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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Davis, L. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic (m) Davis, L. 2006 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | MYS DAVIS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
It's 76 A.D. during the reign of Vespasian, and Marcus Didius Falco has achieved much in his life. He's joined the equestrain rank, allowing him to marry Helena Justina, the Senator's daughter he's been keeping time with the past few years. But that doesn't mean all is quiet for Falco, Helena, and their two young daughters. By trade he is an informer, a man who looks into sticky situations, and he's been hired to pry his errant brother-in-law away from a murder investigation. Which means Falco must himself take it on -- requiring that Falco and Helena travel to Olympia in Greece under the guise of being tourists interested in the classic sites to investigate the suspicious goings on and the shady dealings of a fly-by-night travel agency. With two woman already missing from the packaged tour, things only get stickier when two more - including Falco's brother-in-law - disappear in what is Falco's most complex and dangerous case yet.
Author Notes
Lindsey Davis lives in London, England.
(Publisher Provided)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Davis's engaging 17th ancient Roman historical to feature "informer" Marcus Didius Falco (after 2004's Scandal Takes a Holiday), Falco takes his deductive powers to Greece, where two young women tourists have died under mysterious circumstances. Accompanied by a large entourage, including his independent and sharp-witted wife, Helena, Falco soon finds that one tour, promoted by the shady Seven Sights Travel outfit, has a suspiciously high mortality rate. The long trail of corpses Falco uncovers puts the sleuth in danger of running out of suspects. While the way Falco unmasks the killer may be less than ingenious, the author's vivid picture of life in A.D. 76 and the sparkling characterizations, particularly the amusing byplay between Falco and Helena, will satisfy most readers. For those new to this popular series, which has a new publisher, Davis provides a short introduction to Falco and his world. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Murder at the ancient Olympic Games. In a.d. 76, that experienced informant Marcus Didius Falco is asked to probe the sad and unexplained death of Marcella Caesius, the beloved only daughter of wealthy widower Caesius Secundus. Marcella disappeared during a sightseeing tour at the Olympics three years ago. After a fruitless investigation and a good bit of time, her body has been found. But this is no consolation to her bereft father. With the 214th Olympic Games coming up, Falco takes an entourage, including his shrewd wife, Helena, and his rambunctious nephews Gaius and Cornelius, to investigate. Another young woman, Valeria Ventidia, has also died on a sightseeing expedition, though under violent circumstances. So taking the tour with Seven Sights Travel seems a logical starting point for the investigation. It also allows Davis to fold in lots of interesting historical detail. The party climbs the Acropolis, visits the oracle at Delphi and gets a close-up look at athletes preparing. (Maybe too close-up: There's a narrow getaway from some rabid wrestlers.) When Falco is sidetracked by local attractions, Helena presses to keep the investigation moving. Gaius and Cornelius turn up missing on the way to a bittersweet solution that's a tribute to the complexity and depth of this series. Falco's 17th case is as elegant and intelligent as any of its predecessors (Scandal Takes a Holiday, 2005, etc.). Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
If Sam Spade traveled back in time to A.D. 76, he'd be Marcus Didius Falco, the Roman sleuth at the center of Davis' mordant series. In the seventeenth outing, Marcus, who tackles crime on behalf of the emperor (and with the help of his tart-tongued wife, Helena), casts his cynical gaze on the case of two women who met their demise on tours of Olympia, Greece. Both women perished during excursions sponsored by Seven Sights, a dubious travel agency whose slippery host dispenses a litany of lies. Marcus focuses on the more recent victim, Valeria Ventidia, who was found beaten to death with a long-jumper's hand weight. Although there's no shortage of suspects among Seven Sights' colorful clientele, Valeria's shifty, jealous husband is at the top of the list. Davis provides vibrant period detail, from majestic Greek temples and teeming Roman slums to reprehensible rulers sporting tunics trimmed with gold. Some readers of this series may have difficulty accepting the hard-boiled veneer that Davis lays over ancient Rome, but for those willing to suspend disbelief, it makes a marvelous conceit. --David Pitt Copyright 2006 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Starred Review. In Daviss ancient Rome, people operate pretty much like their modern-day counterparts, so its no surprise that there are travel agents, tour guides, and Roman tourists on worldwide getaways. Now two women have died while on vacation in Greece. Marcus Didius Falcos brother-in-law and sometimes employee, Aulus Camillus Aelianus, asks for help when he gets involved with the people accompanying a young bride found beaten to death in a sports club. Falco, an informer for the Emperor Vespasian, has been downsized yet again, and his mother-in-law wants youngest son Aulus to study law in Athens and will pay Falcos expenses if he makes sure Aulus goes to school, so the trip is on. Making her Minotaur debut with this 18th Falco adventure, Davis (Scandal Takes a Holiday) writes dense prose that requires careful reading, slipping in a random clue that may become vital to figuring out who did what or what really happened. Every book in this series is a delight, the characters so finely drawn that they have become good friends and the plots so unusual and frothy with humor that it comes as a surprise when the climax is so shocking and original. Fans will snap it up. Highly recommended. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.