Ruso and the Demented Doctor
Michael Joseph
Hardback : 06 Mar 2008
£17.99
Synopsis
Army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso is waiting for the gods to smile on him. But, on a posting to the hostile North of Britannia, he’s in for a long wait. Not least because the locals have a new hero who likes to strap antlers to his head and scare the Romans silly, while Ruso’s slave girl, Tilla, is stubbornly refusing to identify the culprit in a police line-up.
But when Ruso is waylaid at the Fort of Coria, where a fellow doctor has confessed to a grisly murder, it’s a case of out of the cauldron and into the fire. With Tilla thrust outside the fort (and into the arms of a former lover), Ruso is landed not only with Doctor Thessalus’s patients but also the tricky task of getting him to retract the confession. Something smells fishy about this murder – and Coria is miles from the sea …
Ruso faces a nightmarish investigation – trailed by the secret police, hunted by the Stag Man and betrayed by Tilla, is it any wonder he’s seeking solace in the rather-too-watery local beer?
R. S. Downie’s Ruso is an anti-hero to delight in and murderers at the frontier of the Roman Empire will be quaking in their sandals at his return.
Download and read the opening chapters of Ruso and the Demented Doctor here
Interview
Interrogation Room: R. S. Downie
The author of Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls and Ruso and the Demented Doctor talks to us about Famous Five and Biggles and how Ioan Gruffudd would be the perfect Ruso...
What is the first novel you remember reading?
The Famous Five – I forget which. They had a girl called George, which for some reason I found very impressive.
Which novel do you wish you’d written?
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, by Jon McGregor
Pick one: first person or third person?
Third for mysteries – it’s useful to be able to use another point of view.
Has any thriller ever made you sleep with the lights on?
No, but I’m a wimp and don’t like to read anything too scary.
Pick one: series or standalone?
Series.
If stranded on a desert island, which fictional character would you most want to be stranded with, and why?
Ray Mears is real, so it’ll have to be Biggles. Before long Algy and Ginger would fly in and rescue us.
When you begin writing, do you know the ending?
Yes, but sometimes I surprise myself halfway through.
Who would you like to play Ruso in a movie adaptation?
What a lovely question. You wouldn’t believe the time I could spend fantasising over this one. Robert Bathurst has a wonderfully exasperated expression but he doesn’t look very Mediterranean, does he? Choosing George Clooney would just be too obvious. How about Colin Firth? Jeremy Northam’s rather gorgeous. Ioan Gruffudd? Excuse me, I need to go and lie down quietly.
Pick one: Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot?
No thanks, I’d still prefer Ioan Gruffudd.
What’s your top tip for new writers?
Find friends who write, and read each other’s stuff. It’s a great way to learn.
Product details
Format : Hardback
ISBN: 9780718149444
Size : 153 x 234mm
Pages : 480
Published : 06 Mar 2008
Publisher : Michael Joseph
Ruso and the Demented Doctor
£17.99
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