White Murder (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries)

After a lot of time spent in the literary company of Steven Saylor, Lindsey Davis, Robert Harris and John Maddox Roberts, this is my first encounter with David Wishart's Roman hero. The book was surprisingly long, but I enjoyed most of it, with a few comments. First, I thought the murder, motivations, and the setting behind it were tightly constructed. While the storytelling itself wasn't nearly as tight, I still enjoyed it (such as the vividly described diversion to Sicily and Mt. Etna) -- mainly because I'm a sucker for period detail and color. Second, like some others, I was a little put off by the constant, "Yeah, pal," and "How's it going, sunshine?" of Corvinus' dialogue. I understand wanting to create a colloquial, lived-in feel with the language -- but I find it hard to swallow from a "purple-striper." I don't know anyone who calls everybody "pal," and that's one thing I can do without. On the other hand, Wishart's grasp of the Roman world feels effortless, he creates believable characters quickly and skilfully, and he meshes them together into a colorful reading experience. Everyone has a background, and that background is a colorful and consistent tapestry that holds together well. Despite the voices of others here, I can easily accept his portrayal of the widely varied treatment of Roman slaves. Some were worked mercilessly to death, as in the mines; others were members of the family, as Bathyllus is in Marcus Corvinus' house; and some became very powerful in the civil service. Many slaves in many situations managed to buy their freedom and even become wealthy -- Trimalchio in Suteonius' Satyricon is one example; numerous gladiators and aurigae (charioteers) did it too. If I were to apply a single editorial complaint, it would be the looseness of the storytelling. When you apply a strict standard -- "Does this advance the story?" -- you find it could easily be tightened up tremendously, cutting 600 pages to about half that. Yet I find myself not wanting to complain. I enjoy the Roman world enough that time spent there -- even idle time climbing the slopes of Mt. Etna or relaxing in a wineshop -- is something I can do for a long time. If the excellent SPQR stories by John Maddox Roberts are too short, too tight for your taste, this might be just the thing.

This is a long book, over 600 pages, but the story line holds you until the end. The author writes well, and develops his many characters with much skill. The hero's household staff are magnificent characters, and just believable in the context of Roman slavery. The story starts simply but develops into a very complex mystery that keeps one in the dark until the author chooses to "show you the light", in the last twenty pages. The explanation of the final solution holds water, and you can believe why the mystery was so difficult to solve. It is just a great "who done it" set in first century AD Rome, and benefits greatly from the research that the author has done on this period, and chariot racing in particular. A throughly recommended read, if you enjoy mysteries and history.

Marcus Corvinus, that famous Roman sleuth, with an accent and a demeanour like a New York cop (I know it sounds silly, but it works perfectly) is winding down in one of Rome's many 'wine bars' when a little guy walks in and everybodys jaw drops and the place goes quiet. Corvinus has no idea who the man is, but obviously virtually everyone else in the room does. The guy is small in stature but well built and has a presence about him. He keeps looking over his shoulder as though he is expecting someone, but eventually asks the landlord where the latrine is. The owner explains that this happens to be a wall down the alley behind the bar. While the guy is missing Corvinus find out that he is the lead driver for the Whites, one of Rome's famous chariot racing teams. Suddenly there is uproar as the owner's son rushes back in to say that the little guy has been murdered in the alley. Corvinus rushes out to find that the chariot racer has been stabbed, but notices that his purse has not been taken. So the motive cannot be robbery. Three heavies from the watch eventually turn up to look at the scene and take the body away. The leader is insistent that the purse has been taken, which arouses the suspicions of Corvinus. There is obviously something fishy going on and he decides to try to get to the bottom of it. His investigations take him into the very private world of Rome's racing teams and also into more danger than he bargain for . . .