The Vestal Vanishes

June 6, 2011
The strength of Rowe's 12th mystery set in second-century Britain (after 2010's Requiem for a Slave) lies more in the well-researched history than the whodunit plot. While Longinus Flavus Libertus, a pavement maker and occasional sleuth, is attending the birthday celebration of Emperor Commodus in Glevum (ancient Gloucester), his patron, Marcus Septimus, summons him to track down a missing bride. Audelia, a former vestal virgin, was slated to marry Publius Martinus, one of the richest men in Rome, who'd come to Britannia for the wedding. Despite having next to nothing to go on (no one can describe Audelia, who usually wore a veil), Libertus has no choice but to accept Septimus's order to find the woman before word of her disappearance becomes public knowledge. The discovery of a mutilated corpse raises the stakes. The rich character of Libertus compensates for a somewhat disappointing ending.

August 1, 2011

The disappearance of a Vestal Virgin is cause for alarm.

The Vestal Virgin Audelia has retired with a large dowry and the announcement of her wedding is to be a feature of a lavish celebration of the Emperor's birthday in Glevum. When her carriage arrives empty, freeman sleuth Libertus, who has ventured to town for the celebration, is called upon by his patron Marcus to find out what happened to her. Her wealthy bridegroom Publius has come all the way from Rome to claim her and her uncle by marriage, Lavinius, is beside himself with rage. Libertus soon discovers that he must also look into the disappearance of Audelia's cousin Lavinia, who was on her way to become a novice Vestal Virgin. The two met at a private home that takes in guests and somewhere on their journey they both vanished. It is suspected they may have been taken by Druids as revenge or for ransom until the vestals body is found minus head and hands crammed into a trunk in her carriage. As Libertus roams the country looking for answers, he becomes involved in a dangerous cover-up that will require all his skills to escape with a whole skin.

Rowe's Roman Britain mysteries (Requiem for a Slave, 2010, etc.) feature complex puzzles intertwined with historical detail; her latest offers some clever twists sure to please.

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July 1, 2011

Rowe's long-running series (Requiem for a Slave) involves Druid rebels and disappearing vestals; Libertus investigates.

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