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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
89AD and Marcus Didius Falco's adopted daughter Flavia Albia is now an investigator. When she hears hints of a killer in the Aventine she decides to investiagte.
After reading all the Falco novels I was very interested in readng this new series and I did enjoy this well-written (of course) story. I thought the killer’s identity was obvious but didn't distract from the story, and I did like these new characters.
After reading all the Falco novels I was very interested in readng this new series and I did enjoy this well-written (of course) story. I thought the killer’s identity was obvious but didn't distract from the story, and I did like these new characters.
It will take a bit of time for me not to miss Falco, but Albia has spirit and is a worthy successor.
An easy quick read with just a few too many anachronisms for my liking.
Really enjoyed this. Flavia Albia's a great character, nice enough but with a very pleasing edge. The plot seemed good. I never guess who did it so that's nothing to go by! I was glad to see that I disliked them though. Several red flags from the start! Excellent characters in general. All good. All good.
A good new character from ancient Rome is Flavia Albia. Daughter of the notorious inform Marcus Didius Falco she is a chip off the old block. At the sametime, it is a fresh perspective of Roman life for a woman of the times. The first story is enjoyable and paced well. Just as you are realizing who the bad guy is, Albia knows it too. Good fun.
Flavia Albia is female Informer (private investigator) in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Domitian. This means that she often has to take on cases that her male counterparts turn down. When the death of her latest unsavory client leads Albia to suspect that a serial killer is on the loose, she soon finds herself in the middle of the intrigue.
I ended up liking this book in spite of the fact that there were several reasons why I shouldn't. First of all, it's not written using the speech patterns of the time period and that sort of thing usually pulls me out of the story. The writing style seems to set up the story with a definite comedic bent though so the lack of authentic language ended up not being an issue for me after all. Secondly, the mystery itself was a bit weak. I picked out the murderer early on (and that almost never happens) and also immediately figured out another reveal long before Flavia Albia. Now, however, I wonder if the author intended for these things to be obvious to the reader, if perhaps the point of the story was to watch Albia stumble her way through the process to show that she is a normal person of regular intellect who is not immune to errors of judgement. I also had some trouble getting into the story at first. Not being familiar with this time period meant that I spent a lot of time googling various things.
What ultimately saved the book for me is Albia herself. Her acerbic wit may come as off-putting to some but I quite liked her, and her sardonic observations of and commentary about life and people often had me chuckling. She is the adopted, now grown daughter of the main character of the author's other, long running series. I haven't read that series but I didn't find that an impediment to settling into this one. I look forward to reading more books featuring Flavia Albia.
I ended up liking this book in spite of the fact that there were several reasons why I shouldn't. First of all, it's not written using the speech patterns of the time period and that sort of thing usually pulls me out of the story. The writing style seems to set up the story with a definite comedic bent though so the lack of authentic language ended up not being an issue for me after all. Secondly, the mystery itself was a bit weak. I picked out the murderer early on (and that almost never happens) and also immediately figured out another reveal long before Flavia Albia. Now, however, I wonder if the author intended for these things to be obvious to the reader, if perhaps the point of the story was to watch Albia stumble her way through the process to show that she is a normal person of regular intellect who is not immune to errors of judgement. I also had some trouble getting into the story at first. Not being familiar with this time period meant that I spent a lot of time googling various things.
What ultimately saved the book for me is Albia herself. Her acerbic wit may come as off-putting to some but I quite liked her, and her sardonic observations of and commentary about life and people often had me chuckling. She is the adopted, now grown daughter of the main character of the author's other, long running series. I haven't read that series but I didn't find that an impediment to settling into this one. I look forward to reading more books featuring Flavia Albia.
I'm a fan of this new incarnation of the Falco series, although I'm hoping we don't get this much romantic focus in all of the books. We have a new engaging hero, the plotting is tight, and the sense of change under Domitian hangs heavy over the atmosphere.
I enjoyed Flavia's voice coming out. After years of enjoying Falco, this is a nice change. A good mystery, the fascinating look into Roman culture, all make this book rich and engaging. The Meddlesome Balcony also plays a prominent role.
I won a free copy of this book from Goodreads, and I was glad of the opportunity to try a book by this author, as I'd heard good things about her previous detective novels.
Sadly, this book just didn't do anything for me. I found it hard to get into and I didn't develop any empathy towards any of the characters. I find the dialogue a bit off-putting, and I wasn't very interested in how the plot developed.
I think I'm going to read some of the earlier books by this author, as people speak so highly of them. Perhaps it is just this female detective I don't get on with!
Sadly, this book just didn't do anything for me. I found it hard to get into and I didn't develop any empathy towards any of the characters. I find the dialogue a bit off-putting, and I wasn't very interested in how the plot developed.
I think I'm going to read some of the earlier books by this author, as people speak so highly of them. Perhaps it is just this female detective I don't get on with!
Any fan of Lindsey Davis' Falco series will enjoy this book. His daughter, Flavia Albia, has taken the reins of the informer business and is negotiating ancient Rome as a professional woman (though not as a prostitute, as she would say). Falco and Helena are incidental characters, but they have no dialogue in this book. Flavia Albia is a strong, witty, independent, and smart woman whose adventures I look forward to reading more about.