Buried Too Deep
An
Aurelia Marcella Mystery
Jane
Finnis
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-399-X (159058399X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-399-9 (9781590583999)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): The spring of 98 AD is a time of optimism in the
turbulent frontier province of Britannia. Business is brisk at the
mansio (inn) that Aurelia Marcella runs with her twin brother Lucius on
the road to York.
Then a wagon arrives bearing a local farmer with a grievous sword wound
who is seeking treatment with the local Greek doctor. And Lucius
appears at the mansio on a mission. When the farmer dies, the twins
head for the coast to return the man to his family and to check out a
shipwreck bearing valuable official cargo. A band of outlawed
sea-raiders led by a Gaul are suspected of stealing it along with
killing the farmer.
It all adds to the feuding that has erupted between the colonists and
the natives. The natives claim the newcomers are stealing the best
farmland, while the settlers accuse the locals of plotting rebellion
against Rome. Both sides are using terrorist tactics: burning,
kidnapping, and even murder. The trouble escalates and long-buried
grudges are revived as counsellors, citizens, chiefs, and slaves mix
in. But a subtle, personal agenda is at work as well—one or
more of the combatants may have hired the Gauls to orchestrate the
violence.
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 and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Get Out or Die
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), December 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-075-3 (1590580753)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-075-2 (9781590580752)
A Bitter Chill
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), September 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-193-8 (1590581938)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-193-3 (9781590581933)
Buried Too Deep
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59058-399-X (159058399X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-399-9 (9781590583999)
Omnimystery keywords for Buried Too Deep ...
Location(s) referenced: England.