I can agree that since it’s a series, you’re not going to make life unrelentingly bleak for Arcturus. Shouldn’t true roman noir mean Arcturus would fall in love with the wrong type of woman as in the Maltese Falcon? Okay, I read your short description of what noir is and what your book is and isn’t. Perhaps it’s slightly more noir but not enough that it’s that distinguishable. Bad things happen in that series as well.

It uses rough, vulgar language which is a slight variation on Falco but not by much. It’s fast paced and intense but, IMO, so is the Falco series. It’s told in first person POV but so is Lindsay Davis’s series. Plus the hero is a doctor, a profession already used by Ruth Downie in her fledgling series. I haven’t nailed down a reason yet but I’m happy to have another book utilizing the setting.īut is it truly a new subgenre? I like the gritty feel to the book but it’s not that much different from other historical Roman mystery series. As I read the book, I wondered why I like the setting of ancient Rome/Roman Britain so much. And one that’s set in Roman Britain and is written in the “noir” style too. Having fallen in love with the idea of historical mysteries after devouring my first Marcus Didius Falco book, I got all excited to learn there’s a new ancient Roman series in the works. Jayne B Reviews Category / Book Reviews mystery / Roman-Britain 14 Comments SeptemREVIEW: Nox Dormienda by Kelli Stanley