Blood Crows by Simon Scarrow

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Blood Crows by Simon Scarrow This latest outing for Macro and Cato sees our two heroes return to Britannia. Hoping for honest soldiering, away from the skullduggery and politics or Rome, the veteran soldiers are sent to a unit in the territory of the Silures in Wales, where Caratacus still holds out against the invading Roman army. Here they face enemies from without and within, as Cato has to wrest command from the twisted Quertus while facing down Caratacus’ army. Fans of Scarrow will love this latest outing, but the subject matter is grim, and the tone feels darker than previous books. The historical note makes interesting comparisons between Claudius’ invasion of Britain and his rapid declaration of victory, and the Bush-Blair invasion of Iraq and the rather premature “mission accomplished” announcement. Although reaching a satisfying conclusion, the book feels like the first part of a series, with at least a sequel being necessary to tie up the loose ends. For us Scarrow fans, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd

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I, Claudia By Marilyn Todd I came across this series after joining the Roman history reading group on Facebook (well worth joining if you are interested in Roman fiction, as I presume you are if you are on this site!). Marilyn Todd wrote this series back in the mid 90s, but the rise of the Kindle and e-book has given the series a new lease of life, and is now available on Amazon to download. I, Claudia is the first of a series following the eponymous heroine, Claudia Seferius through her adventures in Augustine Rome. Claudia is a fake, a liar, a swindler and a hopeless gambler, as well as intelligent, streetwise and sexy as hell. In this first book, Claudia, married to the wealthy Gaius, has to disguise from her husband the extent of her gambling debts, and her ruse to repay them by offering services as a dominatrix to the great and good of Roman society. When her clients start to die one by one, she attracts the attention of the authorities, and in particular Orbilius the investigator. Orbilius wants to solve the crime, which he knows Claudia is implicated in, but he can’t help falling for her too. I, Claudia is a funny, sizzling hot mystery, and Claudia is a great character. There is something of the Lindsay Davies/Falco about the book, with a similar setting, idea and sense of humour, but I, Claudia is dirtier and darker. I would recommend, and will be reading more.