Nox Dormienda - Kelly Stanley

I'm sure this new-fangled genre of so-called 'roman noir' requires a certain audience to attract interest and keep it, but I was not a part of that audience.

The only way I could possibly tell you what the book is about is by reading the back cover, and even then, it isn't completely clear. The invention of a brand new genre of literature is great and all, but if you can't back it up with some good can't-put-it-down, balls-to-the-walls reading, it's not going to do much good.

So, here's what I got from my 94 pages of reading - this Agricola governor dude has gotten himself into a coliseum full of poop and is now being called to resign by this spy, whose married to a chick that Agricola's friend and doctor fancies. Okay, first off, I didn't know they had 'spies' back then, and two, it's already a bit too Bold and the Beautiful for me. But oh, wait! The spy ends up dead. Woo hoo! Gladiator brawls for all!

Not exactly. This lovelorn doctor guy suddenly becomes Sherlock Holmes Jr. and takes it upon himself to find out who murdered this spy. Sure, it may help clear the governor's name if he does that, but I thought 'governors' and emperors and all them were pretty powerful people on their own. Can't they just have their accusers buried in a pyramid or something?

I wasn't thoroughly impressed with what I read, but that is one person's opinion. If this sounds like your type of reading, hitch a chariot and go for it.