The book is well written and the move to Rome adds a new excitement to the story. Ruso and Tila are trying to solve the mystery of Kleitos and Balbo. Horiatis Balbo, a patron of Kleitos’s is convinced someone is trying to poison him and only Kleitos’s mysterious medial prescription will protect him. Former Tribune Accius has offered Ruso the home and medical practice of a Doctor Kleitos. In this story Gaius Petraeus Ruso, his wife Tila and baby daughter Mara, have arrived in Rome from Britain. Finally, I enjoyed the scene where watching Tilla curse someone in her native tongue, Ruso speculates that if “the followers of Christos ever decided to expand into Britannia, they were going to find it an interesting challenge.” Another favorite moment is when Tilla and two accomplices attempt to rescue Ruso by setting fire to a door.

And I’m almost sure she said Pa.” One of my favorite moments was when the followers of Christos, who were having a service in the apartment above Ruso and Tilla’s, arrive in time to frighten away some thugs. Most of the time, it’s-well, I can’t imagine being without her now.” He suspected there was a silly grin on his face as he added, “She had another tooth come through this morning. Although not having tried the other sort, I don’t really know.

In particular I liked the scene where Ruso explains his feelings to a potential adoptive father: “It’s like any other sort of parenting, I suppose. I enjoyed Tilla’s attempt to be a good Roman wife just as I enjoyed Ruso’s gradually increasing attachment to their adopted baby daughter. Downie’s portrayal of their relationship seems very honest to me. It’s always a pleasure to spend time with Ruso and Tilla. With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos' debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the heiress' dead father - Ruso's patient - and the unfortunate man in the barrel. Ruso thinks that he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor, Doctor Kleitos, has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning 'be careful who you trust.' Distracted by the body and his efforts to help a friend win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity. There are also far too many doctors - some skilled - but others positively dangerous. Ruso and Tilla's excitement at arriving in Rome with their new baby daughter is soon dulled by their discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements.

Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie