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ithinktfiam's review against another edition
5.0
Falco goes to Germany to investigate missing folks who were involved in a rebellon. Politics, the edge of the empire, and Falco spending time with Helena's younger brother. A fun continuation. Read when new, re-read in 2025, still good.
april_does_feral_sometimes's review against another edition
4.0
'The Iron Hand of Mars' is #4 in the Marcus Didius Falco detective series, although he is not entirely a detective in the sense we moderns understand. Falco in a freelance "informer" in 71AD Rome. Several books ago, he began doing odd jobs for the Emperor Vespasian, and he also met a Senator's daughter, Helena Justina, who is WAY out of his class. In Rome, one pays for the privilege of changing rank upwards by literally buying it, like getting a license to drive, apparently. Falco is extremely poor, an ex-soldier and lower working class. He lives in a slum. However, his mother keeps him honest, and he has five married sisters. His brother Festus died as a war hero, which gives his family some social capital.
The kind of work he normally does is following married wives or husbands in order to catch them having affairs. But since he met Vespasian on a case, occasionally the Emperor sends him on delicate secret assignments. I do think these books should be read in order, beginning with: [bc:The Silver Pigs|44230|The Silver Pigs (Marcus Didius Falco, #1)|Lindsey Davis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388383057s/44230.jpg|1331066].
In this story, Vespasian is sending him to the wild northern lands of the Germanic tribes. Disturbing hints that things are not right with the officers or the legions stationed in these far north Roman forts have been filtering out to the ears of Vespasian. Ostensibly, Falco is delivering a ceremonial sculpture of a hand as a token of esteem for the Fourteenth Legion's good behavior on controlling the Bavarians (who switch sides a lot) as well as fighting off the strange wild Germans when required. Falco also has been directed by Vespasian to try to contact a Druid priestess, Vetera, to learn what she had done with an important captured Centurion, Lupercus, taken a decade ago in a battle. And as usual, Falco is not entirely certain who he can trust, since family members, competing businessmen and corrupt officers make his search for answers particularly dangerous.
This particular book in the series has a strong military flavor overall. The author, Lindsay Davis, includes a lot of actual ancient Roman political and military history regarding these Germanic battles because Falco's current adventure involves meeting some of the people still living who had participated in these skirmishes and wars. It is a very informative 'mystery', but I thought the military history of Rome is the main scaffold and focus for the plot, with Falco's romance with Helena coming in as a continuing thread in the background. The tragic adventure with the wild tribes eventually enters the stage near the end of the novel, but in my opinion, mystery is not really the point of the book.
The kind of work he normally does is following married wives or husbands in order to catch them having affairs. But since he met Vespasian on a case, occasionally the Emperor sends him on delicate secret assignments. I do think these books should be read in order, beginning with: [bc:The Silver Pigs|44230|The Silver Pigs (Marcus Didius Falco, #1)|Lindsey Davis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388383057s/44230.jpg|1331066].
In this story, Vespasian is sending him to the wild northern lands of the Germanic tribes. Disturbing hints that things are not right with the officers or the legions stationed in these far north Roman forts have been filtering out to the ears of Vespasian. Ostensibly, Falco is delivering a ceremonial sculpture of a hand as a token of esteem for the Fourteenth Legion's good behavior on controlling the Bavarians (who switch sides a lot) as well as fighting off the strange wild Germans when required. Falco also has been directed by Vespasian to try to contact a Druid priestess, Vetera, to learn what she had done with an important captured Centurion, Lupercus, taken a decade ago in a battle. And as usual, Falco is not entirely certain who he can trust, since family members, competing businessmen and corrupt officers make his search for answers particularly dangerous.
This particular book in the series has a strong military flavor overall. The author, Lindsay Davis, includes a lot of actual ancient Roman political and military history regarding these Germanic battles because Falco's current adventure involves meeting some of the people still living who had participated in these skirmishes and wars. It is a very informative 'mystery', but I thought the military history of Rome is the main scaffold and focus for the plot, with Falco's romance with Helena coming in as a continuing thread in the background. The tragic adventure with the wild tribes eventually enters the stage near the end of the novel, but in my opinion, mystery is not really the point of the book.
naschiller's review against another edition
3.5
In this installment, the fourth in the series, Falco travels again on assignment for the Emperor Vespasian to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire. This time it’s to Germany, where he is to find and report back on the fate of a high-ranking Roman official taken captive during a bloody uprising and given as a prize to a Germanic priestess-prophetess. I love this series but there is way too much going on in this book. Marcus Didius Falco himself sums it up towards the end of the book when he says, “One crisis too many!” And still the book hasn’t come to an end!
sarahmjj's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of multi-syllabic names to keep track of, but fun.
dennisfischman's review against another edition
3.0
In this book both Falco and the author get lost in the wilds of Germania. If you don’t already know enough history to chant “Varus, give me back my legions!” on cue, and if you’re not interested in military history, the middle of this book will drag. It gets better when Helena’s brother makes his appearance, and even better (as always) when she shows up. Over all, this is not a book in which mysteries get solved, but some secrets are revealed—including how strongly our aristocratic last feels about her hard-headed ruffian of a lover.
gabrielrobartes's review against another edition
4.0
Now this is more like it, though I'm beginning to see Falco as a kind of Classical Roman Zelig...Anyway, the history lesson is well integrated, the romance is (thankfully) toned down a little and the Stygian gloom of the Teutenburg is suitably oppressive. It all gets a little bit Heart of Darkness at times but enjoyably so.
annajaexx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5