Jane Finnis Get Out or Die

Get Out or Die

Jane Finnis

Poisoned Pen Press, Dec 2003, $24.95 362 pp.

ISBN 1590580753

After Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the town of Pompeii, one of the roman families who escaped the devastation moved to the small backwater town of Oak Bridge near Eburacum, Britannia. Aurelia Marcella and her twin sister Albia own the Oak Tree Mansio, a popular guest house and posting station. After five decades of Roman rule, a certain segment of the native population want to throw the outsiders out of their country and are willing to use violence to do it.

The rebels have the support of the Druids who believe the Romans are desecrating the land and the forests. One of the primary targets of the insurgents is the destruction of the Oak Tree Mansio and the deaths of everyone associated with it. Led by Aurelia and with the help of trusted allies, the property is well guarded but an attack is barely beaten off because a traitor in their midst gave crucial information to the enemy. Unless they can find out who that collaborator is, lives will be lost and property destroyed.

GET OUT OR DIE pretty much sums up the feelings of the natives living under occupied rule. The conspirators are smart and clever and could be any native or even a Roman who has a grudge against his or her homeland. Jane Finnis' story is told through the eyes of Roman businesswoman Aurelia Marcella who doesn't understand why anyone would object to being part of the far flung empire. This is a fast paced action backed historical conspiracy thriller that readers will find fascinating due to the perspectives of the cast.

Harriet Klausner