Customer Reviews

The Silver Pigs (Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first of a series of detective stories set in Vespasian's Roman Empire and featuring the informer Marcus Didius Falco.

I tried this historical detective story because I had enjoyed Ellis Peter's "Brother Cadfael" detective stories. They were excellent but this is brilliant, as is the rest of the series.

Funny, exciting, and based on a painstaking effort to re-create the world of 70AD.

By chance, Falco rescues a 16-year old girl called Sosia Camillina from a gang of thugs. She turns out to be the illegitimate niece of a senator, who suspects that an illegal trade is going on in silver pigs (ingots) from a godforsaken remote corner of the empire - Britain. To Falco's disgust he has to return to this barbaric spot where he had once served with the legions ...

If you have met and enjoyed either the Cadfael or Thraxas series, this is even better.

It isn't absolutely essential to read these stories in sequence, as the mysteries Falco is trying to solve are usually-self contained stories. Having said that there is some ongoing development of characters and relationships and I think reading them in chronologial order does marginally improve the experience.

The full Falco series, in chronological order, consists at the moment of:

The Silver Pigs
Shadows in Bronze
Venus in Copper
The Iron Hand of Mars
Poseidon's Gold
Last Act in Palmyra
Time to Depart
A Dying Light in Corduba
Three Hands in the Fountain
Two for the Lions
One Virgin Too Many
Ode to a Banker
A Body in te Bath house
The Jupiter Myth
The Accusers
Scandal taks a Holiday
See Delphi and Die
Saturnalia

Lindsey Davis has also written a historical novel set in the same timeframe called "The Course of Honor" which is about the love affair between Vespasian and his mistress Caenis. The author has taken two sentences from Suetonius and from them conjured the vital image of a woman beautiful in both form and personality and a charming love story.

Marcus Didius Falco is a former soldier and now a private informer in ancient Rome. After the brutal death of a young girl named Sosia, he is driven to find her killer even if it means putting his own life in danger.

Helena Justina is the daughter of a senator and Sosia's cousin. She is not afraid to prove her independence and joins up with Falco to try to find Sosia's killer.

In his search to find Sosia's killer, Marcus Didius Falco stumbles upon thievery from the silver mines in Britain. Among the suspects is the young son of Vespasian, the new Emperor of Rome. This puts Falco in more danger then he imagined. There are more suspects and one of them is not only a thief, but also a murderer. This is the one suspect that Falco will go to great lengths to find. From Rome to the dark hills of Britain, Falco and Helena hunt for a killer.

The chemistry between Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina was brought to life on these pages with witty dialog that I found refreshing. I had no trouble imagining these two butting heads while longing to kiss one another. The author did a wonderful job of bringing ancient Rome to life and showing the dark side of this ancient society. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy mysteries or historical novels.

I picked up this book at random in the bookstore because the title THE SILVER PIGS caught my eye -- I'm so glad it did! I have now read every book in the Falco series and am eagerly awaiting SATURNALIA. I am absolutely hooked -- this is the most enjoyable series I've read for sometime and the romance is as fresh and fun as the main character's struggles with family, friends and people out to get him!

If you like your heroes handsome, irreverent and loyal, this book is for you!

My wife talked me into reading Two for the Lions which was NOT a good place to start with this series but she'd already taken the earlier books to our used book exchange when she saw I wasn't interested. It took me a while to get the tempo of what was going on in Two for the Lions, but once I did, I was hooked. I made her go back to the used book exchange and find the earlier books. I tore through Silver Pigs and I'm now in the middle of Shadows in Bronze and I can't put it down.

So far I love this series. See, normally I prefer reading non-fiction books ranging in topic from cosmology to religion to jazz musicians like Miles Davis to weirdos like Frank Zappa and rockers like the Rolling Stones. I did enjoy Tony Hillerman's mysteries based on Southwest Indian reservations because the reader gets to learn something about American Indian culture. That's why my wife thought I'd enjoy the Falco chronicles.


Davis' writing is superb. I really didn't know much about ancient Rome other than the usual Hollywood stuff and Biblical writings. Each book seems to focus on a real life aspect (gladiators, ancient Britain and the silver mines, slavery and freemen) of ancient Rome. The stories are built around the historically true Flavian dynasty (I think that's the correct term, I'm only just learning about this stuff). I have to admit that the series has indeed ignited an interest in ancient Roman history. So much so that, because I work for an airline, I seriously want to take a trip to Rome and Italy to see some of the things Davis describes. When we lived in England we made it a point to explore a lot of ancient ruins and sites. I've actually seen some of the things described in Silver Pigs first-hand so that's pretty cool too.

In summation, I find the characters enjoyable, the writing is witty, very descriptive (the reader can actually visit the scene in the mind's eye) and very educational. If you like that sort of thing in a book, go for it.

I bought this book when it was first published in the USA and was so excited and impressed that I immediately put the author on my ultra-short list: "Buy every new book". There are now a gazillion in the series and I have every one. Recently I started reading them to catch up and found to my amazement that I had only ever read the first two in the series - this after reading 4 books in the middle of it. So, I am going back and starting the series all over again from the beginning. In other words, it is a wonderful set of books! I like good history and am a maven in Science Fiction. Strangely this seems to combine both by effectively transporting the reader back to the time of Vespasian, viewing it as it "really" was, but with a modern sensibility. As the author points out in her most recent volume, all we have is inscriptions, historical writings, and some graffiti to go on. Davis very believably supplies the rest, everyday speech, the multitude of vernaculars that always exist in every culture, the jokes, the hopes and fears and the minutia of everyday existence. All mixed with a bundle of fun and plenty of action - physical, mental and amatory. The protagonists become as familiar and dear to you as your best friends. This feat becomes possible because we humans are all very much alike, differing mostly in customs and our societal surround. Our needs, interests and attitudes don't change that much with time - only the means of expressing and fulfilling them. The man in the street seldom if ever speaks in the words of the Declaration of Independence - far less the Constitution. I highly recommend this to readers of all ages. Years ago I would have tacked on a PG rating, but I believe that anyone adult enough to read and enjoy these stories is plenty old enough (mentally). Long live Marcus Didius Falco, Helena Justina, Petrus Longinus, and Lindsey Davis!

I bought this book as a bit of quick train reading in a bookstore in Edinburgh in 1990 during a vacation trip. To my surprise, it became one of my favorite acquisitions from that vacation. Impressive historical detail, wedded to a fast-moving plot that is very unlike the usual "whodunnit" made this book stand out in my mind. Now, nearly 20 years later, after having read all of Davis's other Falco books, this one still stands out as the most original and the best crafted mystery she's done.

I'll start with an important point. You absolutely do NOT have to be a Roman History buff to enjoy Lindsey Davis. I know several people who aren't buffs who enjoy these novels tremendously. I also know several people who started reading Lindsey Davis and subsequently started researching Roman History. Lindsey Davis does such a great job of putting you in that world that you find yourself wanting to know more.

When I read a detective novel, the mystery does very little for me on its own. Without good atmosphere and great characters, I just have very little taste for crime-solving or police procedural.

I AM, however, an enormous buff when it comes to Imperial Rome so, when I heard that "Silver Pigs" was set in Rome shortly after the Year of the Four Emperors AND that it did a great job of immersing the reader in that world, I just had to give it a try.

The rest of this review contains general spoilers for the novel.

The Marcus Didius Falco novels are set during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian. It's a less fearful time than the years that had come before in terms of being terrified of the crazy Emperor killing you. But it's also a time where Rome has recently suffered through some very terrible times. Everyone still remembers the Boudicca Rebellion with an uneasy squirm (especially our protagonist who was a soldier stationed in Britain at the time; although he didn't see action during the revolt, three of his fellow-legions were obliterated). And, of course, at the beginning of Vespasian's reign, everyone is still reeling from the Jewish Revolt and the Year of the Four Emperors. So uneasiness remains the norm, especially uneasiness over the stability of the new regime. No one wants another civil war.

To be honest, I absolutely CRINGED when I read the word "informer" in print. "How in Hades," I demanded aloud, getting a funny look from the guy next to me on the bus, "am I meant to actually LIKE a protagonist who's an Informer?" But Falco's got nothing in common with those leeches and parasites who thrived in the dark days of the Julio-Claudians. For one thing, he's a staunch Republican. For another, he's a conscientious public servant. He has morals and he lives by them, even though that means living in poverty.

Falco is a military veteran, still haunted by his memories of Britain. He didn't see actual action during the Boudicca Rebellion which, I think, haunts him MORE, because his legion following orders not to go into the fray led to the slaughter of three other legions. So he has a lot of issues, guilt, and demons associated with Britain in general.

So, one day, when he rescues a young girl from some thugs pursuing her and finds himself drawn into a case that suddenly has him shipped out to Britain (investigating a plot against the Emperor, no less), Falco is NOT a happy boy. Less so because the girl, Sosia, was killed by the conspirators before he could find out what was going on.

Enter Helena Justina, the recently-divorced daughter of a Senator and niece of an important Roman Official in Britain. And 16-year-old Sosia's cousin. She's convinced Falco was sleeping with the girl and furious at him for that AND for letting the girl die. She's also firmly convinced that Falco knows more than he's saying. The relationship is hate-hate from the outset (perhaps you can see where this is going?).

Her retaliation against Falco is quite brutal (spiteful and vindictive as well) and quite nearly breaks him. It also allows him to find evidence vital for solving the case.

So it's back to Rome, this time with Helena in tow through some exceeding uncivilized territory. Falco acts as her body-guard (for a price; he in fact intends on charging both her uncle AND her father for protecting her) and he makes it his business to chase off any man who shows an interest in her, teach her how to jam her door from the inside and, some nights, sleeping outside her room with a knife in his hand.

The chill starts to fade for a few reasons. Falco comes to realize that Helena is less bitter and shrewish than she is deeply wounded by her loveless marriage (at one point in either this book or the next, she tells him that it would have been better if her husband beat her because then she would have known that he felt SOMETHING). It also becomes quite clear to Helena that Falco never bedded her cousin and never INTENDED to. Also, she comes to realize that he isn't withholding the truth. He genuinely doesn't KNOW who the conspirators are.

Still, a romance between them seems like a long-shot. For one thing, the Public Morality laws passed under Caesar Augustus mean that any relationship between a Patrician like Helena and a Plebian like Falco is technically illegal. For another, he's a staunch Republican and her family not only SUPPORTS Vespasian, they count him as a close personal friend.

But, when they get back to Rome itself, circumstances intervene. Word has gotten back to the city that they're on their way and assassins are waiting. A chase through the streets of Rome at night and Falco and Helena find themselves seeking refuge in a stable in one of the city's Public Gardens. Where one thing leads to another. As Falco himself puts it, "What happened next is between me, the Senator's daughter, and that horse."

Having slipped their pursuers and now safe in the light of day, Falco and Helena are quickly able to work out the rest of the details of the treason-plot, although not without causing several people a great deal of personal pain: Helena and her family and the Emperor himself.

Things move quickly from there, the mystery solved although not to Falco's satisfaction (he knows who killed Sosia but the man won't be brought to justice for political reasons). Falco makes his feelings on THAT quite clear, which is exceedingly dangerous in a time and place where even suspected treason is generally punishable by death and goes on his way, never expecting to see the Emperor or Helena again.

Of course, where would the fun in THAT be? The book ends on a note that's rather hopeful for Falco and Helena. You know it won't be easy, but you also know that doesn't make it impossible.

And, honestly, all of this doesn't make it a romance novel. It most decidedly ISN'T one, in spite of the developing relationship between Falco and Helena. It's a solid mystery, a political thriller, and a GREAT period piece.

The only thing I can really fault this story on is the rather formulamatic progress of the Falco/Helena relationship. And, trust me, subsequent novels (say from book 3 forward) will MORE than make up for this as their friendship/love unfolds. The romance is real and deep and VERY there, but it's not the main point of any of the novels.

Lindsey Davis is always very much about the plot, very much about the characters and their relationships (romantic and otherwise), and just immerses you completely into life in Imperial Rome, not just the city itself but the Provinces. Great stuff...

A hard-boiled "informer" (aka detective) plies his trade in the streets of imperial Rome and the silver mines of occupied Britain in this, the first of Lindsey Davis' many novels featuring the wisecracking gumshoe (or should that be gum sandal?) Marcus Didius Falco.

Cynical, tough-talking and noble in a seedy sort of way, Falco is a democrat in an age of emperors. The Roman Republic is long gone by 70 A.D., and the emperor Vespasian rules the empire as it recovers from the troubled reign of Nero, whose suicide in 68 A.D. triggered a year-long civil war that eventually brought Vespasian to power.

Against that turbulent backdrop, Falco comes to the rescue of a 16-year-old girl who is being chased through the streets of Rome by unknown villains.

As the story unfolds, we discover that Sosia Camillina, the imperiled heroine, is the niece of Senator Decimus Camillus Verus, who has stored a stolen ingot of British silver (one of the silver pigs of the title) in a strongbox belonging to his niece.

Verus says he learned of the ingot's existence after it was accidentally abandoned in the street. Citing information from overseas connections, he concludes that the ingot is one of many that have disappeared from Roman mines in Britain.

Falco takes on the task of finding out who stole the cache of silver pigs, and where the rest of them are to be found. His assignment takes on added urgency when Sosia is found murdered in an abandoned warehouse.

What looks like the work of greedy thieves quickly takes on political overtones when it appears that whoever brought the loot to Rome did so to bribe the Praetorian Guards into supporting a coup against the emperor.

Falco, who grew to hate Britain while serving there with the legions years earlier, returns to the cold, inhospitable isle to get to the bottom of the thefts. There he meets Verus' haughty daughter, Helena Justina, who proves to be a key player in the events that follow.

When the blunt Falco, who narrates the story, isn't peppering friend and foe alike with wise-guy observations and smart-alecky questions, he shares his jaded but witty musings with the reader.

"I like my women in a few wisps of drapery: then I can hope for a chance to remove the wisps," Falco announces early on. "If they start out with nothing I tend to get depressed because either they have just stripped off for someone else or, in my line of work, they are usually dead."

The result is an entertaining tale that will leave readers chuckling, and maybe even laughing aloud from time to time, as Falco spouts off about the corrupt and unstable city that he continues to love despite himself.

As the Cleveland Plain Dealer said when "The Silver Pigs" was first published, Falco is "Sam Spade in a ratty toga." The one discordant note, in my view, occurs when Falco falls in love. At that point, Davis' over-the-top prose reads like something from a romance novel gone awry, but the lapse is brief.

Davis is one of at least three major mystery novelists who have mined ancient Rome in recent years, the others being Steven Saylor, the creator of Gordianus the Finder, and John Maddox Roberts, the author who gave as Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger.

The works of all three have their merits, but Davis is the only one to use a no-nonsense private eye as her protagonist. The resulting dialogue, which is clipped and crisp, will please some readers and alienate others. Either way, there's no denying that Falco has a style and a voice all his own.

It is easy to imagine the hard time Lindsay Davis confesses she initially had selling the idea of a detective series set in Rome to any publisher. Old fashioned whodunnits are a modern day guilty pleasure, and most only succeed by injecting a lot of pseudo-scientific forensic pathology. Davis employs a liberal application of humor reminiscent of the Rockford Files television series to endear her readers to Marcus Didius Falco, employee of Vespasius of Rome, and discoverer of inconvenient truths. Always looking over his shoulder for creditors and his equally aggravating assortment of relatives, as comfortable in seedy taverns as in the presence of the emperor, Marcus Didias is both irreverent and quick as a cat. Surprises are timed in all the right places and friend Falco has no aversion to a good fight. This book is true to its genre as pure entertainment in spite of a plot progression that travels a well worn path. For someone who enjoys historical settings and trivia, the adventures of Falco add many descriptions of the life and times of common people in ancient Rome that one rarely finds in fiction because most authors believe that their readers prefer only to read about the exploits of the glitterati. Silver Pigs is detective gold!

If you had told me that I'd like historical fiction set in ancient times a year ago, I would have been skeptical. Now I am totally into the all-to-human, easy-to-like Roman detective Falco. I read Lindsey Davis' book Alexandria first and loved it. When I went to find another one by her, I discovered that this is a series. After next reading the first one in the series, I was hooked. I went in search of the next 6 books (stockpiling for pleasure).

For those of you who pick up one of these books and want more, I have to tell you that I could not find them at Amazon USA, but I was able to order them from amazon.co.uk where the entire series is thriving. Kudos to you, Lindsey Davis. Thanks for my fun and relaxing reads.