Release Date: 05/04/17
Publisher: Hodder
SYNOPSIS:
Flavia Albia's day-old marriage is in trouble - her new husband may be permanently disabled and they have no funds. So when Palace officials ask her to help expose a plotter in their midst she is obliged to accept their commission.
The plot could not be bigger. Ever since he died in AD 68, apparently by his own hand, Rome has been haunted by reports that the Emperor Nero is in fact very much alive and about to return to claim his throne.
Two Nero pretenders have emerged in the East and met grisly fates. But now, as the Emperor Domitian, whose tyrannical, paranoid reign grows ever more unpopular, fights a war in faraway Dacia, there emerges a far more sinister contender. What's more the rumour is that this false Nero is already in Rome. Plunged into the conspiracy, Flavia must infiltrate the house of the Parthians who have smuggled in this new impostor, negotiate with spies, dodge the assassins sent by the Palace traitor, and somehow cope with her stricken husband.
Can she succeed before the impostor is revealed? Or will Rome once more be plunged into civil war?
REVIEW:
In Historical Crime Fiction one author that always gives me a cracking tale is Lindsey and I'm pleased to say that she hasn't let me down again as Flavia works her analytical mind to help those in power solve a problem whose answer has eluded them.
As usual the pace it solid, our protagonist a forward thinker alongside a delight to spend time with and a continual joy as she grows into her forced role as things look bleak for her family. Its a pure delight to spend time with and when you throw in a good few twists, some cracking red herrings and a heroine you can't wait to spend time with all round makes it a tale that you'll return to during subsquent rereads to spot clues you may have missed once you know the answer.
Release Date: 14/04/16
Publisher: Hodder
SYNOPSIS:
From renowned author Lindsey Davis, creator of the much-loved character, Marcus Didius Falco and his friends and family, comes the fourth novel in her all-new series set in ancient Rome.
We first met Flavia Albia, Falco's feisty adopted daughter, in The Ides of April. Albia is a remarkable woman in what is very much a man's world: young, widowed and fiercely independent, she lives alone on the Aventine Hill in Rome and makes a good living as a hired investigator. An outsider in more ways than one, Albia has unique insight into life in ancient Rome, and she puts it to good use going places no man could go, and asking questions no man could ask.
REVIEW:
Having been disappointed with the previous title in the Flavia Albia series (Deadly Election), I hoped that this one would get back to the dangerous elements where Albia’s success or failure would affect how she survived in the Roman Empire. Thankfully this one did what I wanted and as usual I was treated to a tale that had murder, intrigue and the double edged sword of truthfulness facing off against the machinations of those concerned.
All round, it’s a story that will fulfil what you want as a reader. Solid crime deduction, interesting cast members and above all else a principle character whose personal choices often put her at odds with those she works for. Cracking.
Release Date: 09/04/15
Publisher: Hodder
SYNOPSIS:
In the blazing July heat of imperial Rome, Flavia Albia inspects a decomposing corpse. It has been discovered in lots to be auctioned by her family business, so she's determined to identify the dead man and learn how he met his gruesome end.
The investigation will give her a chance to work with the magistrate, Manlius Faustus, the friend she sadly knows to be the last chaste man in Rome. But he's got other concerns than her anonymous corpse. It's election time and with democracy for sale at Domitian's court, tension has come to a head. Faustus is acting as an agent for a 'good husband and father', whose traditional family values are being called into question. Even more disreputable are his rivals, whom Faustus wants Albia to discredit.
As Albia's and Faustus' professional and personal partnership deepens they have to accept that, for others, obsession can turn sour, and become a deadly strain that leads, tragically, to murder.
REVIEW:
Ah a book that might feel like a timely read for those of us in the UK although to be honest whilst I do enjoy reading the Alba titles, I did feel that this one felt a little flat and sadly suffered from a few problems. Firstly, that there were way too many people with the same name so that you had problems telling which one was who.
Secondly I found quite a few errors within the text and as such left me wondering what had happened to the editing time that books normally go through and perhaps more importantly I was left feeling that I had no real stake in the title as there would be no consequences for the principle character so that he had no real point in exercising his remarkable abilities in such a stifling summer.
All, whilst it was a solid enough read, against a lot of Lindsey’s other work this is perhaps one of the weaker titles and whilst against a great many others it still stands heads above their writing, to find so many problems with one text may well have readers asking why so many errors got through which in turn, can ruin their own enjoyment.
Release Date: 17/04/14
Publisher: Hodder
SYNOPSIS:
From renowned author Lindsey Davis, creator of the much-loved character, Marcus Didius Falco and his friends and family, comes the second novel in her all-new series set in Ancient Rome. We first met Flavia Albia, Falco's feisty adopted daughter, in The Ides of April. Albia is a remarkable woman in what is very much a man's world: young, widowed and fiercely independent, she lives alone on the Aventine Hill in Rome and makes a good living as a hired investigator. An outsider in more ways than one, Albia has unique insight into life in ancient Rome, and she puts it to good use going places no man could go, and asking questions no man could ask. Even as the dust settles from her last case, Albia finds herself once again drawn into a web of lies an intrigue. A mysterious death at a local villa begs may be murder and, as the household slaves are implicated, Albia is once again forced to involve herself. Her fight is not just for truth and justice, however; this time, she's also battling for the very lives of people who can't fight for themselves. Enemies at Home presents Ancient Rome as only Lindsey Davis can, offering wit, intrigue, action and the further adventures of a brilliant new heroine who promises to be as celebrated as Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina, her fictional predecessors.
REVIEW:
I’m a huge fan of Lindsey’s Falco series so when I had a chance to start a brand new series last year, I couldn’t wait to see what would occur with a new character and Lindsey’s own identifiable style. Needless to say I wasn’t disappointed and with a cracking lead character that the reader can associate with alongside great quips, wonderful turns of phrase as well as a delightful mystery to uncover all round generated something that was pure agony to put down.
Add to this an escalation in events with an ever increasing body count, tight lips within the investigation and all round, a frustrating case becomes one that really does hit the spot for readers. Great stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
Set against the terrible struggle of the English Civil War and the dark plots of the Commonwealth, "Rebels and Traitors" tells of soldiers, adventurers, aristocrats and kings, tradesmen, politicians, radicals and scavengers - and the hopes and dreams that carried them through one of the most turbulent eras of English history. Men who never imagined fighting a war gladly risk their lives; women strive to keep families and businesses together through years of deprivation; and, innocents are caught up in bloodshed and terror. After years of struggle Gideon Jukes and Juliana Lovell, on opposite sides of the Parliamentarian/Royalist divide, are brought together by fate on one of the significant dates of the struggles and its aftermath. After adversity and loss, their mutual attraction may one day bring the comfort and companionship for which they both have yearned through a disastrous war. But a dark shadow lurks over them and even in peace the past is not far behind. "Rebels and Traitors" is an absolute epic masterpiece, poignant and convincing characterisation and razor-sharp historical realism.
REVIEW:
Historical Fiction has long been the home of the Ancient Greeks, the Warriors of Rome as well as maurading Vikings. One period that seems to have escaped is the Civil War of Cromwell Vs Charles, yet here for the first time is an epic novel that brings all the best aspects of the time and blends a love story to last the ages into the very fabric of social upheaval in British Society.
Written with her usual flair but added into a time that the author clearly has a passion for, will make this novel perhaps not only her best to date but also one to stand the test of time and for which others will soon be judged. Whether that was the intention of Lindsey I cannot say but it really is a novel that I couldn’t get enough of. The fact that this book is an epic read in itself really didn’t come to my attention until I’d turned the last page and had the story that I’d been wanting. A great addition to Lindsey’s portfolio and definitely the book I’d recommend for any fans of the genre to try.
