It’s the first century AD, and Marcus Didius Falco, ancient Rome’s favorite son and sometimes palace spy, has just been dealt a lousy blow from the gods: the beautiful, high-born Helena Justina has left him in the dust. So when the Emperor Vespasian calls upon him to investigate an act of treason, Falco is more than ready for a distraction. Disguised as an idle vacationer in the company of his best friend Petronius, Falco travels from the Isle of Capreae to Neapolis and all the way to the great city of Pompeii … where a whole new series of Herculean events—involving yet another conspiracy and a fateful meeting with his beloved Helena—is about to erupt.
Lindsey Davis’ Shadows in Bronze is historical mystery at its best.
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“No caveats for readers of Davis’ second playful, well-plotted mystery featuring imperial agent Marcus Didius Falco…Action-packed entertainment, enlivened by Davis’ vivid characterization of both major and minor players, and [her] clear delight in—and easy authority with—the story’s time and place.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Davis makes Rome live.”
— Washington Post Book World“Davis mixes modern sensibility [and] fascinating historical detail.”
— Chicago Tribune“Davis’ vision of everyday life in the Roman Empire is superb. I haven’t read historical fiction this good since I, Claudius by Robert Graves and The Persian Boy by Mary Renault—and this is a lot funnier.”
— Detroit Free Press“The real beauty of this novel lies in its well-etched characters…In addition, Davis gives us the wonderful wit of narrator Falco and a delightful evocation of ancient Rome’s sights, sounds, and smells.”
— Library Journal“It’s great fun to read of Falco’s dubious detecting skills, aided by his sharp eye for noticing and reporting on the world around him.”
— School Library Journal“Lindsey again melds hard-boiled detective style with an atmospheric background of not-so-glorious Roman splendor, making her novel an unusual treat for fans of detective fiction off the beaten path.”
— BooklistLindsey Davis is an English novelist of historical fiction and best known for her award-winning historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire, the acclaimed Marcus Didius Falco series and the Flavia Albia series. Her novels have won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award and in 2011 the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for lifetime achievement. Born and raised in Birmingham, England, she read English at Oxford and worked for the civil service for thirteen years before becoming a writer.