Pompeii

by Robert Harris
(book review)

The year is 79 A.D. A young aquarius - aquatic engineer - from Rome is sent to Misenum to replace a disappeared predecessor. The aqueduct is blocked and the aquarius must fix it. The blockage is in the town of Pompeii, underneath Mount Vesuvius. There the aquarius encounters corrupt politicians, thugs, slaves, murderers, dangerous wealthy crooks and a beautiful young woman. All that in the countdown to the historic volcanic eruption from Vesuvius which erased Pompeii from the face of earth. A fine measure of history and suspense. (3.5 out of 5)

(Photo: Some of the dead at Pompeii. Ash covered their bodies and made a mold or negative which archaeologists filled in with plaster many centuries later.)