Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
Author:
Series:
Ruso mysteries volume 7.
Published:
Bloomsbury Publishing 2016
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description
Ruso and Tilla's excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors—some skilled—but others positively dangerous.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor Doctor Kleitos has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress's dead father—Ruso's patient—and the unfortunate man in the barrel.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor Doctor Kleitos has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress's dead father—Ruso's patient—and the unfortunate man in the barrel.
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
07/12/2016
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781620409596
ASIN:
B01DM9Q5U4
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Ruth Downie. (2016). Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Ruth Downie. 2016. Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Ruth Downie, Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
MLA Citation (style guide)Ruth Downie. Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
| Library | Owned | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Digital Collection | 1 | 1 |
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
ab4e02ef-df09-d237-e761-f252de98e5f3
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 19:52:37
Date Updated:
Sep 02, 2021 19:07:12
Last Metadata Check:
Apr 14, 2024 11:42:15
Last Metadata Change:
Nov 19, 2023 13:10:39
Last Availability Check:
Apr 14, 2024 11:42:19
Last Availability Change:
Jan 21, 2024 12:23:56
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Apr 19, 2024 02:10:42
OverDrive Product Record
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/2183-1/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img100.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/2183-1/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img200.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/2183-1/B97/88C/E5/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img150.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/2183-1/B97/88C/E5/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img400.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- formats
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9781620409596
- name: Adobe EPUB eBook
- id: ebook-epub-adobe
- identifiers:
- identifiers:
- type: ASIN
- value: B01DM9Q5U4
- name: Kindle Book
- id: ebook-kindle
- identifiers:
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9781620409596
- name: OverDrive Read
- id: ebook-overdrive
- identifiers:
- mediaType
- eBook
- primaryCreator
- role: Author
- name: Ruth Downie
- title
- Vita Brevis
- contentDetails
- href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=2830009
- type: text/html
- account:
- name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
- id: 1151
- sortTitle
- Vita Brevis A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
- crossRefId
- 2830009
- series
- The Medicus Series
- subtitle
- A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
- id
- b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957
- starRating
- 3.5
OverDrive MetaData
- isPublicDomain
- False
- formats
- fileName: VitaBrevis_9781620409596_2830009
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 776327
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9781620409596
- rights:
- type: Copying
- value: 0
- type: Printing
- value: 0
- type: Lending
- value: 0
- type: ReadAloud
- value: 0
- type: ExpirationRights
- value: 0
- name: Adobe EPUB eBook
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-epub-adobe
- onSaleDate: 7/12/2016
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- fileName: VitaBrevis_2830009
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 0
- identifiers:
- type: ASIN
- value: B01DM9Q5U4
- name: Kindle Book
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-kindle
- onSaleDate: 7/12/2016
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- fileName: VitaBrevis_9781620409596_2830009
- partCount: 0
- fileSize: 859966
- identifiers:
- type: ISBN
- value: 9781620409596
- name: OverDrive Read
- isReadAlong: False
- id: ebook-overdrive
- onSaleDate: 7/12/2016
- samples:
- source: From the book
- formatType: ebook-overdrive
- url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
- creators
- role: Author
- fileAs: Downie, Ruth
- bioText: Ruth Downie is the author of the New York Times bestselling Medicus, Terra Incognita, Persona Non Grata, and Caveat Emptor. She is married with two sons and lives in Devon, England.
- name: Ruth Downie
- imprint
- Bloomsbury USA
- publishDate
- 2016-07-12T00:00:00-04:00
- isOwnedByCollections
- True
- title
- Vita Brevis
- fullDescription
- Ruso and Tilla's excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors—some skilled—but others positively dangerous.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor Doctor Kleitos has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress's dead father—Ruso's patient—and the unfortunate man in the barrel. - seriesId
- 720298
- reviews
- premium: False
- source: Kirkus Reviews
- content: The seventh adventure for Downie's physician hero (Tabula Rasa, 2014, etc.) masterfully draws out its suspense, painting a vivid portrait of ancient Rome that feels persuasive and authentic.
- premium: False
- source: Historical Novel Society
- content: Downie's plotting is as engaging as ever, as she weaves the threads of a murder mystery into the very character-driven story of Ruso and Tilla. While marital strife under the pressures of a new home and a new baby in the household could have proven tedious, these two characters and their relationship are so charmingly portrayed that every domestic scene seems of a piece. The tension between Tilla's rebellious nature and the ideal of a 'Good Roman Wife,' and the tension between Ruso's outer gruffness and inner integrity make this Medicus installment much more than a mystery novel.
- premium: False
- source: Morning Star (UK)
- content: Ruth Downie's books about second-century AD Roman Army doctor Ruso and his British wife Tilla, herself a healer and midwife, are among my favourite of all historical crime series. There is a confident, unforced authenticity to the writing which makes the reader feel like a time traveller.
- premium: False
- source: History Buff
- content: Since Lindsey Davis first began her Falco series, a number of authors have attempted to infiltrate the ancient Roman mystery subgenre . . . but only Ruth Downie has managed it with her own distinctive panache.
- premium: False
- source: Financial Times
- content: Vita Brevis is crammed with pithy characterisation (notably the intuitive Ruso), mordant humour and beautifully integrated historical detail.
- premium: False
- source: Midwest Book Review
- content: A deftly crafted and consistently compelling read from beginning to end, Vita Brevis clearly establishes author Ruth Downie as a consummate and accomplished master of historical crime fiction . . . Very highly recommended.
- premium: False
- source: Irish Times
- content: A Ruth Downie novel offers many pleasures, not least of them the humorously conflicted marriage between Roman citizen Ruso and the Briton Tilla . . . but where Vita Brevis really scores is in its contemporary resonances with Ruso and Tilla's immigrant experience . . . Meticulously researched, the Ruso novels are historical mysteries to rank alongside those of Lindsey Davis.
- premium: True
- source:
- content:
May 23, 2016
Downie’s uneven seventh Gaius Ruso mystery (after 2014’s Tabula Rasa) takes the former medical officer; his wife, Tilla; and their infant daughter, Mara, from second-century Britannia to Rome to start a new life. Things don’t get off to a good start. Their accommodations are vermin-infested, and the doctor, Kleitos, who was to send Ruso some patients, isn’t home when Ruso calls on him. Then Ruso gets a note from Kleitos, explaining that he is going to be out of town for a bit and inviting Ruso to take over both his house and practice. Hope turns to disappointment after Ruso learns that Kleitos has taken all his medical supplies with him. Meanwhile, a smelly barrel dumped in front of Kleitos’s door turns out to contain the corpse of an unidentified man, which doesn’t inspire confidence among prospective patients. Downie’s trademark humor is in evidence, but her superior plotting skills aren’t, in an entry that downplays the historical background. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management.
- popularity
- 94
- links
- self:
- href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957/metadata
- type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
- self:
- id
- b9788ce5-f722-4153-8ab8-4c256e3df957
- starRating
- 3.5
- images
- cover:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/2183-1/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img100.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- thumbnail:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/2183-1/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img200.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover150Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/2183-1/B97/88C/E5/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img150.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover300Wide:
- href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/2183-1/B97/88C/E5/{B9788CE5-F722-4153-8AB8-4C256E3DF957}Img400.jpg
- type: image/jpeg
- cover:
- isPublicPerformanceAllowed
- False
- languages
- code: en
- name: English
- subjects
- value: Fiction
- value: Mystery
- value: Historical Fiction
- publishDateText
- 07/12/2016
- otherFormatIdentifiers
- type: ISBN
- value: 9781620409602
- mediaType
- eBook
- shortDescription
- Ruso and Tilla's excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors—some skilled—but others positively dangerous.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor Doctor Kleitos has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress's dead father—Ruso's... - sortTitle
- Vita Brevis A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
- crossRefId
- 2830009
- series
- The Medicus Series
- subtitle
- A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire
- publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- bisacCodes
- code: FIC022000
- description: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General
- code: FIC022060
- description: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical
