Tabula Rasa

Roman Empire Series, Book 6

By: Ruth Downie

Narrated by: Simon Vance

The medicus Ruso and his wife, Tilla, are back in the borderlands of Britannia, this time helping to tend the builders of Hadrian's Great Wall. Having been forced to move off their land, the Britons are distinctly on edge. Then Ruso's recently arrived clerk, Candidus, goes missing. A native boy thinks he sees a body being hidden inside the wall's half-finished stonework, and a worrying rumor begins to spread. When soldiers ransack the nearby farms looking for Candidus, Tilla's tentative friendship with a local family turns to anger and disappointment. Tensions only increase when Branan, the family's youngest son, also vanishes. As Ruso and Tilla try to solve the mystery of the two disappearances - while at the same time struggling to keep the peace between the Britons and the Romans - an intricate scheme involving slavery, changed identities, and fur trappers emerges, and it becomes imperative that Ruso find Branan before it's too late.

©2014 Ruth Downie (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Like the other titles in the series, Downie's latest mixes an engaging story line, provocative characters, and a satisfying evocation of time and place." ( Library Journal)

perfectum fabula

Would you consider the audio edition of Tabula Rasa to be better than the print version?

Never read a print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tabula Rasa?

Search for 15 year old boy by Russo

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

On par

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The tri death ceremony

Any additional comments?

Perfect story

Another interesting instalment of this lovely couple’s adventurous life!

The twists and turns of this story were unpredictable, but enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Also, it was really nice to meet some of the characters from the previous books. Love this series!

Another Great Entry in the Series

I have been listening to this series for the last two years, and I can't wait for the next edition. These books are not intellectually deep, though the author obviously takes care to include accurate historical details about the era. The premises of this story is that the main character, a doctor in the Roman army, and his British native wife solve various murder mysteries. This book continues that trend--a new location and a new murder mystery. I do not generally like the mystery genre, so I can't comment whether this is a quality mystery novel--I was drawn to these books by the Roman connection. What I can comment on is that these books are highly entertaining and relatively fast-paced making an overall great read.

more is explained in Title's storyline

Shifting storylines at Chapters can make it difficult to understand what's going on if you weren't listening closely. Because of the length of the book, it seems like a good one to listen to, but it may be one you want to start out reading so you understand the rhythm it's written in and then listen to the book through the rest of the chapters.

Another great story

Interesting and exciting. I don’t know why Albarnus (sp?) suddenly has an accent lol but performance is top notch otherwise.

Loved it so much!

Ruth Downie's books are amazing. Simon Vance is an amazing voice actor. I can't wait to listen to the next one.

One of the best in the series

The usual cast of characters but tighter plotting with less bickering between Ruso and Tilla.

Rasa

This book is full of everything a true reader wants. Humor, murder, intrigue, and interest.

When she started reading you won't stop.
The story is very well thought out and is written extremely well.
Do yourself a favor start from book one and keep reading.
It is a delight

Get over the narration blip; don't miss this story

First of all, this is a great story. A lot of Tilla's back story is filled in. There are a couple of terrific surprises, and Marcus Russo, for once, isn't always the misunderstood and unappreciated "solver of mysteries". He's quite heroic, actually. More than once. There's real action throughout and the story moves forward at a nice pace.
About Albanus: Yes, clearly, Simon Vance didn't go back and review how he voiced the character. Or, perhaps, Ruth Downie felt that Albanus should have a different dialect and had Vance change his approach. Either way, Albanus' character doesn't do much talking, and I was able to get over it.
I find this the best adventure yet. Tilla and Russo understand each other better and make each other better individuals in this story. It's clear they are better together than apart -- and more fearless. And, they develop an interesting team work.

Now, I must wait for the next book.

better-than-expected

I didn't know what to expect when I started this series, but every book has entertained beyond my expectations