The Party – Elizabeth Day

The Party - Elizabeth Day
The Party – Elizabeth Day

More of a modern WhoDidWhat than WhoDunnIt.

Martin, an underdog – and not a plucky one, engineers protection for himself at public school by becoming the best friend of one of the most popular boys there, Ben, and thence into the circles of the posh, privileged, powerful and – peripherally – political.

As we follow the friendship, the boy’s / mens’ other relationships and the fall out from Ben’s 40th Birthday Party, the plot is revealed from a pair of perspectives – Martin’s and that of his wife, Lucy.

I enjoyed this more than Magpie.

Author page: The Party – Elizabeth Day

Fatal Legacy – Lindsey Davis

Fatal Legacy - Lindsey Davis
Fatal Legacy – Lindsey Davis

Back to 1st Century AD Rome and some Flavia Albia sleuthing, this time into an unpaid bar bill which soon develops into a much more complicated case.

I found it hard keeping track of all the characters in the two warring families, partly because there are a lot of them but mainly because of how Roman personal names work; siblings and parents / children all share some of the same names.

Author page: Fatal Legacy – Lindsey Davis