Gaius Petreius Ruso has a few problems — his girlfriend is hooking up with her ex; his junkie colleague may have lost the plot; his boss doesn't understand him; and he has to figure out the death of a soldier beheaded by local terrorists. Oh, and it's 118 AD, so no help from those nifty CSI gadgets.

In the vein of Lindsey Davis or Steven Saylor, 'Ruso and the Demented Doctor' (aka 'Terra incognita') is the second in R.S. Downie's 'Medicus' series.

Ruso, an army doctor hoping to improve his reputation (after that unfortunate incident with the dancing girls) and make some cash, takes up a post in the hostile north of Britannia.

Unfortunately it will be a good few years before Hadrian builds his wall and the oppressed local tribes are threatening to rebel — a problem not helped by a messenger from the gods who straps antlers to his head and rides around causing havoc.

This would all be of little consequence if Ruso weren't stuck at the parochial Fort of Coria trying to save an amputee; whip the infirmary into shape ahead of a visit from the governor; and solve the mystery of Felix the headless trumpeter and Thessalus the demented doctor.

To make matters worse, the fort just happens to be situated in the hometown of his slave girl/girlfriend Tilla. Headstrong at the best of times, Tilla refuses to behave like a slave, fraternises with the enemy, and has a tendency to always be right.

Downie's Britannia is rich and detailed and while her whodunit is pretty straightforward, it is peppered with entertaining medical references, a myriad of devious villains, and thoroughly likeable protagonists.

History buffs may be a little disappointed, but for those who simply like losing themselves in another time and place, Ruso's misadventures provide the perfect escape.