A Dying Light in Corduba

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Summary: Lindsey Davis keeps up the good work!
Review: Lindsey Davis has succeeded in maintaining the flavour of ancient Rome and the raffish humour that permeates the Falco books. The plot is convincingly thought through and Falco's relationship with his very pregnant girlfriend, Helena Justina, is amusingly and affectionately portrayed. It is a substantial read; I hope that Davis's fans in the U.S. get to read her latest Falco book "Three Hands in the Fountain" soon. I will not spoil things by revealing the story line for this latest book, but will only say that Davis has convincingly maintained her standards yet again. A little snippet - Falco's and Helena's baby daughter is named Julia Junilla Laeitana, after both the grandmothers! "B.G." - if you are reading this review, please get in touch with me. I have changed my e-mail address and have misplaced yours. Sorry!

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Summary: A Hard-Boiled Roman in Spain
Review: Marcus Didius Falco roams again through ancient Europe to trap one more or less dangerous criminal. Although Davis uses quite often anachronisms, her novels are always enjoyable. There might be better Falco-novels and for the historical context she can't beat Steven Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" mysteries or John M. Roberts' "SPQR" sequels, but her humor and Chandlerisms make you laugh in a good way. Being an expert in Roman mysteries, I can recommend this novel for everyone who needs a refreshing mystery/suspense or who wants to get a superficial insight into the ancient Roman Empire. For those who also want historical accuracy, stay with your Steven Saylor or John M. Roberts novels.

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Summary: Falco is Spencer in Imperial Rome with meddling relatives
Review: My father gave me the first in this series, "Silver Pigs," and I've kept up with it ever since. Davis isn't Elmore Leonard. Plot developments are slow, things get wordy sometimes, and the climaxes are less than astounding, but she knows Rome c. 72 a.d., her characters are winning, and getting there is all the fun. I'm going to stick with it at least to the eruption of Vesuvius (I'm betting that's where the series is headed, and it'll be a treat). One thing I have to give Davis credit for, she's filled her mystery stories with enough complications to last an empire.

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Summary: Davis' recasts Chandler's Los Angelas as Ancient Rome
Review: The eight book of the series about Marcus Didius Falco sends the Roman informer to Spain, where some major olive oil producers are suspected of plotting a cartel to raise the praise of their highly valued commodity. Author Lindsey Davis dedicates this book to the late writer Edith Pargeter, who as Ellis Peters created the Brother Cadfael series. Davis has been compared as the next Peters, but that is about as fair as calling Dorothy Sayers another Agatha Christie. Both are good writers, but their novels work in different ways. Davis' novels travel a wider piece of ground than the monk's abbey, and her stories are far more varied. Also, what sets Falco apart from his hard-boiled rivals is that he shows great sense about power politics behind the Roman Empire. He may be fooled at times, but he's no fool and rightfully suspicious of everyone's motives, and he toes that line without falling into the despair of cynicism where one concludes that since men and women are capable of venial behavior, then all men and women are venal. He is also capably aided by his high-born wife, Helena Justica, who is also a model of good sense. Their relationship is comfortably complex, and this series is a wonderful ground-zero introduction into life and death during the Roman Empire.

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Summary: A Little Too Long
Review: The eighth in the Marco Didius Falco series, this entry sees our glib hero investigating the formation of an olive oil cartel in the province of Baetica (southern Spain). The action starts in Rome, at a private party after which Falco's former employer, and current enemy Anacrites is put in a coma. All events converge as Falco heads of to Spain to get to the bottom of things, with pregnant wife Helena in tow. Once there, Falco plunges into the local society and politics of the olive oil bigwigs. As usual, the story is a fun read, with a few moments of action, and the usual frustrations for Falco. It gets a bit a long though, and the greatest narrative tension comes from Helena's pregnancy and its resolution.

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Summary: On the Road Again!!
Review: This book starts out in Ancient Rome where Falco gets involved with the murder of another informer and the almost fatal injury of, all people, Anacrites - the chief of the spies who actually set him up to be killed in the last book. Faclo is commissioned to try to find out the killer and to stop some price-fixing plans that are being contemplated on olive oil - a very profitable product even in ancient Rome. His commission takes him to Roman Spain (or Corduba). The story is great fun and gives the reader a good understanding of ancient Spain and the Olive Oil industry. Falco brings his very pregnant cohort Helena with him on his journey. What would a Falco story be like without the beauteous Helena?

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Summary: Falco in Search of a Plot
Review: We've all seen detective series that gradually petered out as their authors obsessed with their characters and forgot that, first and foremost, you need a mystery to have a good book. I loved the previous Falco books, and Davis continues to have outstanding historical detail and character development, but I'm afraid that this plot isn't worthwhile. There's more excitement in Helena's pregnancy than in the breakup of a incipient olive oil cartel, and Falco doesn't seem to solve as much as blunder. Here's hoping that this effort was an aberration.