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The Chariots of Calyx
Rosemary Rowe
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Reviewed by Ayo Onatade |
When the Roman Governor
Perennis Felix invites Libertus to Londinium he hopes that he
might catch sight of his wife, Gwellia. Murder is the furthest
thing from his mind. Alas, when Libertus is asked by the
Governor to investigate the murder of the chief corn-officer of
the city Caius Monnius, he does not want to offend his host by
refusing. Annia, the dead man's mother is certain that
Fortunatus, a celebrated and rich charioteer, knows what
happened. Of course, he was having an affair with Fulvia the
young and beautiful wife of the deceased. The affair is only
part of the problem that Libertus encounters. What happened to
the missing wealth stolen from Monnius' room? Surely Fortunatus
was rich enough not to have stolen from his lover's spouse?
Could it be that the thief was one of the numerous dissatisfied
business opponents and enemies whom Monnius had been swindling?
When a second corpse is found then things begin to take a
sinister turn.
There are a number of authors that set their books in the Roman
period and as an avid reader of historical crime fiction
(especially those set in Rome) they are most welcome. However,
The Chariots of Calyx left me feeling somewhat
despondent and annoyed. The plotting could have been tighter; it
does not have the pace nor the wit that one would have expected
after four books. One could be forgiven if this was Rosemary
Rowe's first book. I was not left with the feeling that I
desperately wanted to know what happened. In fact, I really
couldn't care less. The ongoing thread of Libertus looking for
his wife is a distraction that I thought was very irritating and
a ploy that did not add anything to the storyline. It could have
been taken out and one would not be the wiser. But now that they
have been reunited what diversion will replace it? Libertus
appears to be more morose as the series continues, which is a
pity.
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