Ruth Downie is the author of a series of mysteries featuring Roman Army medic and reluctant sleuth, Gaius Petreius Ruso: Medicus, Terra Incognita, Persona Non Grata, Caveat Emptor, Semper Fidelis, Tabula Rasa, Vita Brevis, and the newly released Memento Mori.From Downie's Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Memento Mori?Learn more about the book and author at Ruth Downie's website.
A: The hot springs at Bath – Aquae Sulis to the Romans – are a wonderful place to visit and I’ve wanted to set a book there for years. It was just a case of finding a story.
Initially I thought I’d base the murder mystery on the curses that angry visitors dropped into the spring in Roman times. Then I looked closer and realised there must have been much more going on in Aquae Sulis in terms of religion, politics and power, not to mention some very impressive water engineering. So in the end, the curses only formed a part of the story.
The sacred spring had to be central, though: the hot waters were the reason for the town’s existence, so...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: Caveat Emptor.
The Page 69 Test: Tabula Rasa.
The Page 69 Test: Vita Brevis.
The Page 69 Test: Memento Mori.
Writers Read: Ruth Downie.
--Marshal Zeringue