Book V
Semper Fidelis
“This latest installment in the best-selling series will delight readers of history, mystery, and popular fiction.” -Library Journal
“I had trouble putting it down at night… Highly recommended.” - Historical Novel Society
Ruso, back with the 20th Legion, is doing his best to avoid all the hullaballoo surrounding the visit of the Emperor Hadrian and his wife, the unimpressed Empress Sabina. Ruso slips away to the underused fortress of Eboracum (modern York), only to find that things are going seriously wrong there for the Legion’s British recruits. It’s not long before he and Tilla realise they’ve picked a dangerous place to hide.
Mysterious injuries, and even deaths, begin to appear in the medical ledgers. Bound by his sense of duty and ill-advised curiosity, Ruso begins to ask questions nobody wants to hear. Can the much- decorated Centurion Geminus really be preying on his weaker soldiers? And with Hadrian on the way, will anyone care?
“Downie injects a modern who-done-it twist into the imperial action.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A new Ruso novel by Ruth Downie is a long-awaited treat… For an established fan of the series, Semper Fidelis is up there with the best of them; for a newcomer, possibly seeking to supplement Lindsey Davis’s visits to ancient Rome in the company of Falco, it stands sufficiently alone to be enjoyed for itself, and also whets the appetite for the previous four… with a huge amount of historical research woven in with such a light hand that you’ll hardly notice you’re being educated as well as entertained.” - Lynne Patrick, in Mystery People magazine
“Again Downie has given us a mystery with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until almost the very end.” - Roman Times
SEMPER FIDELIS was a “Librarian Pick” in the Macmillan Library Newsletter
ISBN-13: 978-160819-709-5
Just got the audio version, released yesterday. Halfway through already. Simon Vance IS Ruso, as always…just wonderful and well worth the wait!!!
Ah, that’s good news - thanks, Laurie. I’ll now try and remember the various bits of the blog I need to update…
I’m almost finished with the Kindle edition. Did the movie “A Few Good Men” inspire any of this story? And the title is the motto of the US Marines. I’m waiting for someone to say “You can’t handle the truth!”
Hi Bob,
I’m sure “A Few Good Men” must be lurking in there somewhere, although it’s many years since I saw the film. The title was a coincidence - I’m afraid in my ignorance I had no idea that it was the Marines’ motto, but I certainly know now!
What consciously influenced the story was the deaths of several recruits some years ago at an infamous training centre called Deepcut Barracks. Subsequent enquiries revealed a culture of bullying that must have been dreadful not only for the recruits but for their families, who were powerless to protect them. As we have friends whose little babies are now putting on uniforms and being flown off to war zones, I found this profoundly disturbing. I suspect there’s a very thin line between necessary ‘toughening up’ and plain meanness, and that’s what I wanted Ruso to explore.
And indeed, several people in the story can’t handle the truth!
Now what about Book VI?
Can we hope for another Ruso adventure in time for Christmas?
Btw, it’s tiresome to toggle between Amazon US and Amazon UK to find out when your books will be available. I am not privy to the complexities of publishers and marketing rights, but I do wish that the publishers would get their act together!
For now, I am relying on the Fantastic Fiction website to find out what new books are coming out and when.
Hi PJ,
Book VI - er yes, you may well ask! And it’s very kind of you to do so. It won’t be ready for Christmas, I’m afraid. There are suggestions of August 2014 in the US, but that’s not written in stone. At the moment it’s in the hands of the editor, and I’m expecting to have to make extensive revisions. Apart from what the Editor says, there is no better way to help realise what you SHOULD have written than to press the “send” button.
I’m extremely grateful to you for persevering through the complexities of release dates and can only apologise about the nuisance of the US/UK split. It drives me crackers too. I’m hoping things will improve before long. Meanwhile I’m glad Fantastic Fiction is useful.
Ruth
PS at least the titles will be the same for Book 5 onwards. Thank goodness.