Since the release of The Thieves of Ostia in 2002, Caroline Lawrence’s rip-roaring Roman Mysteries series has taken its readers on a string of heart-stopping and vividly evoked adventures all over the Roman Empire - from the port of Rome to the capital city itself; to Pompeii, Rhodes, Athens, Egypt and even Asia.
Anyone who has followed the series cannot have failed to absorb at least some of the profuse and fascinating historical detail that has been carefully woven into its gripping pages, but most will probably have been more preoccupied with the ever-precarious fate of its four feisty protagonists.
Facing all manner of adversities in the pursuit of the truth, the headstrong heroine of the series, Flavia Gemina has matured from an nosy, naive child to a brave young woman with a talent for solving mysteries. Her loyal friends, Lupus, Nubia and Jonathan have all evolved too, each experiencing their own often heartrending rites of passage.
It hardly seems possible that the final book in the series has arrived so soon, but here it is - volume 17, The Man from Pomegranate Street. The story begins with fifteen year old Flavia being prepared for a marriage ceremony, then goes into flashback as she recounts her final - and most dangerous - mystery. Drawing together loose ends left from the previous books, and putting the four friends in almost constant peril, Lawrence delivers yet another absorbing and illuminating historical whodunit.
The main mystery this time is who killed the Emperor Titus, but as ever, there are many twisty-turny sub-plots that keep things constantly taut and suspenseful. Did Jonathan kill Titus? Will Nubia’s feelings for Aristo be revealed? And who is Flavia marrying? All will be revealed in the captivating conclusion to this epic and hugely engrossing series.
Anyone who has followed the series cannot have failed to absorb at least some of the profuse and fascinating historical detail that has been carefully woven into its gripping pages, but most will probably have been more preoccupied with the ever-precarious fate of its four feisty protagonists.
Facing all manner of adversities in the pursuit of the truth, the headstrong heroine of the series, Flavia Gemina has matured from an nosy, naive child to a brave young woman with a talent for solving mysteries. Her loyal friends, Lupus, Nubia and Jonathan have all evolved too, each experiencing their own often heartrending rites of passage.
It hardly seems possible that the final book in the series has arrived so soon, but here it is - volume 17, The Man from Pomegranate Street. The story begins with fifteen year old Flavia being prepared for a marriage ceremony, then goes into flashback as she recounts her final - and most dangerous - mystery. Drawing together loose ends left from the previous books, and putting the four friends in almost constant peril, Lawrence delivers yet another absorbing and illuminating historical whodunit.
The main mystery this time is who killed the Emperor Titus, but as ever, there are many twisty-turny sub-plots that keep things constantly taut and suspenseful. Did Jonathan kill Titus? Will Nubia’s feelings for Aristo be revealed? And who is Flavia marrying? All will be revealed in the captivating conclusion to this epic and hugely engrossing series.
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