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Summary: Murder, Mayhem, and Scandal in Ancient Rome
Review: ... I had just read the Steven Saylor "Roma Sub Rosa" series, featuring the lovably human Gordianus the Finder, so I felt a bit disloyal even picking up a Maddox Roberts book, but, WOW! am I glad I did. Roberts writes with effortless skill, a keen understanding of complex Roman politics and social hierarchies, and, best of all, a delicious sense of mystery. SATURNALIA, is a wicked tale of murder and adultery, set against the twilight of Rome's Republic. The scandalous Clodia is accused of poisoning her husband (all of this is based on historical events), and Maddox Roberts takes the opportunity to explore some of Rome's darker sides in the process. Roberts' hero - a Junior Senator with the unwieldy name of Decius Caecilius Metellus - is a wonder: patrician by birth, he is able to walk with equal confidence in marble halls, and the stinkiest streets of the Subura. I highly recommend not only SATURNALIA, but all the other novels in the SPQR series. You'll fall in love with Decius, and discover sides to ancient Rome you never knew existed.
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Summary: A realistic antique detective returns!
Review: After years of having the SPQR series published in Germany instead of the United States, Decius Caecilius Metellus the younger returns! Thank you, St. Martins Minotaur!While others find the protagonist a bit stiff (including the same reviewer who confused Rhodesia, unknown to the Romans, with the island of Rhodes), I think he's a realistic representative of the attitudes of the Roman noble of this period. Unlike Lindsey Davis's Didius Festus (Philip Marlowe with a better attitude toward women) and Steven Saylor's Gordianus (very independent for a low-ranking citizen, and very modern in his attitudes), Senator Metellus may strike a reader as too conventional and priggish. However, if one reads his contemporaries, he seems very true to his time and place. That said, I did not find the plot as satisfactory as ones in previous novels in the series, especially The Sacrilege and The Temple of the Muses. I thought the revelation of the villain and conclusion of the novel rather abrupt. On the other hand, the recurring characters also strike me as being true to their time and place, and the local color and culture vivid and convincing.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and different series
Review: Both JM Roberts and Steve Saylor are writing a series of historical mysteries set in the same late republican era of Rome. While Roberts is not as good a writer as Saylor, either in his prose or in his individuation of the characters, in my opinion he has a more interesting perspective. By this I mean, firstly, that he takes the mores of this period on its own terms and does not bring in spurious late-20th-century sensibility as Saylor does; and secondly, that as he has become more confident in the genre his stories have diverged more and more from traditional mysteries/adventures into stories which place the protagonist into situations which explore the underlying stresses of the society in which he operates. An example is a later book in the series (currently only in German), "Revenge of the River Gods," where the hero must investigate a case of corruption in the building industry. As the story unfolds, the hero discovers that the theatre in which he is about to stage the annual games is a death trap, and the persons responsible include his own family. This is quite a different type of story from anything any of the other Roman detectives currently on the bookshelves might be given by their authors. While the earlier books in the series contain some errors, Roberts has evidently continued not just to research but also to think about this period of history and (unlike Saylor) he wears his learning lightly.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and different series
Review: Both JM Roberts and Steve Saylor are writing a series of historical mysteries set in the same late republican era of Rome. While Roberts is not as good a writer as Saylor, either in his prose or in his individuation of the characters, in my opinion he has a more interesting perspective. By this I mean, firstly, that he takes the mores of this period on its own terms and does not bring in spurious late-20th-century sensibility as Saylor does; and secondly, that as he has become more confident in the genre his stories have diverged more and more from traditional mysteries/adventures into stories which place the protagonist into situations which explore the underlying stresses of the society in which he operates. An example is a later book in the series (currently only in German), "Revenge of the River Gods," where the hero must investigate a case of corruption in the building industry. As the story unfolds, the hero discovers that the theatre in which he is about to stage the annual games is a death trap, and the persons responsible include his own family. This is quite a different type of story from anything any of the other Roman detectives currently on the bookshelves might be given by their authors. While the earlier books in the series contain some errors, Roberts has evidently continued not just to research but also to think about this period of history and (unlike Saylor) he wears his learning lightly.
Rating:
Summary: great comic mystery
Review: I have read all of the books in this series, and they are really great. The interpretations of historical characters are entertaining, the hero is very funny, the plots are interesting. Please write more!
Rating:
Summary: great comic mystery
Review: I have read all of the books in this series, and they are really great. The interpretations of historical characters are entertaining, the hero is very funny, the plots are interesting. Please write more!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic historical mystery
Review: In 695 AD Rome, Marcus Calpurnicus Bibulis and Casus Julius Caesar head the consulship. However, Caesar's term will soon end. He will become the next consul of Gaul. Clodius is to replace him in Rome. Senator Decius Caecilis hates these changes because Clodius is his enemy. His family and friends consider Decius to be a weirdo as he would rather solve a mystery than dabble in politics. His efforts gain him many enemies and frequent exiles out of the city. During the current transition of power, his father summons Decius home from Rhodes. Due to the festive winter holiday of Saturnalia, Decius feels that Clodius will not try to kill him. Decius, father wants his son to determine whether the deceased,s wife murdered their kinsman Quintus Caecilis by poisoning him. Quintus, spouse happens to be Clodius, sister making it possible that any finding will have severe political repercussions that could shake the foundation of the empire. Still, Decius risks his life to find the real killers and not necessarily the politically correct one. After too long an absence, John Maddox Roberts brings back popular Roman sleuth Decius who is in his usual form solving a mystery with major implications. Mr. Roberts uses many historical tidbits so that his audience can see Rome at the beginning of its most glorious period when Caesar is starting to consolidate his power. The who-done-it is cleverly designed so that the audience will follow a fine mystery as well as vividly observing everyday life in Ancient Rome. SPQR V: SATURNALIA may bring Mr. Roberts more than just another best seller. The wonderful mystery might also bring the author several awards.
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Summary: SPQR V: Saturnalia
Review: Saturnalia is not as strong as the earlier SPQR books, but the theatrics are quite dramatic (the predictions about Decius, the fight at the end) and the humor is wry and cynical. Saylor's Gordianus provides such an excellent "you are there" presence that I overlooked Decius for a while. But then his attitude began to grow on me. He doesn't apologize for virtue; he doesn't worship power; he doesn't fawn over the great men of the day (I enjoy his fine contempt for most of them). The mystery itself is only mildly challenging (in that respect, Roberts does better in his short stories about Decius). But there are some interesting insights into upper-class Roman habits and attitudes, and alternate views of people from Caesar to Pompey to Clodia. For fun, compare the Milo and Clodius of Roberts to the same characters in Saylor. I don't know who's more accurate, but the differences are fascinating. The trick of the narrative being told by an elderly survivor of the period (Decius in his old age) works quite well. SPQR is a bit like eating pound cake; the flavor increases as the series continues. There are more? How nice!
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Summary: Another great book from Roberts
Review: The fifth nover of the SPQR series is as good as all the others. Roberts using the same technique and the same elements that made all the other books of the series so popular. And guess what Decius is back to Rome.
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Summary: Another ultimate masterpiece in the SPQR series!
Review: This is the latest installment in a series of historical mysteries set at the end of the Roman Republic. There are other series of this type, but this is the best because the principal character is less anachronistic than the protagonists of other series. Overall, this is a competent mystery story with a decent plot. As in other books, there is an attempt to portray some of the unusual features of Roman life, in this case the holiday of Saturnalia. This book is simply not as much fun as others in the series.
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