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A review by marimoose
Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis
4.0
I keep telling myself I should probably sleep now, but I figure this needed a review beforehand (plus, I blame the second cup of coffee I had this evening for my lack of sleepiness).
Time to Depart is Number Seven of the Marcus Didius Falco series, so by this point, you're either a dedicated reader and love the series in general or you're starting in media res and don't care about previous volumes (to be honest, even if you don't read the previous volumes, there's enough information in each book that you can consider it a standalone...kind of).
Anyway, in this adventure, Falco has just returned from his eventful trip with a band of actors in Syria, only to be thrown in immediately to help with an organized crime case. Balbinus Pius, the godfather, as it were, has been apprehended and given a "time to depart", where he is exiled out of the Roman Empire. Only, once the leader of organized crime disappears, what's to stop the next man from taking his place? When a string of premeditated thefts and murders surface immediately after Balbinus' exile, it is clear organized crime has found its new leader. Alongside his longtime pal, Petronius Longus, Falco must unravel the mystery behind the murders and stolen goods, the kidnapping and ransoming of children, as well as deal with domestic concerns, such as involuntary babysitting, planning for fatherhood, and divining for the wedding of the decade. Needless to say, Falco is out of the desert and back into the gladiatorial pit that is Ancient Rome.
I've yet to tire over the characters, especially Falco's dysfunctional immediate family, and his family friends. I've also been looking forward to finally seeing Falco and Petro work together (or at least, attempt to), and this book certainly has a lot of that going on. And, of course, I was severely wishing that Falco and Helena would get past the trauma that occurred in Shadows in Bronze, which they did. So all that said, this book delivered in those aspects, and much more.
It was great seeing the interaction between Falco and Petro, and I have to admit I loved the ending of the book because of their camaraderie. Of course, I could be biased, because Petro is probably my second favorite character in the novels. Second to Helena, that is.
Time to Depart is Number Seven of the Marcus Didius Falco series, so by this point, you're either a dedicated reader and love the series in general or you're starting in media res and don't care about previous volumes (to be honest, even if you don't read the previous volumes, there's enough information in each book that you can consider it a standalone...kind of).
Anyway, in this adventure, Falco has just returned from his eventful trip with a band of actors in Syria, only to be thrown in immediately to help with an organized crime case. Balbinus Pius, the godfather, as it were, has been apprehended and given a "time to depart", where he is exiled out of the Roman Empire. Only, once the leader of organized crime disappears, what's to stop the next man from taking his place? When a string of premeditated thefts and murders surface immediately after Balbinus' exile, it is clear organized crime has found its new leader. Alongside his longtime pal, Petronius Longus, Falco must unravel the mystery behind the murders and stolen goods, the kidnapping and ransoming of children, as well as deal with domestic concerns, such as involuntary babysitting, planning for fatherhood, and divining for the wedding of the decade. Needless to say, Falco is out of the desert and back into the gladiatorial pit that is Ancient Rome.
I've yet to tire over the characters, especially Falco's dysfunctional immediate family, and his family friends. I've also been looking forward to finally seeing Falco and Petro work together (or at least, attempt to), and this book certainly has a lot of that going on. And, of course, I was severely wishing that Falco and Helena would get past the trauma that occurred in Shadows in Bronze, which they did. So all that said, this book delivered in those aspects, and much more.
It was great seeing the interaction between Falco and Petro, and I have to admit I loved the ending of the book because of their camaraderie. Of course, I could be biased, because Petro is probably my second favorite character in the novels. Second to Helena, that is.