Roman Blood

Rating:
Summary: Roman Blood
Review: The book was awful. Everytime I started a new page I had to reread the half the other page to know what was going on. Also the things that happened in the book weren't very descriptive in the parts that had a lot of action especially in the begining with the murder. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

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Summary: Different type of mystery
Review: This book was actually really interesting. Of course it seems a bit strange for the book to be about a mystery in ancient Roman times, but that's what so great about it. It's amazing how Steven Saylor was able to keep the reader's attention and still keep the book based on the ancient times. Most books these days have a lot of either present action or future action in it, but this book didn't. Instead it had past action which was very interesting. It was great how Saylor could give a book in this time period so many different twists and turns. Yes some of the terms in the book were slightly out of the ancient times, but for the most part all of it was based in that time period. If you love mystery books you will absolutely love this book. It's like a mystery inside of a mystery. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Rating:
Summary: Roman Blood
Review: This was a great book. Steven Saylor really showed what he can do. When reading it I felt like I was actually in Rome. The descriptions were outstanding. I could tell that a great deal of research was put into this novel. The mystery was great. I always like a good mystery that can keep me hooked. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, indeed.
Review: This book was impressivly good, and one of the best mysteries I've ever read. Gordianus the Finder, the main character, was well-written and very intresting. Saylor paints such a detailed mental picture of ancient Rome that it seems he was actually writing from the time period. This book is sure to keep you intrigued and guessing until the very last page. Roman Blood is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. I highly recomend it to anyone looking for some suspense.

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Summary: "CSI" in a book
Review: Now lets be honest with everyone I myself can not stand to read, I would rather get my teeth pulled out. I would also much rather watch T.V., but when I was reading Roman Blood for school, somthing changed me about this book. It reminded me of the hit T.V. show "CSI". The book Roman blood involves Gordianus a vary cunning and smart detective.
I only have one beef with the writer Steven Saylor...Steven my good man you made me loose a ton of sleep reading this book because I couldn't put it down. I love the way how you described everything, it felt like I was in the midst of all the action. I am begining to wonder if Saylor lived in the time of the Roman era, to know all of this information, PROPS TO YOU MY GOOD MAN.

Rating:
Summary: "More twists than the allies of Rome!"
Review: Wow! I can't even recall all of the reasons I am giving this book 5 stars. The excitment was continuous. It seemed as though a new adventure started on every page. Even Gordianus, the main character, said he can't remember, "...a case with so many twists and turns." Steven Saylor obviously has done his homework when it comes to knowing about Rome. This was a wake up call to what the reality of Rome really was. I would gladly read the next adventure of Gordianus the Finder in Saylor's series. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: This is a Good Book
Review: The is a great book that makes you feel as if you are living on the same street and experiencing it for yourself. I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, but this one is great. It has incredible detail in the street names, historical figures, building design, and a ton more. I thought that the main character Gordianus the Finder was very deductive in finding information. I enjoyed the many twists and turns that occurred when the murder was being solved. I also enjoyed Gordianus the Finder's openness in politics.

Rating:
Summary: "Roman Blood" an exciting blend of history and mystery
Review: "Roman Blood" is not quite a mystery, for any student of Roman history will know the outcome of the matter presented. But it is a wonderful retelling of what happened, and it is full of rich detail and description that bring ancient Rome to life--which makes it an excellent find for historical fiction enthusiasts.

Saylor's hero is Gordianus the Finder, a young Roman with a dilapidated house, an insolent Egyptian concubine named Bethesda, and an income gained from 'finding' information. He is hired by an up-and-coming (some say upstart) advocate named Marcus Tullius Cicero, who has just been given a murder case to defend. His client is Sextus Roscius, accused of patricide; if found guilty, his punishment would be one of the most horrific Roman justice could mete out. Gordianus must find out who really killed Roscius's father before the man goes to trial.

The investigation leads Gordianus into the Subura, Rome's slum district, and into the rural town of Ameria; it covers sibling rivalry, the hatred between a father and son, and the political corruption of Rome under the dictator Sulla. For Gordianus's findings lead him to one of Sulla's creatures, an ex-slave named Chrysogonus--and Chrysogonus's involvement in the Roscius murder raises the stakes dangerously high for Gordianus, Cicero, and his client.

Saylor does a wonderful job of characterization, and his dialogue is pithy without being anachronistic. He portrays Rome as a place half-decayed, half-reborn, with the glittering houses of the upper class juxtaposed against the sewage-splattered streets of the lower-class neighborhoods. And Gordianus's observations are well worth the price of the book--he is a wry, sarcastic narrator, never dull or pedantic.

The book does end with a twist that's rather timeworn, but the conclusion makes up for the unsatisfying resolution. There is a definite sense of current threads wrapped up, with new ones just beginning. I not only recommend "Roman Blood," but the rest of the Roma Sub Rosa series.