
Medicus
A Novel of the Roman Empire
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Ruth Downie
About this listen
Now he has a new problem: a slave who won't talk and can't cook, and drags trouble in her wake. Before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar.
A few years earlier, after he rescued Emperor Trajan from an earthquake in Antioch, Ruso seemed headed for glory: now he's living among heathens in a vermin-infested bachelor pad and must summon all his forensic knowledge to find a killer who may be after him next.
Who are the true barbarians, the conquered or the conquerors? It's up to Ruso (certainly the most likeable sleuth to come out of the Roman Empire) to discover the truth. With a gift for comic timing and historic detail, Ruth Downie has conjured an ancient world as raucous and real as our own.
©2007 Ruth Downie (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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"Downie's auspicious debut sparkles with beguiling characters and a vividly imagined evocation of a hazy frontier." (Publishers Weekly)
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It's 1194, and Sir Faucon de Ramis, the shire's newly appointed keeper of the pleas, must do his duty and make an official declaration of the cause of a miller's death. Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his "penance", the shire's first crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston, and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn't, and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.
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If you like Brother Cadfael you will like this
- By AmiiraC on 03-20-19
By: Denise Domning
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Fallen Into the Pit
- An Inspector Felse Mystery
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Helmut Schauffler, a young Nazi working in the small English village of Comerford, sets out to play upon the post-war sensibilities and fears by terrorizing his new neighbors.
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A peek into an earlier time.
- By ShySusan on 11-28-11
By: Ellis Peters
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The Ice Princess
- By: Camilla Läckberg, Steven T. Murray - translator
- Narrated by: David Thorn
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life. Erica conceives a memoir about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their lost friendship. While her interest grows to an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case.
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Difficult to get through.
- By Leigh on 09-12-15
By: Camilla Läckberg, and others
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Sword of Empire: Praetorian
- By: Richard Foreman
- Narrated by: Sam Devereaux
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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171 AD. Rome is at war with the northern tribes - and is yet to win a significant battle. The Germanic armies have crossed the Danube and have attacked the Empire, slaughtering thousands. The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is losing the support of the people and the Senate. Yet he has formed a plan he believes will change the balance of power in the region. Aurelius has dispatched an officer in the Praetorian Guard, the centurion Gaius Maximus, to escort the son and daughter of a powerful German tribal chief.
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Great characters
- By Howard on 02-26-25
By: Richard Foreman
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Resurrection
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Tolstoy based Resurrection, the last of his novels, on a true story of a philanderer whose misuse of a beautiful young orphan girl leads to her ruin. Fate brings the two together many years later, and the meeting awakens the man's moral conscience. Anger, intimacy, forgiveness, and grace result.
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Vance is Wonderful!
- By C. Davis on 09-26-09
By: Leo Tolstoy
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How Rome Fell
- Death of a Superpower
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable, its vast territory accounting for most of the known world. By the end of the fifth century, Roman rule had vanished in Western Europe and much of northern Africa, and only a shrunken Eastern Empire remained. This was a period of remarkable personalities, from the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius to emperors like Diocletian, who portrayed themselves as tough, even brutal, soldiers.
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The tragic story of the fall of a great empire
- By Ryan on 03-03-15
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The Capsarius
- Legion XXII, Book 1
- By: Simon Turney
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, he's now a capsarius—a combat medic. Cervianus is a pragmatist, a scientist and truly unpopular with his legion. The Twenty Second Deiotariana have been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Yet the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion either. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions, a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.
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Amazing start
- By Todd on 08-17-22
By: Simon Turney
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Veil of Lies
- A Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery, Book 1
- By: Jeri Westerson
- Narrated by: Noah James Butler
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Accused of treason and stripped of his knighthood, Crispin Guest has survived on the gritty streets of London by reinventing himself as The Tracker, an investigator for hire who can locate lost objects and uncover secrets. When the merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to investigate his young wife Philippa for adultery, he discovers an underground world of danger and dirty dealings. Philippa is indeed hiding something—but she's not the only one. Walcote himself is rumored to possess a holy relic so powerful that some would even kill for it.
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Character insight and I am satisfied with my short answers and don’t want to count out 15 words!
- By frances anne bramhall on 05-06-24
By: Jeri Westerson
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A Beautiful Blue Death
- Charles Lenox Mysteries Series #1
- By: Charles Finch
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, likes nothing more than to relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist the chance to unravel a mystery. Prudence Smith, one of Jane's former servants, is dead of an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison.
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I like cozy
- By Sheryl on 05-21-12
By: Charles Finch
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Wars of the Roses
- Stormbird
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named "The Lamb," Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father's famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court. A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride - Margaret of Anjou - sparks revolts across English territory.
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100% Fiction and 0% Real History
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 04-25-18
By: Conn Iggulden
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Under Heaven
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Under Heaven takes listeners to Tang dynasty China, where the son of an honored general has received an unheard of gift: 250 Sardian horses. But this is a prize men would, and will, kill for.
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One of my favorite by my favorite historical fantasy author
- By KBergin on 10-03-20
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
What listeners say about Medicus
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- Ana
- 07-05-08
Highly recommended
This is a great book, the characters are very likable, it is interesting, humorous and credible.
It is read by Simon Vance, who is, as always, an absolute pleasure to listen.
To give you an idea of what I like, I spent 6 moths reading Patrick O'Brian (the audio books are also read by Simon Vance, by the way) and a year reading Terry Pratchett.
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38 people found this helpful
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- Judith A. Weller
- 11-13-08
Great Mystery set in Roman Britania
I love mysteries set in the Roman Empire. This one is unique in so far as it is set in Britania instead of Rome itself. Emperor Trajan has just died and Hadrian is the new emperor. The author has really captured the flavor of Roman Britain with all its vices. The hero, as the name implies is a Doctor, so we get to learn about medical practices in the Roman Empire. Our hero has angered just about everyone he possible can and is beaten and threatened throughout. It is both humorous and exciting. But all ends well. The reader is great and really makes the characters come alive. Hope to see more of this character. Great listen - very enjoyable
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6 people found this helpful
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- M. Shults
- 04-29-17
Well written and entertaining...
I admittedly have a thing for history, and am particularly interested in English and Roman history, so this book is a two-fer in that regard for me; --but it's not heavy on history. This is more a story about people; and people don't really change; so even if you aren't a history nerd, this book is just an entertaining read. It's not a dumb, four-letter-word read, but it's light and well paced, and a pleasingly entertaining "whodunnit".
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6 people found this helpful
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- Mary Catherine
- 06-09-13
I like this series
This was a Roman cozy to me - I liked the characters and the story. During the long drive to work, I found this book pleasant and relaxing - later I started to listen to the series during breaks at work - a mild addiction. Listening to Simon Vance is such a pleasure - just the right touch to get away briefly into a good story. It was well worth the credit for me, and I downloaded the rest of the series. I like to feel comfortable and entertained with a story. Good job all the way around.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Chip Auger
- 05-19-17
Great Book with Better Research
Is there anything you would change about this book?
3.5 Stars
In this novel Ms. Downie provides plenty of rich detail to give some insight into life of this imaginary army doctor of with Hadrian’s Roman Legions stationed in Britain. Coupled this tapestry of period detail with a moderately interesting story and you have a pretty good novel. However, there is a lack authenticity to all this circumstantiality that gnaws at the reader’s consciousness enough to detract from the work overall.
Recommended: Yes, with reservations.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 05-06-22
Slow at the beginning, but it picks up
I’m glad I stuck with this one. It was so slow at the beginning that I almost gave up.
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- cherie dimmerling
- 04-16-18
Love, love, love this!
I was so taken with not only the writing but also the voice actor that I immediately purchased the next in the series and have added all of the balance to my wish list. This is a combination of ancient history, Larry David, and medieval medicine. Sounds like it could not work, but it works brilliantly.
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- Kindle Customer
- 02-07-18
I tried something a little different...
First of all, I love Simon Vance, and normally he can do no wrong, however for this book his voice, which I love and know so well, didn't work for the characters. (I particularly thought Valens was too foppish sounding, and it wasn't what I was picturing as he was described). The main character sounded, well, too british. His voice-personality was seemingly accurate, but...heck. Normally I'm pro male british accent for anything european, in lieu of someone doing a perfect "local" accent that is, but not for this book apparently. I don't know what I was expecting - it's not like the narrator was going to have an ancient roman-latin accent (what does that sound like?), and really any accent was going to be problematic.
Which brings me to the biggest problem I have with the book - SO many anachronisms. Despite the reminders that we were in ancient roman britannia, it never really felt like it. The author's note at the end made me feel a little better about some of the things that felt out of place (or really too modern) for me, but I still couldn't "believe" we were in the ancient roman empire. I've never read anything placed in this era, and I thought it would be great to try something new. I was just too distracted by things that didn't seem fit into that period of history.
Character development was lacking in some regards, it was okay enough for Ruso, but not really for Tilla.
The "mystery" part was okay. I didn't completely see it coming, but I wasn't surprised either. I don't think I thought enough about it to try to figure it out ahead of time.
I got this book on sale, and I'd only get another if it were on sale. Or I could see myself borrowing it from the library instead. Maybe I'd like it better, or be brought into the ancient roman part of the story, if I wasn't hearing the smooth and charming Simon Vance in my ears. Sorry Simon, I still love you.
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- Roxanne
- 10-21-17
Didn't come off very authentic
There was just something a bit cliche about the combination of characters and the plot. Not nearly as enthralling as Robert Graves' I, Claudius. The murder mystery with a silly romantic ending was what really made it not my cup of tea.
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- CR
- 02-11-22
Enjoyable story, just ignore the setting
This is an enjoyable, low-key story about a divorced army doctor at a hospital posting dealing with long rotations, penny pinching administrators, debt problems, a growing attraction, an inconveniently over-active conscience, and a couple of murders that no one else is at all interested in solving ... and for some inexplicable reason everyone is cosplaying Ancient Rome.
The characters and the story are interesting, but there are so many things that feel wildly out of place in an ancient setting that it got in the way of me being able to enjoy it at first. Then I decided to consider this a fantasy story set in some vaguely Roman-inspired world and was able to enjoy all the good things about this story, of which there are many.
Don't come to this story looking for historical fiction, you'll be disappointed, but come to it looking for a reluctant-sleuth murder mystery with some semi-fantasy setting elements and you'll probably enjoy it. I did, at least.
Simon Vance does a magnificent job narrating as well. Makes for a very pleasant listen.
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