White Murder, by David Wishart

Friday, November 05, 2004

White Murder, by David Wishart, is a Roman historical mystery featuring Marcus Corvinus as sleuth.

Romans of the Imperial Period took their entertainment and sports teams seriously: Blues, Greens, Whites, and Reds, allegiance was fierce and gambling stakes high. In White Murder, by David Wishart (as probably in life), incidental players wind up crippled or dead because of the ruthless pursuit of a win or a thrown game. Poisoning a race horse or stabbing a top driver are equally capital offenses, but no one seems interested in who killed Pegasus, the winning racing driver. No one wants to know who stabbed Pegasus in the tavern's back alley, except Corvinus who spends many of his own coins buying fancy wine to open up potential witnesses.

A deadly warning from a witch and more general warnings from others about the chief mobster don't deter Corvinus, but luck seems to be on his side as he cracks wise with men devoid of humor. Everyone tells Corvinus something, but no one tells him enough. Some, of course, fail to tell the truth, and most don't even know it. There isn't even much interest in the murder of the much-hated Pegasus -- until the top horse is poisoned just before a major race.

Corvinus is a purple striper, a member of the senatorial class. Other than his wife and her friends, the only use Corvinus has for its status is its wealth (wealth and class did not necessarily go hand-in-hand at the time). As a wisecracking, disorganized wino, it seems a miracle that Corvinus gets anywhere, but he does have a topnotch support staff in his highly cultured wife and domestics.

Surviving seasickness and an attempt on his life, Corvinus, with the help of his wife and one of her equally cultured friends, figures out the solution, but not before the underworld boss who had warned Corvinus he would exact revenge for the unauthorized killings. Revenge, however, turns out to be unnecessary as the guilty party has a sense of honor and takes the respected Roman way out.

I wondered why Wishart's White Murder was so long compared with his other mysteries. Four factions or sports racing teams with underworld ties seemed the likely answer, since Corvinus would have four quarters to investigate instead of just one. That was part of it and, as it turned out, a good chunk of the book was devoted to a delightful working vacation trip to Sicily. However, the action was snail-paced with Corvinus, buffeted by forces beyond his control, moving from one pub (I mean, clue) to the next, with interesting characters, like the wart (Tiberius), popping in and out without much development. Nor does the reader know where the next gold piece will come from or whether it's any skin off Corvinus' nose to plunk down 20 of them for a questionable bit of information. Why is Corvinus so obsessed with finding the killer of Pegasus? Even at the beginning, his interest doesn't make complete sense. Is he just a busybody? Presumably the earlier episodes provide the missing background, but a volume in a series should stand alone and White Murder seems to totter.

White Murder - A Marcus Corvinus Mystery
By David Wishart
Publication Date: April 2003
New English Library
ISBN 0340771283
624 Pages

Friday, November 05, 2004