Customer Reviews

Ode to a Banker (A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I were to review the Falco installments, Ode to a Banker would come very near the top of the list. Part of its charm is the subtle differences in Davis' writing. Rather than churning out the same old Falco reactions to everything right down to his meticulous interviewing technique she lends him an almost stressed and bored air to his `informing' this time.
It is far more realistic for it.
Look at Didius' situation: he is happily married with a screaming Julia Junilla and Sosia Favonia to appear, with his family leaning on him as the nominal paterfamilas. Everything has become so much more personal with Anacrites misguided courtship of Maia and bizarre relationship with Ma. If Falco were to remain his professional self in this novel it would simply be untenable.
So, we plunge once more into the murky underworld of Rome and come up against unscrupulous bankers (always it's the freedman with his fingers where they shouldn't be - very Nero-esque) and set against a literary backdrop. You can almost laugh at Davis satiricizing of authors (I wonder if there are some real authors out there that they are based on?) and the entire novel exudes petty bickering with a tired Falco finally yanking all the suspects together for his Agatha Christie-eque denouement.
I cannot fault this installment simply because Davis steps away from the formulaic Falcoisms that were appearnig (it was getting obvious to pinpoint the guilty parties in recent novels) and it came as a surprise to find out who the culprit was, especially given the punishment.
Read it, delight in it, but don't expect it to be anything like the Silver Pigs era, Falco has matured, become a little more world-weary and his informing reflects it and this installment is all the more better for it.

It's the summer of AD 74, and if you think that Marcus Didius Falco, private informer, and his partner in life, Helena Justina, are having a wonderful time, enjoying the joys of the warm weather, think again. To begin with, Falco' s estranged father's mistress has recently passed away, and Falco's father is not so quietly going to the dogs. And if that's not bad enough, it looks as if Falco's sister, Maia, is getting much to cosy with Falco's arch-enemy, Anacrites! (Falco's biggest fear is that he may end up with Anacrites as a brother-in-law, so he's been very careful not to broach the subject with his independently minded sister just in case she decides to marry Anacrites out of sheer bloody mindedness!) Add to that the fact that the builders that Helena hired to finish their new house seemed to have shambled off to who knows where, and the fact that in a moment of weakness Falco allowed himself to be inveigled into giving a poetry reading with Rutilius Gallicus (last seen sentencing Maia's husband to death in "Two For The Lions"), and you get the idea that it is not going to be a summer of wine and roses for Falco.

To begin with the poetry reading session gets out of hand, when first Domitian Caesar (the Emperor's younger son, who just happens to hate Falco) and his entourage turns up and makes a mess of the seating arrangements, and then Aurelius Chrysippus, a banker and publisher, more or less highjacks the whole show. Chrysippus later offers to publish Falco's work; however Chrysippus runs a vanity publishing outfit -- the authour pays for his work to b published. Falco is outraged at having been propositioned by a vanity outfit (what does it say of the caliber of his work?) and turns down Chrysippus's offer snappishly. Little does he realise that the next time he sees Chryippus, the banker/publisher will be dead, having been brutally and horrifically murdered in what looks like a frenzied attack of rage.

Petro, Falco's best friend, who just happens to be the vigile put in charge of investigating Chrysippus's death, blackmails Falco into investigating the crime for him. And in no time at all Falco is busily checking out alibis, chasing down suspects, and looking for clues, all in order to get at the truth of who murdered Chrysippus and why. Could it have been Chrysippus's nubile, young, trophy wife, Vibia, tired of being tied to a much older husband? Or could it be Chrsippus's ex-wife, Lysa, still bitter about her divorce? Certainly Chrysippus's good for nothing son, Diomedes, is a suspect. As well as the stable of writers and poets that Chrysippus exploited. However, Chrysippus's murder could also have something to do with the shady doings that his bank seems to be involved in. There are just so many avenues for Falco to explore...

"Ode To The Banker" is a really entertaining read. For the many fans of Lindsey Davis, be assured that this novel will be another great and engrossing read. For those who have yet to read any of the Falco murder mysteries, don't hesitate any longer -- this is a wonderful and enthralling series. It is not very often that you come across an authour who consistently combines a brilliantly crafted novel, with well portrayed and really eccentric characters, and a mystery plot that will keep you guessing till the very end. Add to that Lindsey Davis's talent for writing in a tongue-in-cheek manner -- the wry way in which she relates things and her humorous asides and observations are absolutely brilliant and have often had me in stitches -- and you have a really splendid series.

"Ode To The Banker" is another brilliant and successful installment in the Falco series, and should be on everyone's list for enjoyable summer reading.

The series of Falco books is constructed from three parts. Ostensibly exotic and intricate mystery stories-murders investigated by Falco, an imperial freelance agent of Vespasian's early Roman empire (AD 69-79)-they also serve as tours of the various (mostly western) provinces, and as "behind the scene" introductions and evocations of Roman versions of things such as: mining (SILVER), travel, art business, retail, city policing, the games and animal hunts (LIONS), stagecraft (PALMYRA), construction, apartment and family life, the status of women, water supply (FOUNTAINS), and now publishing and banking (but neither politics nor the army). Unlike the Ciceronian books of the Late Republic written by Steven Saylor, Davis' stories don't seem to hew close to actual ancient Roman law cases, but formulate what might have been typical middle class crimes that seem of reasonable cause to a modern reader. The dialogue can be English slangy modern without a tang of old Latin, but there's no need for footnotes or glossary either. (If you miss them then you can find a lot of pertinant background information in the glossaries of Colleen McCullough's Caesar books.) Davis seems to capture the roistering, tireless, scheming, and fouled essence of ancient Roman city life.

The wise-cracking, sceptical Falco and his so smart Helena are Davis's own splendid "modern" creations. Their repartee is usually spritely and intelligent-not because Davis is being politically correct but because they are partners in an alliance of man and woman unusual for Rome, yet serving to move the plot forward when a case is at impass. Davis (and Falco) are cynics in all things, but classically so, entertaining rather than mean. No one ages fast in this series; for example, this 12th book covers only one month in summer, AD 74, and Falco is only a prime 33 despite his many adventures.

Although I've said the Falco stories that stay close to Rome are the best ones, this sticks TOO close to downtown. ODE features a tight coterie of bankers, publishers, and authors (including Falco as a poet!). The claustrophobic atmosphere, the innumerable puzzling suspects, the dogged police interrogations, and the climactic confrontation in the concluding chapters a la Poirot reminds me strongly of an inelegant Agatha Christie closed-room mystery, not at all my favorite sort. Each recent volume includes more and more of Falco's domestic relations, disputes, and family love interests-a theme that almost eclipses the mystery here and is continued in the next volume, A BODY IN THE BATHHOUSE.

Leaky refers to the plot points and creaky refers to charming Marcus Didius Falco, whom we all loved so MANY volumes ago. His charm and perspicacity are getting a bit thin, and the plots are less and less interesting. Once again, Falco is called upon to solve unwillingly a murder, this time of a repulsive 'patron of the arts' and banker. At least he's on the payroll for the vigiles, but his lack of enthusiasm for the commission is communicated to the reader by the lacksadaisical way in which he operates. Ok, it is August in Rome, but his forgetfulness in following up a few basic clues, as well checking out the alibi of a principal suspect, are inexcusable and make one wonder where his head is and just how much interest he has in being a public informer these days. The climax--where all the suspects are gathered together like in a Britich country house mystery--makes one shake one's head--few of the suspects bothered to show up when originally called for interviews, so one wonders why everyone was so accomodating this time. Convenient for a denoument but unrealistic as a plot device. The 'confessions' are also highly unbelievable. The quality of Davis's Falco mysteries has been very uneven in recent years--she seems to be churning them out too quickly and one wonders where it will all end. Can she really do one or two a year for decades to come? (There's a new book out in England which I haven't read yet called "Murder in the Bathhouse" or something like that.) She may be in need of a break to recharge her batteries, or she may need to develop a new character and series. I'll always think fondly of her and Falco--she introduced me to historical mysteries in general and ancient Roman mysteries in particular. But compare 'Silver Pigs' to 'Ode to a Banker' and you'll see how much steam she has lost in the last 12 or so years. Maybe a vacation at a villa in Ostia is in order?

Ode to a Banker begins with Falco reading his poetry at a public reading. He's flattered when Chrysippus, a wealthy banker and scriptorium owner, offers him the chance to publish, but outright refuses when he learns he would have to pay Chrysippus for it. He's commissioned for the investigation when Chrysippus turns up murdered in the library. There is an abundance of suspects-lots of people thought Chrysippus was as creepy as Falco did, including a bunch of bitter authors and a twisted family, all with motives of course. There is a twist when someone else turns up dead, but the plot of the actual mystery unfolds pretty slowly until the end when Falco gathers all the suspects and interrogates them. Until then the plot is driven mainly by Falco's crazy extended family and their bizarre relationships and escapades.

This book explores the Roman world of the scriptorium and the Greek banking industry. The characters are interesting, and there are certainly a lot of them. The mystery develops slowly, or perhaps minimally until the end, but the story is enjoyable throughout the book. Overall, an enjoyable read but a slow plot.

In 74 AD informer Marcus Didius Falco (in modern terms this means he is a private investigator) believes he is a talented poet. After giving a reading of his works, an employee of Aurelius Chrysippus approaches Marcus to inform him that his master, banker and owner of a scriptorium, enjoys his poetry and wants to see it published. An elated Marcus arranges to meet with Aurelius.

However, his euphoria quickly ends when Falco soon learns that Aurelius expects payment for publication. Disappointed and disgusted, Falco leaves. Not long afterward, Falco learns that someone killed Aurelius shortly after their meeting. Falco is hired to find the killer, which proves arduous because the victim made so many enemies that his anti-fan club could fill the Coliseum with SRO.

The twelfth Falco Ancient Rome mystery shows how the readers how the Romans feel about Greeks, banking, and publishing. In many ways, this entry is written tongue in cheek as Lindsey Davis satirizes publishing, banking, and detectives. Thus the audience obtains an educated, humorous and well-written who-done-it that retains a freshness not all series have when they reach the twelth plateau.

Harriet Klausner

I remember when I first discovered this series. I couldn't get enough of Falco! This was about two years ago. I bought this book and it has sat on my shelf for quite awhile; getting lost in the mounds of books I need to read. This weekend I decided to pull it out and re-visit ancient Rome. This book was a bit of a disappointment. I began to get bored at some point and question why I had liked this series. The plot just meandered around. It seemed unreal to me that Falco just "forgot" to check up on some basic facts and alibis. Falco and Lindsey Davis both seemed really tired. I am not giving up on the series...I hope to read more...I just hope that they are a little livelier. Hopefully this will be the only Dud in the bunch. I gave this three stars because I do love Falco and the gang so much, and hope does spring eternal...

When the Marcus Didius Falco series began, over a decade and eleven books ago, I was immediately hooked. The combination of detail about the Roman Empire, combined with the wisecracks of the much put upon informer (detective) hero enthralled me-for a while. After five or six books I discovered Steven Saylor's Roman mystery series, and the charm of Davis's potboiler plots and tongue-in-cheek jokes wore thin. I thought I'd pick this latest offering up to see if my taste for them had changed, and the unequivocal answer is no.

Falco is much the same as I last saw him, still married to the luminous and whip smart Helena, still bedeviled by an outrageous extended family, still cronies with his old army buddy Petronious, and still warily jousting with the imperial spymaster Anacrities. For the plot Davis relies upon that most tired of devices, a story linked to the world of publishing-complete with anachronistic satirization of subsidy publishing, ghostwriting, and the like. Ah yes, the publishing insider jokes just keep coming when Greek publisher and banker Aurelius Chrysippus is murdered and Petronious enlists Falco to unmask the killer.

The story is much more constrained than most of the series, with Davis creating an atmosphere that's part a game of Clue and part Ms. Marple cozy. The action never leaves Rome, and kicks off with Chrysippus found dead in the library with a scroll shoved up his nose (no sign of Col. Mustard though). As with any good little village or country house murder tale, there are a bevy of suspects for Falco to work though: new young wife, ex-wife, son, various writers, bank customers-each with their own possible reason for disliking the dead man. It's a very rote affair, with Falco plodding after each lead, checking each alibi, etc.

Oh wait, no he doesn't... A fact that leaps out at even the most casual reader, virtually placing a neon sign over the killer's head. Yes, Falco's got a lot of personal issues on his plate, but then again, he always does, so that hardly seems like a good reason for him to botch the basics of Detecting 101. So, while Falco creates the classic scene of bringing all the suspects together for a grand denouement, calling in surprise witnesses, and employing trickery to force a wholly unlikely confession, it all seems kind of pointless to the reader who saw the writing on the wall halfway through. The book has a few good scenes here and there (including one very good fight scene), but there's certainly not a lot of creativity in evidence, and the attempts at satire fall flat. It pains me to say so, but like so many series that start strong, Davis seems to be floundering and may need to think about starting something new.

I love Falco! This is one of the good ones - set in Rome and involves both Roman banking and writing/bookselling. Lots of good research went into this one.

Publishing peril.


Falco is still toiling away till late hours at times working on his writing, and here he falls in with a banker/publishers that plays up to struggling writers.

Falco gets in trouble again when a man dies via a literary blunt implement, and with Petronius' help he gets to investigate and find out what is going on.

Like Last Act In Palmyra, the whole publishing thing may be of little interest to some, and this does detract a bit in general from the book making this one of the lesser entries in this series.