ALL ROADS LEAD TO MURDER

All Roads Lead to Murder
by Albert A. Bell, Jr.
High Country Publishers, Boone, North Carolina
$21.95 hardcover
ISBN 0-9713045-3-X
October 2002

A Roman citizen is found dead missing his heart. Was he dead before his heart was taken or dead because the heart was taken?

Pliny and Tacitus explore the possibilities in attempting to solve this mystery in the year 83 A.D. If no murderer is found then all the slaves that were owned by the dead man are to be tortured until there is a confession. If no confession is obtained, then all the slaves are killed. Simple, since the thought then is that the slaves were responsible for the death.

By visualizing Christianity, from the Roman viewpoint, I was surprised about the perception of the time and how early Christianity was accepted throughout the Roman empire. Also the worship of Hecate appears throughout the book as well as the rights of slaves. This turned out to be a very readable and thought provoking book regarding life in the Roman Empire after Christ. The knowledge of some forensic science, as well as herbal science at the time probably was realistic even though I had not considered it before.

The suspense in this book enthralling. Besides the mystery and the challenges of position or lack there of at the time was the problem of the room in which the dead body was found. Pliny is constantly wondering throughout if the murdered victim was supposed to be him since he had traded rooms with the victim for the night. The development of the story is well-defined but leaves the reader constantly wondering how the resolution will occur.The characters are believable and likable which is difficult considering the time period and the place. The interactions of all the characters regarding relationships as well as status combine to make this an excellent history lesson as well as an enjoyable read.

Watch out Steven Saylor, Lindsey Davis, and John Maddox Roberts! Albert Bell is well worth the read and much better than the legendary threesome.I highly recommend it everyone to read it