Buried Too Deep by Jane Finnis, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Set at the end of the 1st century, Buried Too Deep, Jane Finnis' third novel to feature innkeeper Aurelia Marcella and her twin brother, Roman government agent Lucius, is a story of mystery, greed, kidnapping, and murder.

The Marcella's mansio (inn), The Oak Tree, is situated on the road to York in northern England (Britannia). The inn is frequented mostly by travelers on Roman imperial business, soldiers, government officers, and the occasional wayfarer. The location of the inn amidst vast arable lands also attracts people wishing to settle there and start their own farms. But the area already has two very wealthy landowners, living in residences built more like fortresses than homes, who want more land and with it more power. And then there are the Gauls who have been invading the region causing all sorts of havoc from destroying crops, herding sheep off their lands, burning buildings, kidnapping, and even murder. There's enough mayhem to keep even the most busy government agent busy, but Lucius must also content with a shipwreck off the coast rumored to contain a vast treasure, attracting the attention of everyone in the vicinity. And is a potential threat to Roman rule really a possibility?

It is easier to classify Buried Too Deep as more action adventure than mystery. It is always interesting to read novels set in a time period so different from today, and Finnis does a terrific job in bringing England under the influence of the Roman Empire to life. The characters are well drawn with full lives. The narrative is entertaining and in many ways, and especially in the way it develops and ends, this is a moving story. In short, readers should expect a wonderfully written historical novel but not much in the way of suspense.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Buried Too Deep.

Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of Buried Too Deep for this review.

Buried Too Deep

An Aurelia Marcella Mystery by Jane Finnis