The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits

This is a very good anthology, with a wide spread not only of quality authors, but of stories set in different times and places in the Classical Roman sphere of influence. I am a minor historian and was not perturbed by any glaring inaccuracies. As a reader for pleasure I was not annoyed by painstaking details or footnotes. Some ripping good mysteries, and I find myself tempted to check out certain novel series based on short stories involving their sleuths.

For those who love Steven Saylor, you are in for a treat forther into Roman times before Gordanius,the Finder and beyond. For those who have never traveled to ancient Rome or have other favorite "Roman era" authors, you are sure to find them here and maybe some new ones!

The stories in this book just don't seem to be of the same caliber as those in previous Mammoth editions...or maybe I'm just getting tired of "ancient" mysteries. One thing I do know, however...this book needed a good editor...and didn't have one...too many misspellings, etc.

Being an avid fan of Gordianus the Finder and Marcus Didius Falco, buying this book of short stories concerning mysteries set in the Roman world was a "no-brainer". I assumed that this collection, like all collections of stories, would vary in quality from indifferent to excellent. Thankfully, I was wrong, for all of the stories are top-notch examples of mystery writing at its best, including the one supposedly from 1866 or so, which is a good example of older writing. I'm pleased that Gordianus is in this book, but did miss Falco, although I did make the acquaintance of new friends of mystery whose careeers I will follow in other published works by their authors. If you, like me, enjoy mysteries set during Roman times, and can't get enough of them through novel length works, I highly recommend this wonderful collection. You will not be disappointed!