Customer Reviews

A Body in the Bath House

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like this book almost as well as any of the other Falco novels, even though it needs to be a bit longer. Up until now, amazon.com seems to have joined this book with the reviews for a different book altogether; until the situation is caught, let me assure you that this is indeed a book about the further adventures of the much-loved ancient Roman detective. Helena, both of her brothers, Petronius Longus, and another good character that we haven't seen since _Shadows in Bronze_ make this a good outing for Falco, who is in sent to his absolute least favorite place in the world. It's a winner in a series of winners. What book the other reviews (as of 10/31/03) are talking about I do not know.

This is the twelfth novel in the mystery series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, an informer and sleuth in Rome at the time of Vespasian. A series of books that have become hugely popular, so much so that the author is now at the forefront of historical mystery writers. It was probably a stroke of genius on her part to have novels that are extremely well researched and contain all the elements that would be and should be found in the Roman world of circa AD70, but to have a lead character who has the vocabulary of a present day New York cop.

Falco has like many people been experiencing problems with builders in what was to be his new Janiculum home. Glaucus and Cotta (remember them) were supposed to be renovating the bath house. It would seem that Glaucus and Cotta have left some rubbish behind when they left the renovation and it is down to Falco why they left it there.

While on the subject of building and renovations the Emperor Vespasian has more than a few problems with a building project he is financing for the Togidubnus, Chieftain of the Atrebates in that god forsaken place called Britannia. As Falco has served his time in Britannia he seems the logical person to send and sort out the mess. Helena is keen to turn the expedition into a family holiday, so Falco, Helena and the two young children, plus one or two hangers on arrive at the half built palace in Noviomagus.

Falco soon starts to rub the builders up the wrong way by asking too many questions. Bodies start to appear and the family are soon put in danger. Falco begins to realise why he hated this cold, wet and windy island so much.

Lindsey Davis has created a great series about an informer in ancient Rome. The informer, Marcus Didius Falco, is the modern equivalent of a private detective. In this novel he is commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian to settle problems on a building site in Britain. He refuses the commission until he finds the body of a labourer under the floor of his own bath house and discovers the builders who put him there have absconded to Britain, probably to the very same palace that the Emperor is concerned about. Davis has chosen the site of the palace that was discovered in Fishbourne near Chichester in 1960. The costs are too high for the civic purse and Falco discovers a phantom team of labourers and a crooked architect's stash of stolen building materials when he arrives with his family at the distant province. Davis' style of writing makes this a most enjoyable series to read.

This might be the best of the series. It has the expected combination of fascinating historical detail, fall-down-laughing comedy, and the delivery of cliff-hanging action. The life painted here reaches up through the millenia and touches us as if there's no space between -- we'll all recognize the bickering architects and builders, the pub closers, the extraneous relatives, the salesmen.

AUDIO: The narrator bothered me at first -- he sounds almost Australian, which seemed an anachronism -- but I got over it when I discovered how skillful he is. He truly understands Falco and his irreverance, his strutting, his loyalty, his irony, his common sense and his courage. Not good bedtime reading, though, because you'll be laughing instead of sleeping.

Mixing historical research with a sense of humor, Ms Davis makes Roman life, except for the blood sports, 'modern.' (Especially if you are a rugby fan) She has kept a long series going with fresh new stories that don't seem tired. I have followed M. Didius through all of his adventures and family trials and tribulations and am quite pleased. I look forward to her next book. This is one of the few mystery books that I like.

Ms Davis masterly combines historical fact with a continuing engaging personal story. I usually begin a book series with the first installment. It's gotten tough with the series up to about 18 volumes [?]. But what's worse, I can't find them all in print.

Can't understand why half the editorial reviews and some of the reader's reviews are for another book altogether. But this Lindsey Davis book is from the Falco series and is fun like all the others. I frequently buy my Davis books from amazon.co.uk since they come out there about a year before in the US. There is a new one Scandal Takes a Holiday coming out in June 2004. They also spell the name Lindsay Davis which I think is the correct spelling.

I'm a big fan of this series and this character. I expect this book to be as good as Davis' last.