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Danger in the Wind    by Jane Finnis Amazon.com order for
Danger in the Wind
by Jane Finnis
Order:  USA  Can
Poisoned Pen, 2011 (2011)
Hardcover, Softcover
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

In Danger in the Wind, Jane Finnis brings us her latest offering in the Aurelia Marcella series taking place during a fine summer in the frontier province of Britannia in the year 100 AD.

Britannia is under the rule of Trajan Caesar in Rome. The natives are restless. Aurelia, part owner and manager of a mansio, or inn, on the road to York receives a missive from her cousin Jovina asking her to visit. Against her twin brother's explicit instructions that she is not to go, Aurelia makes her plans and leaves at the break of day.

Her twin's instructions might as well have been flung into the wind. Relia has no intention of doing as her brother commands. She sets out for Isurium, a small fort to the north where Jovina's husband serves in the Roman army. Jovina's letter promises a party.

Before Relia leaves, a soldier is found murdered in the mansio. She is understandably horrified but determined to enjoy her trip and her cousin Jovina. When she arrives at the fort, however, she realizes that things are not really as they should be. An uprising seems imminent and chaos breaks out.

These mysteries take place in Yorkshire in northern England, where the author also lives. I have always loved history and have seen Hadrian's Wall. While there, I was able to imagine the life the Roman soldiers lived. Once again, while reading this book, I could imagine the lives that were led in Yorkshire at that time as well as appreciating the characters who peopled the mansio and the fort. Danger in the Wind is an excellent addition to a good series.

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