Trade Secrets (A Marcus Corvinus mystery, 17) Paperback – October 1, 2016

Well crafted (as are all of Mr. Wishart's mysteries). This one is a little more convoluted than others but it all makes sense in the end. I have read almost all of Mr. Wishart's excellent mysteries and will be very sorry when a new one doesn't appear. Fortunately I haven't reached the end of Corvinus' career. I highly recommend these books to fans of mysteries set in ancient Rome. I have read others by several authors in the past but Mr. Wishart's are the best so far. I wish BBC would pick these up!

Claudius is Emperor, and Corvinus is back in the private sector. Murder number one leads him to Ostia, and eventually connects up with murder number two. For me, the whole thing was an enjoyable whodunit with an engaging central character, and a well developed Roman background. But then there's the style - Hollywood noir via the UK. More than most of the Roman mystery series, readers seem to like the Wishart novels a lot, or dislike them intensely, mostly because of style. I'm in the "like them a lot" camp, and this one doesn't disappoint.

Corvinus is such a hard egg. Fun to hang out with for a while, this time a lot in Ostia so a lot of Agron too. A friend of Perilla had asked him to look into the murder of her brother, a lousy guy with bad business dealings and a penchant for other men's wives. Then while visiting Clarus and Marilla find a dead body who may be connected through business in Ostia. I didn't figure out all the whyfores or the big baddie, but had good pieces put together. Always enjoy a Marcus visit

This is an entry in a long-running series, and I have not read the other books. So if you are a fan of the series, you should rely on other reviewers.A reader coming fresh to this book will find an inoffensive competent mystery with as much attention to soap opera details of the detective's life as the murders and investigation. Although the nominal setting is ancient Rome, the joke is that all the characters speak and act like 1940s noir stereotypes. In fact, the author goes out of his way to insert metaphoric words like "steel" and "charge" that would have made no sense 2,000 years ago. In one sense, this is likely accurate, no doubt ordinary Romans sounded to each other like ordinary speakers, not people quoting from Virgil or Shakespeare. Even if we knew exactly what conversations were in those days, literal translations would not convey the speakers' meaning accurately. In another sense, however, it's misleading, since it suggests that we can understand ancient worldviews and culture and simple transpositions of modern ideas.The only significant detail of ancient Roman life included in the book is geography. The author delights in putting classical place names in hackneyed detective phrases. The detective walks pretty much everywhere, which keeps the plot advancing at a glacial pace, especially since he's always stepping into the local wineshop for a few belts while he pumps the barkeep or barflies for dope on the killings.I enjoyed the book as a cute one-off, but the jokes were wearing thin well before the end of the book, and I can't imagine wanting to read another one. Moreover, from my perspective, all the details about the detective's wife, daughter, son-in-law, neighbors, servants, friends and possible vacation home were irrelevant distractions. No doubt they form coherent story arcs to people who read the series in order.

Well written and captivating story, but I'm a biased Corvinus fan. I've read everything David Wishart has written....He is a really good story teller. He takes you back to ancient Rome and makes you fell like you're walking the streets, seeing the sight, smelling the smells right along with his characters.

I look forward with anticipation to each Corvinus book. This one did not disappoint me. It has more twists and turns than Hilary Clinton on Secretary of State emails and her private server. The character development is good and there is the usual number of suspects with the less likely being the villain. My only disappointment is the time I will have to wait until the next Corvinus book.

Gotta love wisecracking gum-sandal Marcus Corvinus! Always appreciate the details about daily life, too. Add a murder investigation with an exotic twist and a peek into Ostia of AD 41, and all is bliss!

David Wishart's vision of Rome and its inhabitants and their relationships I found unsettling initially,with its drawing on an informal, US language but it works for me. The story is carefully drawn out and consistently compelling. I think this is reliable Wishart I give it 4 stars.

Corvinus is once again approached by a grieving family member to investigate the murder of her brother. He's not too keen, Marilla and Clarus are in town along with their baby Marcus, and Corvinus knows his princess she will want to be involved and help in the investigation.............Clarus is the same. But.......... He can't resist a mystery and this time it looks like an easy solve as the dead man was a philanderer that nobody has a good word for. Obviously it was one of the many husbands. But as always when he takes his findings to Perilla (as he always does) she finds several glaring holes in his conclusions, so it's off again to see if he can find another avenue to explore................... Not to mention the Princess and Clarus come back from a visit to the library (I kid you not) with a wild tale about another murder............

An enjoyable and very readable Roman whodunnit featuring Marcus Corvinus and the usual cast of characters. An in excellent read.

Again lots of historical fact and good plot .keeps you guessing up to the last page . Enjoy the next book as well .

Well worth reading if you love Roman storys

A pleasant and amusing read, even though chock full of anachronisms . It's a wonder he didn't get bumped off as he kept annoying the villains.