Rating: 
Summary: Back on track and back to Rome.
Review: Ah, Time to Depart is much better than Last Act in Palmyra. I waited to read Time to Depart until I finished Last Act, and that took quite a while. Marcus and company are quite enjoyable. I agree with many others that it is time for Helena and Marcus to get married. It seems that Caesar owes Marcus quite a bit for all his loyal work and something should be able to be worked out about his rank. A new apartment, a baby on the way, a major crime boss destroyed, a major fire averted, ah such is the life of an informer in Ancient Rome. The next book in the series is sitting on the shelf and that's the one I'll be reading next. Keep up the good work!
Rating:
Summary: Back on track and back to Rome.
Review: Ah, Time to Depart is much better than Last Act in Palmyra. I waited to read Time to Depart until I finished Last Act, and that took quite a while. Marcus and company are quite enjoyable. I agree with many others that it is time for Helena and Marcus to get married. It seems that Caesar owes Marcus quite a bit for all his loyal work and something should be able to be worked out about his rank. A new apartment, a baby on the way, a major crime boss destroyed, a major fire averted, ah such is the life of an informer in Ancient Rome. The next book in the series is sitting on the shelf and that's the one I'll be reading next. Keep up the good work!
Rating: 
Summary: Hot time in old Rome for Falco and friends
Review: Balbinus Pius, the notorious Roman crime lord, has just been sent into exile so things should be quiet in Vespasian's city, right? Wrong. First, an organized band of thieves pulls off a major heist. Then the dead bodies start showing up. Falco and his good friend, Petronius Longus, will soon be joining the ranks of the dead if they aren't able to solve this mystery soon. Unlike many private detectives who seem to have no family ties, Falco is cursed with a rogues gallery of relatives all of whom have problems that he is called upon to solve. This time his niece, Tertulla, has disappeared and his father's load of Syrian glass has been hijacked. To complicate matters further, Falco is on the outs with his best friend, Petronius, he has to find a home for an abandoned baby, he's been deputed to act as augurer at his landlord's wedding, and his girlfriend, Helena, is pregnant. Things can't get much worse for our hero, can they? Of course, they can. One of the aspects of this book that I really enjoyed is the focus on the day to day activities of the vigiles or local police force. If you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend Time to Depart and suggest checking out Davis's other Falco mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Marcus Didious Falco does it again.
Review: Every time I discover a "niche" writer in paperback, it seems only a matter of time before the books are only available in hardcover with prices to match. Such is Lindsey Davis and her books on the wry and droll Marcus Didius Falco, Roman private eye of the Vespansian era, and his lovely companion, Helena. This latest book is no exception. Buy it and then read the rest, all available in paperback. Ms Davis has achieved a rare greatness in my purse: I have added her to a very short list of authors I will buy in hardcover rather than wait for the paperback
Rating:
Summary: Classic Falco-- Falco and Petronious Longus Clean-up
Review: Falco returns to Rome from a road trip ("Last Act in Palmyra") to help his pal Petronious Longus clean-up a crimewave started by an underworld power vacuum.
This novel is a classic Falco, with Davis's witty dialogue, winding plot, established cast of characters, and Roman setting. This is Falco at his best.
The story does suffer a minor problem with an all-to-quick wrap-up.
Finally, I think Davis's long-term plot lines are getting "long of tooth". Its long past time for Falco to be elevated to equestrian rank, marry Helena Justina, take-over his father's business, and get into politics. Falco is getting too domestic to play the gumshoe.
A joy to read for those who love Falco.
Rating:
Summary: Lindsey Back on Track With Time To Depart
Review: Happily, author Lindsey Davis is back on track with her Falco detective series, after the disappointing Last Act in Palmyra. Time To Depart has all the humor, wit, characters and charm that readers have come to expect from Davis and her character Marcus Didius Falco. As usual, Davis gives us an intense view of a short period in the life of Falco and his friends and family, devises a clever mystery and then wraps her story up neatly, suggesting shades of Elmore Leonard. However, this book gets an 8 because readers are growing tired of waiting for some kind of resolution to the Falco-Helena relationship. It's time for Davis to get Falco promoted so that he can make his union with Helena legal. As good as Davis is and as enjoyable as her Falco books are, readers are getting tired of waiting. Davis has the skill and talent needed to keep the series interesting and fun with a domesticated Falco, so she needs to get to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Too long and not very well crafted.
Review: I did not find this book particularly good. I did read the entire books, but that at almost 400 pages it was far too long and slow without any benefit from its length. The central characters were somewhat intriguing. What ruined the book for me were too many inclusions of 20th century slang terms. Words like "creep" and "the Mob." were used freely, but back then they would not have been part of the everyday world view. I also had the mystery solved in the first few pages. I think if the book was 200 pages and the mystery was less obvious, it would have been easier to overlook the inclusion of slang. I think Lynda S. Robinson does a better job of writing historical mysteries. Her characters are interesting to the modern reader without being imports from the modern world.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Davis' best
Review: I have enjoyed every one of Lindsey Davis' Falco mysteries, but this one took a long time to plod through. Davis has begun to enjoy her own wit a little too much and is falling into the trap of over-writing, using a hundred words where a half dozen will do. Falco is becoming tedious. He should stop referring to Helena Justina as the "Senator's daughter," or his "girl." Like other reviewers I'm put off by some of the modern expressions and I almost put the book down after Falco referred to the arch-villian as the "big rissole" for about the hundredth time. The plot took too long to develop and it lacked much of the underlying tension of earlier works. Still, I'm going to keep reading Davis because overall I find her books very enjoyable. I just hope she goes back to crafting her novels rather than just dashing them off on the computer.
Rating:
Summary: Slow and uninvolving
Review: I picked this up for some light reading after the recent tragedies, having read several of the author's previous books. This one is not up to par. The plot is uninvolving and a chore to get through. There is little wit and fewer surprises, and Falco seems uncharactistically heavy-hearted. Even the "Roman" details have gone missing; essentially, this mundane tale could have taken place anywhere. Looks like this series has run out of steam.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery, romance and action - all in one
Review: If you are a mystery lover, but are looking for something different, this is for you. The action takes place in 79AD. The hero is the ancient Roman equivalent of a private eye. He is madly in love with a senator's daughter and best friends with the local chief of police (in Roman terms ). The book provides you with the suspense of a mystery novel, while at the same time enlightens you with glorious details about everyday life in ancient Rome. The writing is witty and scholarly, but never boring. Once you read it, I guarantee you will go back and read the previous titles in the series. I highly recommend "A Time To Depart."
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