The Lucius Apex series

Perfect

Very good historical thriller, very explicit about life in ancient Rome and the Roman army. To be highly recommended

Incredible read, intriguing plot that keeps you interested. Couldn’t put it down! Would recommend 🙂

Excellent to read absolutely

No character attracted me.
The historical side is mostly summarized in the use of Latin terms that the reader won’t remember anyway.
The plot is unremarkable, there are no twists and turns, nothing to keep the reader’s attention.
I have botched the last chapters…

book that can be easily read with an excellent knowledge of Roman mores and the customs of ancient Rome

This book can be read in one go. It is very well documented, the characters and their lives at that time are very well rendered.
To read

I really like Thierry’s style. He makes you travel in time. The perfect book if you enjoy history and suspense. I highly recommend it.

A story set in Roman times. It follows our character through the intrigue and deception of the politics of the times. Great explanations of all of the unfamiliar terms.

I liked very much this historical detective novel, where we find back the characters of the Marcus Antonius Primus Conspiracy by the same author. Like the previous one, it is set in ancient Rome under Vespasian, which is rare for a detective book. The period is particularly well described with many very interesting notes and it is a pleasure to walk with the heroes through the Eternal City and of course Massilia. Once again, it is a rhythmical, efficient, very well documented police officer who makes us discover a daily and realistic life that we know little about, even when we love this period of history as much as I do.

good Roman novel …
the author makes us benefit from his erudition, without losing the romantic dimension.
Above all, he knows how to transport us to the daily life of the time.
The trip was therefore both interesting and pleasant.

I enjoyed this book. Bontoux is an excellent author, and his meticulous details transport us to the era he relates, whether it is Caesar or the Lady of Albi.

This book is the continuation of the Conspiracy of Marcus Primus.
It is as good as the previous one.
It combines an accurate and extremely documented description of Roman society under the Flavians, real police investigations and characters painted without mawkishness and with the characteristics of the Romans of that time.
For those with little knowledge of this period, extremely detailed notes help to understand the terms used.
A superb book whose end makes us wait for such an exciting sequel.

I love history and murder mysteries, with plot twists and turns, and exciting final chapters. Thierry’s book was first rate!

I loved it!

I loved it

This novel, a little fragile as for the plot, plunges us into a raw Ancient Rome, where Sulpicius and Lucius, heroes of the previous novel, thwart the assassination attempts against Caesar, Vespasian here. Beautiful feather, some digressions sometimes long, but we become attached to the characters, even if they are violent and cruel, as we were at that time. A beautiful reading

I really appreciated this very well documented book on Roman life in all its aspects. The story is very well written.

I read this book by a a keen writter of Roman history, I was not disappointed. The author gives us a portrait of Rome at the time of Vespasian. The characters are credible, the plot flows without displeasure. I will read the sequel with hopes of  as much pleasure.

If you like History with a predilection for the Roman Empire you will not be able to ignore The Riddle of a Dead Slave, then its sequel Massilia by Thierry Bontoux.
The Author is first of all an efficient novelist with an excellent style but moreover the intrigues to which he gives life develop in a rigorously historical context of daily life.
If its Characters do not express themselves in Latin (fortunately for the reader!), they reveal us with precision the social organization, the manners, the mode of clothing, the habitat, the food often with the words of the time…
We thus feel like contemporaries of the characters.
A clear lexicon, remarkably documented is available to the reader and shows the author’s will to provide us with the essence of a bygone era….

Very well documented and well written. It is a real pleasure to read it. Sometimes the vocabulary used seems current, but it is an interpretation of the vocabulary of the time, which meant the same thing but untranslatable. And the fact that the events take place in totally different places is a plus.

Historical novel that is easy to read, lots of details but never long: the plot holds us throughout the book, the writing is fluid, pleasant and documented. A must read. Can’t wait for the next book!

thanks to Mr. Bontoux’s books, I have found back the taste and the desire to read, thank you for your wonderful stories. Bravo!

Very good historical novel well documented a sequel would be welcome to read urgently this is great

Superb book I devoured this story that takes us to ancient Rome very well documented to recommend for Christmas to lovers of ancient history.

The author takes us through a well-crafted historical novel with an interesting plot that allows him to describe the life of the Romans at that time. We are looking forward to reading the 2nd volume

This book, like the previous ones, is built around a rather simple enigma. It plunges us into the daily life of the inhabitants of Rome or Massilia. We live in ancient Rome for a few days!

A very interesting book. The author knows ancient Rome well and gives an accurate and uncompromising description of it. His description is based on solid historical knowledge and the plot is of good level and plausible. The characters are credible and endearing.
For me this book is on the same level as those of Steven Saylor or Cristina Rodriguez. An additional advantage for the reader is the extremely reasonable selling price of the book.
But this is not the main argument. This book deserves to be read by amateurs of historical thrillers because it is simply a good book.

The reading is pleasant, the meticulousness of the reconstitution of the period hits the nail on the head. An entertaining and enriching reading, the final notes are very useful.

I liked the characters and the plot, I’m looking for more investigations of our hero. It reminded me of the adventures of Gordian by Steven Saylor.

This book is a real pleasure to read. We can’t wait to go all the way. As always, the author transports us into a fascinating and well-documented universe, not to mention the adventure and intrigue that keeps us on the edge of our seats.
I’m waiting for the next one

Excellent and gripping!!!

Having read with pleasure * The Riddle of a Murdered Slave *, I wanted to read *Massilia* that follows it and I was not disappointed! And now I hope for a sequel !!!

This novel reads very well. One feels propelled into the life of the Romans under the reign of Vespasian. The plots are well conducted, the dialogues are quite caustic and ironic. In short, a novel which offers a good entertainment and teaches us a lot of things about this time or reminds us of them if we had forgotten them a little.

I took this book as I am a lover of historical novels, especially about the Roman period. I took it on vacation not thinking I would have time in a week to read everything, wanting to do something else as well. Well, I think I read it in three days, because I “had to” do something else in those moments of interruption. I would only like one thing “a sequel” because it deserves it.

Concerning the plot I find that one feels immersed, without being drowned in details. In the past I have visited Ostia Antica, not far from Rome, and I have imagined the protagonists in those places I visited.

The plot is fascinating, with twists and surprises. If it is only a hobby for the author to write this kind of book, I wish him all the free time he can to write more.

I highly recommend it!

I recommend this book. The plot is well conducted and the story very well documented. It takes a plunge into ancient Rome.

The story is very good but the descriptions are too long / too detailed / too scholarly between actions and discussions between the characters

very good novels, pleasant to read, realistic, considering the difficulties of ancient Rome, to recommend.

Very interesting book especially for lovers of ancient Rome.

I first read “the Riddle” with great pleasure. Massilia is just as entertaining. the action being under the reign of Vespasian and the author obviously competent in Roman history, the whole thing is well done. enjoy reading!

Perfect

Very well documented and well written. It is a real pleasure to read it. Sometimes the vocabulary used seems current, but it is an interpretation of the language of the time, which meant the same thing but in a way we can understand.

Superbly described.we are 2000 years back in an exciting investigation.I loved the first 2.I can’t wait for the fourth one which will probably be just as exciting.

The sequel to “Marcus’ Conspiracy…” can be read with undisguised pleasure and impatience while “revising” Roman history. We look forward to the follow up with impatience

perfect