When I finished the story, I was ready to give this book 4 stars. It's beautifully written. It has wonderful descriptions. I love the characters. What bumps this up to 5 stars is that after the epilogue, the author describes the research she did, summarizes her findings, and provides a list of references to support the historical accuracy wherever she didn't take creative license. ( )

Manda Scott; the Emperor Nero; chariot-racing; mystery cults; a love triangle; and an imperial spy fighting against time to prevent disaster: it’s a formidably tempting combination. Needless to say, I’ve been itching to read this ever since I finished the last of the Boudica novels and was finally able to wait no longer. And it thoroughly lived up to expectations, as I tore breathlessly through an audacious, fast-paced story, plotted with an almost Dunnettian dexterity.

However, one thing is worth making clear right from the off. Although one could, in theory, read this as a standalone novel, its full richness and meaning will only become clear if you have already read the Boudica books. From that point of view, the Rome series must be regarded – at least in this opening instalment – as a sequel, rather than an independent story. But it’s a sequel that turns the story in a completely new direction, with new characters and a new mission: taut, daring and extremely well-crafted...

For the rest of the review, please visit my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/01/26/rome-the-emperors-spy-m-c-scott/ ( )

The considerable breadth of the plot of Manda Scott's Rome: The Emperor's Spy, is sadly let down by the writing. It is a bold and imaginative plot, though it wasn't until I read the author's notes at the end that I fully understood the context, which is symptomatic of the problem with this novel: the writing doesn't flow, and you are given insufficient information to understand what is going on.

WHAT FOLLOWS AFTER THIS POINT MAY CONSTITUTE A SPOILER (THOUGH EQUALLY IT MIGHT HELP UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IF YOU WISH TO READ THE BOOK).

The core of the plot is essentially that Boudica's husband, son and step son, have fled Britain and ended up in Gaul as part of a chariot racing team. They come to the Emperor's attention and he selects them to race in Rome. They become mixed up with individuals whom it seems Scott intends us to believe are Hannah (the daughter of Jesus), Saulos (Paul) and Shimon (Judas). Since the death of Jesus, a good but human man, Paul has invented the myth of resurrection and set about constructing a religion, while Shimon has simply remained true to his friend, the dead preacher Jesus. Saulos is intent upon burning Rome and Jerusalem to create chaos and the circumstances for his religion to triumph. What remains of Boudica's family, along with a Roman spy Panterra and Hannah and Shimon, then battle to stop Saulos burning Rome. As I said at the beginning, it is bold and imaginative - if rather far-fetched - but frankly until you read the author's explanatory notes at the end, only part of this would be evident. ( )