Scandal Takes a Holiday (A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lindsey Davis (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery | Publication Date: May 30, 2006

As an "informer"--a private detective--Marcus Didius Falco has an insider's knowledge of the Empire's less than glorious side. He's also been in the middle of its most dangerous secrets more than once. So when he's hired to find notorious gossip "scribe" Infamia, Marcus figures the missing muckraker is either taking advantage of a vacation bribe from some wealthy wife--or resting up from injuries inflicted by some senator's henchmen. But instead of earning an easy fee, Marcus soon finds himself at odds against a sinister ring of pirates preying on the wealthy; a ruthlessly-vulgar construction magnate...and several of his own less-than-reputable family members. And what he uncovers will lead him through the dark byways and underground of the Empire's busiest seaport…where a cold-blooded killer with nothing to lose waits to bury one cynical informer for good...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Rome of Vespasian and Titus comes to life in Davis's entertaining 16th entry in her popular ancient historical series (after 2003's The Accuser) featuring "finder" Marcus Didius Falco. The staff of the official government newspaper retains Falco when Diocles, the paper's gossip columnist, disappears while on a visit to Ostia. At the seaport, a cesspool of corruption, Falco follows up on rumors that pirates, supposedly put out of business by Pompey the Great decades earlier, are engaged in smuggling and a kidnapping racket. Utilizing his street smarts and well-earned cynical view of humanity, Falco moves in and out of dives and places of worship on the trail of a mysterious figure who acts as the middleman between the kidnappers and the victims' families. Disturbingly, some of the clues point to one of the detective's disreputable relatives. Longtime fans will enjoy the additional background on Falco's family, but first-timers, aided by a family tree and an introductory cast of characters, will be able to plunge right in. Unlike Steven Saylor in his Roma Sub Rosa series, Davis makes less use of the history of the time. While her deliberately modern colloquialisms ("Go with the flow, man," Falco is told) take a little getting use to, they help maintain the light arch tone that also distinguishes these fun novels from Saylor's more serious tales.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–In this 16th mystery set in the Roman Empire (76 A.D.), Falco investigates the disappearance of the official scandal columnist for the Roman Daily Gazette. When last heard from, the scribe had been leaving for vacation at Ostia. The private informer notes with typical irony that at first this assignment "had all the signs of a nice little escapade that I could handle blindfolded," but he soon finds himself pursuing a bewildering and seemingly unconnected variety of leads that involve kidnappings, Mediterranean pirates, local dives, religious customs, a teenager's romance, and an outrageous funeral celebration. His independent inquiry is complicated somewhat by his helpful wife (a Senator's daughter) and their children, several other family members, and his best friend, a policeman. Falco and company are kindly, intelligent people who live in a brutal time; they survive with integrity intact through humor, loyalty to one another, and a tough acceptance of the inevitable. Readers might be daunted by lists of characters, maps with strange place names, Briticisms, or Falco's casually allusive narrative style, but those who persevere will be richly rewarded, becoming immersed in fascinating details of a distant time and place populated by recognizable human beings. Though this story can be read independently, the series is best read in order, beginning with Silver Pigs (Crown, 1991); the novels progress satisfyingly through Falco's life as they explore many far-flung corners of the Empire.–Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312940408
• ISBN-13: 978-0312940409
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome Addition to the Series, August 18, 2005

By 

FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scandal Takes a Holiday: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Novel (Hardcover)

Marcus Didius Falco is not, despite his claims, visiting Ostia for pleasure, but to track down Infamia, whose scandalous column in the Daily Gazette gets him in trouble more often than not. He said he was going to visit an Aunt in Ostia, but he never returned and the only thing he leaves behind him are some personal effects and a trail of several odd clues.

For instance, shortly before his disappearance, he attempted to take on various different jobs, even applied to the Vigiles. One of the last people to see him is a reclusive old sea merchant who claims, despite rumors otherwise, to have never been a pirate...piracy being one of the things that, officially, no longer exists.

This sixteenth book following the adventures of Falco has several interesting twists. An informer (private eye) of some renown, he, along with his best friend Petronis and his love Helena find themselves in an increasingly dangerous situation, filled with Cicilain pirates, kidnapping and murder.

The series is famous for its rich depiction of Ancient Rome and each one seems to focus on a slightly different area of the culture and history, teaching us a great deal. This time, as you may have gathered, it's piracy.

It was interesting to see how the pirates were used by the Roman government, then declared completely stamped out, though, unofficially, everyone knew it was still going on. Also, the rules that these pirates abided by to make sure that their victim's families paid up showed them to be shrewd businessmen as well as criminals.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Roman Mystery from Lindsey Davis!, November 28, 2004

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scandal Takes a Holiday: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Novel (Hardcover)

In her newest Marcus Didius Falco mystery "Scandal Takes a Holiday" Lindsey Davis has made another hit. I usually don't read mysteries, but I make her books an exception because I like her ability to provide atmosphere. She is one of the best writers of historical mysteries and a good part of that is that after reading one of her books you actually feel as if you have been to Rome, Roman Britain, and North Africa or, in the case of the present work, the Roman port city of Ostia.

In the current book, Falco and his patrician wife, Helena Justina, are involved in searching for a scandal-mongering scribe from the Imperial sanctioned Gazette who has disappeared, apparently in Ostia while visiting his aunt. The following enticing tale involves the protagonists in contact with pirates, various relatives, including Falco's shady father and scapegrace Uncle, and numerous shady characters in an ancient port city so vividly described that you can smell the salt air and hear the gulls cry. The ending, as always, results from twists and turns that leave the reader breathless.

This is a great book to read when you want to relax from the trials of modern life. In the process the reader is reminded that such trials are only somewhat different (and in most cases a bit easier to deal with for us privileged Westerners) than those of the past. In essence difficulties in life always have and always will remain a part of the human condition.

I recommend "Scandal Takes a Holiday" without reservation.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and exciting historical mystery, January 26, 2005

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Scandal Takes a Holiday: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Novel (Hardcover)

The upper class in Rome get their news from the Daily Gazette. It's mostly boring--events of the Emperor, some lies (rumors of pirates are untrue), but with a load of gossip. Except that gossip has gotten thin lately as the gossip writer has taken an extended vacation. So extended, in fact, that his fellow writers hire Marcus Didius Falco, an informant, to find him.

Falco, along with his wife and assorted members of his family, head for Ostia, the port of Rome where Diocles was supposed to be visiting with his aunt. As Falco investigates, he finds evidence of multiple crimes--piracy that had supposedly been smashed by Pompey, professional kidnapping, and a strange mix of firefighting with professional building.

Author Lindsey Davis continues her funny and exciting Marcus Didius Falco series in SCANDAL TAKES A HOLIDAY. Falco's relations with his aristocratic wife Helena and their respective families adds to both humor and to the character depth. As always, Davis's historical detail adds to the interest and engages the reader.

I thought Davis occasionally got carried away with the family and a series of mysteries that didn't really relate to each other, making this novel a bit weaker than some of the others in the series. That doesn't mean that SCANDAL wasn't a completely enjoyable ride. I found myself laughing out loud several times and read through the entire novel in a single sitting.