Book Review: An Ode to Poison

Reviewed by Nikolas Mavreas

A charming, finely written historical mystery with Christian themes

An Ode to Poison is a cozy murder mystery set in ancient Rome. This inviting volume can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, but it is the third in a series about amateur sleuth Livia Aemilia. 

During the peaceful reign of Emperor Claudius, Livia Aemilia marries into high class and attends a poetry meeting between high society ladies. Here, Salvia, the unhappy wife of the villainous Senator Gracchus, wants to help Livia bring Gracchus to justice. Livia’s husband Avitus, a lawyer with a strong sense of justice, has been trying to uncover Gracchus’s crimes at the risk of his and Livia’s safety. But Salvia is found dead in her room the next day, murdered by poison, and Livia and Avitus are determined to find the culprit. 

Himself a reluctant sleuth, Avitus does not want Livia indulging in this dangerous activity, but sly and appeasing, she goes about it anyway, often with the help of household slaves Roxanna and Grim, whose clashing personalities provide vibrancy to the cast. 

The investigation moves through excellently paced, quick chapters, with Livia and Avitus questioning everyone possible in order to identify the poison’s source, the perpetrator and their motive. New clues and complications constantly arise, including another murder, and the solution is never clear until the exciting finale.

The dynamic between husband and wife, lawyer and sleuth, is the soul of this book. There is always an endearing, relatable tension between the composed Avitus and the impulsive Livia, at times reminiscent of Holmes and Watson in some incarnations. 

Livia is a fresh and secret convert to Christianity, the fledgling new religion of the empire. Avitus, a true Roman traditionalist, struggles with his beloved wife’s new faith, which provides the main themes of the book. Mercy and forgiveness, helping the weak, belief in divine justice, conviction against doubt, the effectiveness of prayer: these tried themes run through the novel, integrated skillfully and acquiring new freshness in the Roman setting. Another important theme is that of gendered violence and exploitation, which also contributes integrally to the plot.

Lisa E. Betz has written this novel with great care. The dialogue is expertly crafted, always making clear who is speaking without the need for name-tagging. Similarly, every one of the numerous minor characters is competently introduced and subtly reintroduced when needed, and everyone receives ample characterization, cat and dog included. There are even neat little details, like the owner of a perfume shop being called Naso, which is, naturally, Latin for nose. 

An Ode to Poison excites and reassures in equal measure, its expert craft and skilled execution its shining features.

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