A review by cupiscent
The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis

4.0

When I finished reading through Davis's Falco books, I was very intrigued by the idea of getting a new view of Rome - from Flavia Albia, a woman and also an outsider, as opposed to Falco's sometimes blinkered masculine Roman approach. This did not disappoint, steeped in the differences in how Albia has to live (in almost exactly the same situation Falco started out) while still offering a rowdy and intriguing mystery around the streets of the Aventine. While the romantic bait and switch had an unpleasant side-effect (why must the lady-sleuth always make that mistake?) I really appreciated the natural and canny way Davis shows the development of the two relationships side by side. I like Tiberius a lot and could stand to see more of him. (But as this took four years to bubble to the top of my to-read pile, it might be a while before I do!)