The Price of Freedom: A Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain

The Price of Freedom is the seventeenth in Rosemary Rowe’s Libertus mystery series. By this point, the pavement-laying crime-solver is now a citizen, and the story opens with his patron, Marcus, informing him that he’s running for council and also whoever Marcus backs will win the election, so Libertus is basically a duumvir now. Surprise!

When Libertus hears news that his potential new client (for a mosaic, not a mystery), a tax collector from a few towns over, has committed suicide over gambling debts, something just seems off. Marcus immediately sends him to investigate, hoping to find the truth or at least a bit of the missing tax money. Without the tax money, the local council will be on the hook for that payment to Rome.

As Libertus travels to investigate, he encounters the different characters of Roman Britain and the twists that work well in all his stories. The Libertus series is different from the Marcus Corvinus mysteries and the Decius Caecilius Metellus mysteries because it’s set in Roman-occupied Britain, not Rome itself. (Mostly in Rome — a certain Roman crime-solver does spend a lot of time in exile) It’s probably closest to Ruth Downie’s Medicus series. Libertus, a Celt, is not at all at home with Roman customs or politics, which makes Marcus’ plan to promote him to council a bit stressful for Libertus.

Along Libertus’ path in The Price of Freedom are a few misdirections from clever criminals, the general inconveniences of ancient travel, and a case of mistaken identity (well, a case of borrowed identity might be a better word. It’s not exactly an accident.) just to mess things up more.

For other Roman fiction try The Throne of Caesar, Brides of Rome, Feast of Sorrow, or start up with the Marcus Corvinus or SPQR mystery series.