Last Act in Palmyra

Rating:
Summary: Lindsey Davis is a worthy successor to Ellis Peters
Review: 'Last Act in Palmyra' follows the trend established by Lindsey Davis in the Falco series. Ms Davis spends considerable time exploring the growth in the unlikely relationship between Falco and his aristocratic girl friend, Helena Justina. The characters are well-drawn and the wry humour throughout the book makes it an easy read; however Ms Davis does gloss over the squalor and less savoury practices that prevailed in ancient Rome and its empire.Read the very latest Falco book 'Three Hands in the Fountain', a copy of which I have just received from Britain. Ms Davis has maintained her momentum in depicting further Falco's developing domestic life with his new baby daughter

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Rollicking Fun!
Review: I don't care what everyone else had to say about this book. I really enjoyed it. It was rollicking good fun. Didio and his beautiful Helena are on the road again, this time in Syria, and they join up with a travelling group of performers. The antics and adventures that they get into during the book are hilarious. The actual catching of the killer is done in the most unique way (as part of a performance). Falco gets better with each outing. Ms. Davis' writing is sparkling with wit, and her characters breathe! This book is back to a real whodunit format, and that was fun as well. Bring on the rest!

Rating:
Summary: A low point in an otherwise enjoyable series
Review: I have been happily ploughing through the Falco series over the past few months. This entry was most disappointing. It has Falco traipsing all over the far eastern reaches of the empire through town after town. Nothing much happens as Falco searches for a murderer in his midst and inevitably finds him. I found the travel to be repitious and I was bored by several pointless side plots.

Also, is it just me or is this book particularly crass with language and blantant profanity? I'm not adverse to "realism" in my reading, but the tone of the books seem to have changed for the worse with this entry.

I have the next in the series, Time to Depart, and am hoping for a return to form.