Rome, AD 71. Marcus Didius Falco is desperate to leave the notorious Lautumiae prison—though being bailed out by his mother is a slight indignity.
Things go from bad to worse when a group of nouveau riche ex-slaves hire him to outwit a fortune-hunting redhead, whose husbands have a habit of dying accidentally, leaving him up against a female contortionist, her extra-friendly snake, indigestible cakes, and rent racketeers. All the while Falco tries to lure Helena Justina to live with him, a dangerous proposition given the notorious instability of Roman real estate. In a case of murder as complicated as he ever faced, Falco is at his very finest.
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“Davis’ ancient Rome is a rambling, weird, wonderful invention that at times resembles something from the broadest kind of farce…Falco is a treasure, and Davis is a genuine master of the smart-ass one-liner. What’s more, she helpfully begins this third Falco novel with a listing of the good guys and bad guys. Of course, no one said the list was exactly accurate.”
— Booklist (starred review)
“Another redolent dip into corruption in Vespasian’s Rome…original and delightful.”
— Sunday Times (London)“An irresistible package of history, mystery, and fast-moving action, all punctuated by a sense of humor that few writers can match.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer“Period details, humor, and Falco’s modern sensibility add up to another sterling performance from Davis.”
— Publishers Weekly“Falco’s good-humored but intelligent narration provides a fascinating and authentic re-creation of a Rome bustling with activity…A wonderful escape.”
— Library Journal“Intriguing characters abound in this skillfully written, Chandleresque mystery that gives readers a peek at the seamy side of life in first-century Rome.”
— School Library JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Lindsey 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.
Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.