the market town: He left his mangy toga at home. It is illegal for him to be about without the toga, so when the officials show up to investigate the crime, Libertus must scurry into the underpinnings of the town to avoid being noticed.
When Libertus returns home, he finds a messenger from his patron requesting the pleasure of his company at a dinner with Marcus featuring fine wine more expensive than Falernian. Marcus wants Libertus to accompany him to Corinium to the home of the injured decurion. There, Marcus avers, Libertus will find a tile-laying commission. One that actually pays. Libertus has no choice, and so with his own young slave Junio in tow, he heads back to the scene of the crime.
Quintus is recovering nicely under the careful ministrations of his Greek-trained personal physician Sollers and the care of his beautiful, wealthy wife, Julia. Julia had a dowry that went with her. She had divorced her unpleasant first husband to marry Quintus, but her first husband, motivated by greed, perhaps, chose to believe Quintus had worked illegal magic to make her leave him. He was determined to win her back.[ br]
There is also a son at home -- a typical young wastrel who can't live within his means. In addition there is a tightly knit, but large group of slaves that could vouch for each other because they were paired up. Mutuus, a scribe, also lives with Quintus. He is neither slave, nor free, but a bondsman.
There are many in this cast who would love to see Quintus dead, and there are others who seem truly fond of him. When Quintus winds up dead, Marcus decides that Libertus should use his usual cunning to solve the crime -- and then Marcus takes all the credit.
That makes little real difference to Libertus, but what does concern him is getting paid for his trade. Although his commission has been contracted with Julia after her husband's death, Libertus fears he won't be paid in the end because he never gets paid when his patron foots the bill, and it looks as though his patron has an eye for Julia.
For afficianados of Roman historical mystery fiction, the rate at which the talented writers turn out their material is woefully slow. Rosemary Rowe makes a great addition to the batch, and there are several to catch up on.
- Germanicus Mosaic (1999)
- Murder in the Forum (2001)
- The Chariots of Calyx (2002)
- A Pattern of Blood (2002)
- The Legatus Mystery (2003)
- The Ghosts of Glevum (2004)
