Author: Lindsey Davis

A bit of a slow start for me on this one. We’re back in Rome, and Falco is tangling with a pair of legal eagle informers… and a suicide that he suspects may be murder.

Author page: The Accusers – Lindsey Davis

After solving the mystery of the Fishbourne Palace project overrun/overspend and keeping King Togidubnus onside, Falco and family decide to spend a few days in Londinium on their return home to Rome, visiting Helena’s uncle and aunt.

Unfortunately their arrival coincides with the apparent murder of King Togidubnus’ friend, Verovolcus, whose banishment to Gaul Falco engineered at the end of A Body in the Bath House.

Londinium, it seems, is starting to experience the less attractive side effects of Roman life – extortion rackets run by the big boys from Rome.

As Falco and Petro run parallel investigations, the will-they, won’t-they romance between Petro and Maia continues. We meet two ladies who loom large in Falco’s life – Chloris, Falco’s ex aka the notorious rope dancer, and a British orphan called Flavia Albia.

Author page: The Jupiter Myth – Lindsey Davis

With toddler Julia and new baby Sosia Favonia in tow, Falco and Helena travel to Britannia where Falco has been tasked with sorting out a building project over spend and over run – we know the site as Fishbourne Palace. So it’s worth it in the end.

Sister Maia finds herself with them too, as a result of some subterfuge by Helena in cahoots with Petro, both concerned by what spurned admirer Anacrites might be plotting.

And given the Bath House theme, don’t be surprised at who Falco finds loitering in Britannia …

Author page: A Body in the Bath House – Lindsey Davis

Falco indulges his inner thesp and winds up investigating the murder of a Greek publisher-banker as a favour to Petro and the Vigiles, short staffed over the sweltering summer months.

For a Roman PI, Falco’s bizarrely oblivious to Petro and Maia’s simmering, long standing mutual attraction. I suspect Helena is not!

Author page: Ode to a Banker – Lindsey Davis

Newly appointed Procurator of the Sacred Poultry (with a responsibility for goslings), Falco becomes entangled with the world of Roman religions and cults, and the Vestal Virgins in particular!

We see a better side of Helena’s brother Aelianus too. After he literally stumbles across the body of one of the Arval Brethren, with his throat slit, Aelianus offers to help out with Falco’s investigations. Not that Falco sees it that way…

Author page: One Virgin Too Many – Lindsey Davis