SPQR XI, Under Vesuvius

by: John Maddox Roberts

Published by: Thomas Dunne Books

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid

Roberts has set his detective stories in the time of the Roman Republic, told in flashback in first person by Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus, a member of a major Roman family. The SPQR series has 12 entries, this one written in 2001. The first was written in 1990, most recent 2005. Roberts also wrote several other series, including the Conan series with 8 entries, Stormland with five, and several individual novels.

Metellus, Decius Caecilius, the younger, is now praetor peregrinus for Campania. He travels with his wife Julia and a number of others in his party. Metellus is in charge of cases involving foreigners and includes all of Italy. He is looking forward to the traveling and the enjoyment of the festivities in the various communities he visits.

Hortensius Hortalus has lent Metellus his villa and on the group’s arrival a hundred people awaited the group. This was a skeleton staff. The excesses that are described in Under Vesuvius are hard to imagine.

Metellus chores as Judge will be harder than he first anticipated. The party arrives at their destination near Vesuvius and encounters a major problem. A priest’s daughter has been murdered. A young boy is the main suspect but Metellus is convinced of his innocence.

This will not be the first murder encountered and the puzzle grows. Julia seems to have a knack of lending a helping hand with the investigations that Metellus has to deal with. Metellus will not admit this fact to anyone other than himself.

I enjoyed reading about the various classes of people in Campania. The various perfumes of the time played a big role in reaching the solution to the murders.

I found Under Vesuvius very interesting and intend to read more of this series.

Armchair Interviews says: This prolific writer has given us another interesting detective story.