The Roman Mysteries


The Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, The Thieves of Ostia, was published in 2001, finishing with The Man from Pomegranate Street, published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries", spin offs and companion titles.
The books take place in the ancient time period Roman Empire during the reign of the Emperor Titus. They detail the adventures of four children who solve mysteries and have adventures in Ostia Antica, Rome, Greece, and beyond: Flavia, a rich Roman girl who lives in Ostia; Nubia, a freed slave girl from Africa; Jonathan,a rich Jewish boy; and Lupus, an orphaned mute beggar boy.

Characters

The four detectives

  1. The Thieves of Ostia
  2. The Secrets of Vesuvius
  3. The Pirates of Pompeii
  4. The Assassins of Rome
  5. The Dolphins of Laurentum
  6. The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
  7. The Enemies of Jupiter
  8. The Gladiators from Capua
  9. The Colossus of Rhodes
  10. The Fugitive from Corinth
  11. The Sirens of Surrentum
  12. The Charioteer of Delphi
  13. The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
  14. The Beggar of Volubilis
  15. The Scribes from Alexandria
  16. The Prophet from Ephesus
  17. The Man from Pomegranate Street

    Omnibus

  18. The Roman Mysteries Omnibus I: The Thieves of Ostia, the Secrets of Vesuvius and the Pirates of Pompeii.
  19. The Roman Mysteries Omnibus II: The Assassins of Rome, the Dolphins of Laurentum, the Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina.
  20. The Roman Mysteries Omnibus III: The Enemies of Jupiter, the Gladiators from Capua, the Colossus of Rhodes.

    Mini-mysteries

  21. Bread and Circuses
  22. Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries
  23. The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries

    Companion books

  24. The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
  25. The Second Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
  26. The Roman Mysteries Treasury
  27. From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina: Travels with Flavia Gemina

    Sequel trilogy

In 2008 a sequel trilogy for young adults was proposed, with the main characters being Jonathan's 14-year-old orphaned twin nephews. The stories would have been partly set in Roman Britain. The first book was to be published in March 2010. The working title for the trilogy was the Flavian Trilogy, with individual stories "Brothers of Jackals", "Companion of Owls" and "Prey of Lions". On her blog and website, Caroline Lawrence has said the content was deemed "too edgy" for the Roman Mysteries brand and as a result has been put on hold indefinitely.
In April 2010, author Caroline Lawrence announced that she is planning a spinoff for younger readers. The main character will be Threptus, an 8-year-old Ostian beggar boy who makes appearances in the final Roman Mystery, The Man from Pomegranate Street and the final short story in The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries.

Special features

Each of the novels has at least one map of the area covered in the story, sometimes also plans or diagrams; these are by Richard Russell Lawrence. The chapters are called scrolls, after the rolls of papyrus which were Roman 'books', and are numbered with Roman numerals. The glossary explaining Roman terms is called "Aristo's Scroll", after Flavia's tutor, and the author's note, which separates fact from fiction, is called "The Last Scroll".

TV series

The BBC produced a television series based on the books, entitled Roman Mysteries. The first season was broadcast in 2007, the second season in 2008.