(no subject)

[bedlamsbard]

Have been watching the Brother Cadfael movies, which are adorable. I have been calling them CSI:Shrewsbury, because I crack myself up that way. So far we have watched "The Leper of St. Giles" and "The Virgin in the Ice" (clearly we're not watching them in order; the library doesn't have all of them and I was trying to guess the order from the copyright dates on the back, which didn't quite work out). I love Cadfael and Sir Hugh teaming up, it cracks me up and they are kind of awesome together. I almost but don't really want to slash them; for one thing, I've been on a gen kick for months now. But they make great partners, and I love it.

Are the Ellis Peters books any good? Does anyone know? My university library doesn't have the movies (*sadface*) but they do have some of the books.

Also, while I am on the historical mystery subject, my Latin prof mentioned that there's a historical mystery series set in ancient Rome, which at some point has a detective who bitches about having to spend time with his family over Saturnalia. Does anyone know what it is? I feel like you all would know this sort of thing.

Comments

[damned_colonial]

CSI:Shrewsbury FTW!

I find the books to be pretty good comfort reading. Not amazing omg, but quite decently readable, for whatever that's worth.

[bedlamsbard]

Good to know! I shall check them out when I get to New Orleans. I don't read much mystery or much historical fiction, so this should be fun.

[azurelunatic]

I enjoyed reading The Virgin in the Ice.

[bedlamsbard]

Good to know! I shall check the books out when I get to NOLA.

[isweedan]

I think you're looking for the Roma Sub Rosa/Gordianus the Finder books by Steven Saylor.
At least, that's what librarything thinks you're looking for ^.^

(Also oossibly the Marcus Didius Falco books by Lindsey Davis, because yes, of COURSE there are at least two historical mystery series set in Ancient Rome. Duh.)

[bedlamsbard]

The recs I have gotten turn up THREE historical mystery series set in Ancient Rome (Paul Doherty's books are the third). It's Falco, I think.

[kayloulee]

The books are pretty good! Sometimes they make me want to facepalm but most of the time, pretty good, heading for great. Ellis Peters was a medievalist and her history is spot-on. The stuff set in Wales is good by that measure as well, considering the utter crap that gets peddled by people writing medieval Celtic stuff.

[bedlamsbard]

Yay! I am intrigued and shall look them up when I get back to school.

[aella_irene]

Falco! Marcus Didius Falco! He tries to be a private eye, aloof, distant...but can't run a sting in the Aventine because one of his nephews will invariably bawl "Oi! Uncle Marcus!" across the street at him. The first in the series is The Silver Pigs, and there are twenty. In Saturnalia the hero does indeed bitch about spending time with his family. In Book One he picks up the woman who will be his life long companion: Helena Justina, daughter of a senator.

Awesome books! If I could, I'd lend them to you!

[bedlamsbard]

That is the one, I think! It looks like the library has three of them. (Not the first one, obviously. *rolls eyes*)

[aella_irene]

Which ones does it have? Some of them depend less on backstory than others, and spoil the previous ones less.

The opening line of The Silver Pigs, by the way, is: "When the girl came rushing up the steps, I decided she was wearing far too many clothes."

It gets better. Davis is amazing at characters: from Falco's sisters, to his landlord, to his best friend Petronius, to the absolutely furious senator's daughter he meets in Britain of all places, to his late-but-never-forgotten brother, Festus, they're all amazing.

[bedlamsbard]

Accusers, Ode to a Banker, and Two for the Lions

[aella_irene]

Two for the Lions comes before Ode to a Banker, but I suggest starting with Ode to a Banker, because part of the denouement of Two for the Lions depends on you being fully familiar with Falco's brother in law Famia.