Abduction of a Slave is set in the ancient world of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and a host of brilliantly drawn characters. Stabenow excels at vivid descriptions and the masterful intertwining of history and fiction. I appreciated the detail. If this time period is your obsession, you will love the way she brings history to life.

Also, I’ve got to say how happy I am to find a book written at something better than a 6th grade level. I liked so much of it–not least the absolutely effortless way Stabenow draws the picture of the time period and puts believable people in it.

Sadly, the plot isn’t as precisely drawn. We have a lot going on, a lot of conversation, a bunch of fun scenes with plenty of characters, but we don’t have a plot that moves from A to B. I was expecting a murder mystery, which does happen, but it’s near the middle of the book before the blood flows. We have a bunch of political intrigue—fascinating—but complex, possibly continuations from previous installments in the series. I can usually jump into a series and figure out where I am, but this one proved difficult.

If you are drawn to this period in history, start with the first in the series. I can’t say enough good things about the way Stabenow colors this world through the eyes of her characters and her clear and succinct descriptions of places, people, relationships, and culture. But the wandering plot sent me flipping pages to find the action in this one.

Abduction of a Slave is the fourth book in Dana Stabenow’s Eye of Isis series. I wish I’d known that at the beginning. Just an aside, but I had a publisher once who decided not to put series info in the book and discouraged it in the blurb. I always thought it was a serious disservice to readers who do need to know what they’re biting off. Rant over.

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