Rating:  - More fun from Linsey Davis
Linsey Davis makes you feel right at home in Roman Britain
Rating: - I Just Love these Books
Lindsey Davis is now well into double figures with her Falco novels. They say that most people have a good book inside them, but to be able to write consistently good novels with innovative plots is a gift.
I believe it was a conscious effort on the part of Lindsey Davis to take Falco out of his normal surrounding and freshen her storylines up with a visit to Roman London.
Of course no sooner has Marcus Didius Falco and his wife Helena, who's breeding and background should put her far out of the reach of a rascal like Falco hit the streets of Londinium than a body is found stuffed down the well of a wine bar.
The unfortunate victim is a henchman of King Togidubnus an important ally of Rome.
Falco needs to pull out all the stops to find the murderer and placate the powers that be, but many things are about to happen before the mystery can be solved.
Keep it up Lindsey.
Rating: - Ancient Rome never seemed so exciting since "Gladiator"
"Spartacus" and JULIUS CAESAR meet "Goodfellas" in this Ancient Rome mystery that's literally classic noir. You can smell the wine and the sweat from a female gladiator named Amazonia, a.k.a. femme fatale (literally) Chloris, who's just one of the complications auditor and secret Roman Empire sleuth Marcus Didius Falco, happily maried to partner in solving crime Helena, runs into while on holiday in Britain after an old enemy, Verovolcus, who's connected to native Britain king Togidubnus, is found stuffed down a well in a gin, er, wine joint named the Shower of Gold, after the form Jupiter (that's Zeus to you Greek fans) took to seduce one of his many conquests.
The description of ancient Romans living with ancient Britons is a vivid portrait of the age and the headaches of colonization. Marcus, formerly a man acquainted with the seamy side of life that old girlfriend Chrloris represents, now finds himself going up against it again when he uncovers evidence that Verovolcus' death may be linked to organized crime through a wimp of a mob boss whom Tony Soprano would whack on the spot. Not only that, the wimp boss in question has a personal grudge against hero and Falco friend L. Petronius Longus, who in turn has a personal, intimate tension with Falco's widowed sister Maia, who, in true noir tradition, reportedly is kidnapped by the mob in the book's final third.
But all is not as it seems...and you'll have fun deciphering the ending with Marcus and his cast of strong women.
Rating:  - More Falco
I was introduced to Falco through my daughter's Latin teacher, who loaned us all of the books except this one. I whipped through them all, loving Falco, Helena, and all the rest of the colorful characters. I also liked this one, though it was darker than the others. It might have been the gloomy/chilly/too hot weather (Falco is never happy about the weather!). It might have been the reports of the deaths of two children back in Rome, though I'm pretty sure this was a common occurance. It might just have been Falco's black mood through most of the book. He seemed to be sulking just a bit, wanting to go back to sunny Rome, not staying in murky Britain with his wife's relatives. Either way, I enjoyed it a lot. Fans of the Falco mysteries will, too. Beginners should start with the first one.
Rating:  - A tepid plot but rich with histoical detail
Lindsey Davis is the author of the hugely popular series about Marcus Didius Falco, her detective from the first century, AD. This episode, occurring in 75AD relocates Falco and his family to Londinium, the Roman London of today. A hemchman of a tribal king is found drowned in a barrel. This places the Roamns in a diplomatic quandry as they must discover the murderer to satisfy the king. Falco is called upon to solve the crime. His investigation takes him to the dregs of this early settlement where we are treated to a virtual tour of London, 75AD.
This is the second year in a row that Lindsey Davis has been nominated for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, an award she previously received. The problem that I had with the last book was a feeling that there was a general lack of authenticity. The characters and the locale was so remniscent of today that it just as well could have been a modern crime novel. This is almost certainly intentional on the part of the author. This is not the problem at all with this current volume. Londinium is described in loving detail. The early Londoner's recreation, entertainment, living arrangements, bars, shops are all rendered with care. What was perceived by myself as the major weakness of the last book is the major strength of this one. Characters are well known to the readers of the series including Falco's family. They are very well rendered and are another strength of this work. The major weakness is the tepid plot that barely holds this book together as we plod through the pages endlessly progressing to the uninspiring conclusion. I am not yet a fan of this series.
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