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Semper Fidelis

A Novel of the Roman Empire

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Semper Fidelis

By: Ruth Downie
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

Back at his post as a doctor in the 20th legion in Roman-occupied Britain, Ruso uncovers a new danger even closer to home than the neighboring barbarians.

As mysterious injuries, and even deaths, begin to appear in the medical ledgers, it's clear that all is not well amongst the native recruits to Britannia's imperial army. Is the much-decorated centurion Geminus preying on his weaker soldiers? And could this be related to the appearance of Emperor Hadrian?

Bound by his sense of duty and ill-advised curiosity, Ruso begins to ask questions nobody wants to hear. Meanwhile his barbarian wife Tilla is finding out some of the answers -and is marked as a security risk by the very officers Ruso is interrogating.

With Hadrian's visit looming large, the fates of the legion, Tilla, and Ruso himself hang in the balance.

©2013 Ruth Downie (P)2013 Tantor Historical Mystery Fiction

Critic Reviews

"Downie injects a modern who-done-it twist into the imperial action." ( Kirkus)
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As someone with perpetual foot-in-mouth disease and always try to help and it always back-fires I can totally relate to Ruso! And Tilla always makes me laugh! I absolutely love this series but the negative reviews almost made me miss this awesome book completely!

Highly recommended!

I can so relate to these characters!

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I a time where military rule was absolute why would Ruso and Tilla be so stupid as to walk in to the same situatios over and over again....?
I had to take breaks from the daft things they did...what were they thinking....were they thinking?

How stupid can these two be.

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For anyone intrigued by the Roman Empire we all know then this series gives a refreshingly different perspective on the lives and times. The inter-racial union of a Roman medicus serving with the legion but is actually a Gaul married to a Britton, the cultural differences, the dangerous times when life is cheap. Ruth Downie is nothing short of a genius and I am getting so much enjoyment out of this series. Read them all !

Brothers in Arms

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Simon has an excellent voice ... But I found his cadence distracting; within the book and from book to book. He does have some variations; speech, etc; but the majoitiy of the text reading is a repetative pattern.

I realised about a third of the way through I wasn't able to work out what book I was listening to. His dropping the volume at the end of sentences had lost me.

He has narrated 518 books.

The one I couldn't clear my head of was a post Flemming James Bond. His cadence suited the style for Bond very well ... urbane, confident and in charge. But now the strength has become a chore. I kept thinking I was listening to that book.

Simon too Simon

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