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vesper1931's review against another edition
4.0
July 89 AD. When a corpse is discovered in a trunk in the family auction house, Flavia Albia is determined to discover his identity. This does give her the chance to work withh er friend, the magistrate Manlius Faustus. As he is involved in the forthcoming elections, he would like Albia's help in discrediting the opposition.
An enjoyable and interesting well-written story
An enjoyable and interesting well-written story
bookadventurer's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Listened to this on audiobook but that edition isn't available in Story Graph. Love this series.
archytas's review against another edition
4.0
Possibly the strongest entrant in the new series, there is a still a little too many romance genre elements for my taste. The plot is engaging, neither transparent nor labyrinithine, and tha characters seem like people it would be fun to hang with. Good holiday read.
rhodered's review
4.0
I'm really enjoying Flavia now. She's grown and changed in the past books. A bit less prickly. And I loved the scenes of her running the auction as everyone else in the family was away in the heat of the summer.
themockingbird's review
3.0
Finishing this novel makes only the second Lindsey Davis book I've ever read, the first being The Silver Pigs, the first Falco novel. In general I felt like I was missing a lot of context, which is probably true. I don't know how Falco came to adopt Albia, except for the snippets of context that are provided through the course of the novel. Davis provides a fair amount of context throughout, relating brief histories of characters I would have met in other books. At time I found this clunky, but since it was so helpful to me, I tried to ignore the occasional awkwardness of these additions.
As with The Silver Pigs, what I enjoyed most about this novel was seeing the world of Rome on the page. I'm an amateur Classicist (having a major in Classics and a chunk of years of Latin under my belt), and I love Rome. I love the vivid details, the scene-setting, the food. It brings this world, an ancient and foreign one, to immediate and familiar life. It's comforting.
I don't have much more to say since I read this book six months before finally writing out this review.
As with The Silver Pigs, what I enjoyed most about this novel was seeing the world of Rome on the page. I'm an amateur Classicist (having a major in Classics and a chunk of years of Latin under my belt), and I love Rome. I love the vivid details, the scene-setting, the food. It brings this world, an ancient and foreign one, to immediate and familiar life. It's comforting.
I don't have much more to say since I read this book six months before finally writing out this review.
heatherr's review
3.0
This is part of Lindsey Davis' series about a female private investigator in ancient Rome. I love her books. In this one Flavia is helping her friend and potential love interest dig up dirt on political candidates. At the same time she is dealing with a problem at her family's auction business. A large chest that was consigned turned out to contain a body.
I enjoyed the book but it wasn't my favorite of the series. Definitely will keep reading them though.
I enjoyed the book but it wasn't my favorite of the series. Definitely will keep reading them though.
rosea's review
4.0
Another excellent escape to a vibrant Ancient Rome - alive and familiar in all its seediness and confusion. I love these books for how they bring the ancient world to life while remaining historically accurate. The mystery plot is a good one but of course the main interest is in the very well-drawn characters, again psychologically real, and Flavia Albia herself, particularly her developing relationship with stoic aedile, Faustus. You won't be disappointed!
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