Prima Facie

A Crime Novella of the Roman Empire (Roman Empire Series, Book 8.5)

By: Ruth Downie

Narrated by: Simon Vance

A novella from the author of the best seller Medicus, featuring reluctant investigator Ruso and his partner Tilla. A tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal in Roman Gaul.

It's AD 123, and the sun is shining on southern Gaul. Ex-military medic Ruso and his British wife, Tilla, are back after a long absence - but it's not the reunion anyone had hoped for.

Ruso's brother has left him in charge of a farm he has no idea how to manage, a chronic debt problem, and a gaggle of accident-prone small children. Meanwhile his sister Flora has run away to rescue her boyfriend, who's accused of murdering a wealthy guest at a party.

Can Ruso and Tilla save the boyfriend from the murder charge - or should they be saving Flora from the boyfriend? Will any of the guests tell the truth about the fatal party before it's too late? And meanwhile, how long can Ruso continue to lie about what's inside the bath house?

©2019 Ruth Downie (P)2019 Tantor

Enjoyable and amusing

I found this look musing and entertaining as I tried to figure out exactly who the killer was. The characters were all amazingly entertaining and it held my attention to the very end. Simon Vance is an excellent narrator

Entertaining

Always a treat to see a new Tilla and Russo book in audible
Love the narration...Simon Vance reads with so much feeling.

Please more!!

Loved this series beginning to end. Hope this novella means there is more to come...

Fun

This is one of Ruth Downies’ simpler works. She only touches on the problems associated with doing the right thing. Her skilled characterization and Vance’s excellent narration save the book.

Short Story Between Book 7 and 8

While this book was published last, it falls in the characters' timeline between books 7 and 8 in the series and makes more sense when read in that order. On their way back from Rome to Britannia, Ruso and Tilla stumble into the middle of a murder near Ruso's family home in Gaul. It's an enjoyable little story for anyone who has read the other books, but it leaves out a lot of context of their overall story, so it's not a good place to start.