Good story but narration below par

Simon Vance wasn't on form for this book. It was like a long running radio drama (e.g. The Archers) with new actors in crucial parts, without efforts towards continuity- Brian Aldridge turns Australian overnight or Joe Grundy becomes Norwegian!- Albanus in particular seems to have developed an accent which could be considered of lower status than in previous books. Tilla too sounds different and overall I feel there's less subtlety in vocal characterisation.
The story is interesting, and having recently repeated that journey "over the top" home out of England I can appreciate the bleak conditions exper

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Great again, with a small caveat

Albarnus seems to have developed a strange accent, and I was so glad this character had reappeared. That is the only very small negative I can find. Otherwise a great story with the characters that I have come to like a great deal.

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Excellent story and narration but why did Russo’s old clerks voice change?

Dramatic change in Russo’s old clerk and Tillas cousin and husbands voice grated a bit. Shame really

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A great way of enjoying the past

So far each book in this series has been better than the previous. (and I'm pretty sure I gave the first one a 5 star rating!)
A great way of stepping back into a fictional past and putting a fictional story into history. A great story, kept me looking forward to picking up the story from where I had to leave off.

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The hapless roman in another adventure

another ripping yarn about the adventures of Rouso and Tilla. fast paced and engaging, giving a glimpse of what life might have been like in Roman Britain for the Romans and British people alike.

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Fabulous

Russo and Tilla are the odd couple of the Roman era, fun and intriguing, highly recommend.

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disappointed with with the accent change!

I have enjoyed the accents and characters so far but was unhappy Albanus became German!

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Throughly enjoyable

I cannot recommend this audio book highly enough. I am a big fan of Ruth Downie and her Ruso series. Thrilled to get this on audio. Thank you Ruth Downie for writing it and Audible for making it available on audio.

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Another excellent adventure with Ruso and Tilla

I like Ruso and Tilla and I enjoyed Tabula Rasa very much. In fact, I read it in almost one sitting because it was so hard to put it down. I’m a bit odd in that I don’t read mysteries primarily for the mystery or crime to be solved; I read them for the same reasons I read any other novel. Ruso and Tilla are three-dimensional characters and the problems they face coming from different cultures are realistically portrayed. Downie does an excellent job of recreating Roman Britain during the reign of Hadrian, which is another reason I enjoy the Ruso mysteries. In the case of Tabula Rasa, it was the crimes to be solved that held my attention and made it so difficult to put the book down. I think if a reader enjoys historical mysteries, then he or she should enjoy this novel, but it is the latest in a series and I highly recommend reading the previous books first to understand how Ruso and Tilla’s relationship has evolved over time.

I should mention one of my favorite scenes is when Russo is trying to recite the Aeneid from memory and gets help from Valens and Albanus. Really funny!

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Great but.....

This is only relevant for those that have listened to the previous books in this series.
I have given the performance an average mark of 3 stars instead of the probable 4 stars it deserved because 1 small thing that really peeved me greatly.
A character that only had a small part in this book but has been in previous books also completely changed in voice and attitude. He went from a middle class insipid southerner to a voice of indeterminate local with a more aggressive edge of nature.
How can this happen in a series? My problem I know but Ridiculas none the less.
Aside of that I enjoyed it greatly and am sad I only have one book left to listen to.

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