Writers aren’t always kind to each other but Edith Pargeter, who wrote the best selling Brother Cadfael series of Mediaeval murder mysteries, said of one of Lindsey Davis’s early novels: 'Lindsey Davis continues her exploration of Vespasian's Rome and Marcus Didius Falco's Italy with the same wit and gusto that made 'The Silver Pigs' such a dazzling debut and her rueful, self-deprecating hero so irresistibly likeable.' Wit, gusto and irresistible, three words which are the best summation of the Falco novels. Lindsey Davis’s first Falco novel, ‘The Silver Pigs’ launched in 1989, and stunned readers. Davis wrote ‘The Silver Pigs’ as ‘as a spoof using a Roman 'informer' as a classic, metropolitan private eye’. Certainly Falco has a touch of the Chicago gangster cum P.I. about him and this put me off when I started reading the series. I’d bought a copy of the ‘Last Act in Palmyra’ which is not the easiest to read if you do not know the previous novels. I was not impressed by Falco and Helena. If they were Roman citizens circa the first century A.D. then I was Aphrodite Fortunately another bookshop had all the five novels for sale and I was persuaded to start again in the correct order with ‘The Silver Pigs’. I am glad I did because I would have missed a series which can make me laugh and entertains me with a group of characters who have become old friends. There are now twenty Falco novels, ‘Nemesis’ is the latest, published in 2010, plus the ‘Falco: The Official Companion (A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery)’ - see Lindsey Davis’s website for the complete list of novels: http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/publica... and do read all the pages at the website. Lindsey Davis has a dry wit, a fine way with words and a friendly approach to her readers. ‘The Jupiter Myth’ (fourteenth in the series) is one of my favourites because I love ‘hearing’ Falco grizzle about being in Britain and enjoy Lindsey Davis’s gentle digs at her home country and climate. As an author she takes pleasure in inserting quirky words, thoughts and writers’ jokes in her novels, all part of the fun. Her research is first class and her Roman Empire ‘feels’ real. She manages to find some humourous facts about life for a Roman citizen to add to the humour. In ‘The Jupiter Myth’ there is a slight change in Marcus Didius Falco’s usual role. Here he is working, not as an informer, (what we know as a P.I.) but officially for Hilarius, his wife’s uncle, and the Roman Britain procurator, and Frontinus, the governor of the Roman Britain. Poor Falco always has a hard time working for authority. It goes against his upbringing. The story begins in London, Londinium, A.D.75, and follows on from the previous novel, ‘A Body in the Bathhouse’ where Falco had to chase a criminal to Britain. Now, Falco, Helena, their two daughters, his sister Maia, her four children, and best pal, Petronius are visiting with Hilarius before returning to civilisation, Falco’s beloved Rome. Alas, trouble turns up in the form of a body, head first in a local inn’s well. The Shower of Gold is hardly salubrious and the body is the that of the murderer Falco had banished to Gaul. Trouble ahead. From then on the reader is swept into a complex plot where a mobster organisation from Rome, (hence vigilis Petro’s presence) has infiltrated Britain to bring the Roman joys of blackmail, pimping, and extortion to a new wealthy province. Falco, with the usual help from Helena, finds himself dealing with waifs and strays, old girl friends, and violent bully boys. There’s a battle helping female gladiators, with a bear and hounds for extra fun, finally a kidnap or is it? This leads to a full scale battle, with support from the army, against the mobsters, and a tricky rescue to save Petronius. A very exciting and thoroughly satisfying read.Although the novels do stand alone it is much better to read them in chronological order. This is because, as in any good series, the characters grow and change. After all plebeian Falco has to raise himself up to middle class in order to be permitted to marry senator’s daughter, Helena. That is Roman law. His efforts to raise the money to do this take up several novels. Falco’s enormous family, his siblings, his indomitable Ma, his absconded Pa, his uncles and aunts, all play a part in the stories and provide umpteen subplots. Falco can never get on with the task in hand because he has to look after, sort out, or rescue some member or members of his family. And Lindsey Davis does a wonderful job of providing all these characters with personalities and lives the reader cares about. For an entertaining and satisfying read by a writer who deserves all her accolades do get hold of a copy of ‘The Silver Pigs’, curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy a fascinating few hours in the 1st century Roman Empire.
Following their adventures on the south coast, Marcus Didius Falco’s extended clan are still in Britain, preparing for their return to Rome when plans are interrupted by the murder of a murderer. Held up in Londinium, having been recruited by Helena’s uncle and charged by King Togidubnus, friend to the emperor and important ally in Britain, with solving the murder Falco finds himself negotiating the underworld of Londinium, cAD79. It’s a tale of organised crime, vengeance, requited love and problematic ex-girlfriends, jurisdictional disputes, civil service resentment, corrupt legionnaires and protection rackets – all the fun of big city life.As we’ve come to expect, Davis creates a cracking yarn in the hard boiled loner tradition of the detective tale. Falco and his trusty best mate Lucius Petronius Longus wrestle with protection racket enforcers, sex slaves, women gladiators (there is good archaeological evidence of a reasonable number in Londinium) and the weather. Along the way, they are aided in key moments by Helena, free thinking senatorial daughter and mother of Falco’s children, distracted by femmes fatale (cross-reference said gladiators) and demonstrate hearts of gold and a fine sense of justice at odds with the law. The organised crime narrative has Davis return to form after the problematic complexity of A Body in the Bathhouse allowing her to run parallel domestic narrative arcs (will Petro and Falco’s sister Maia finally recognise their mutual attraction or not?) and allow Falco to show his domestic powerlessness despite being ‘head of the family’. This is a very modern satire of urban life.Davis is a fine practitioner of the inter-textual reference to other in the crime genre, delights in slightly anachronistic social commentary while building on a sound base in Imperial Roman history and society, and in this case drawing on recent (when this was first published in 2002) discoveries in London’s archaeological record. Sharp, witty and extremely entertaining, familia Falco remains a pleasure to visit.
What do You think about The Jupiter Myth (2004)?
#15 - 2010.Out of new fiction I wandered to my bookshelves and discovered that I hadn't perused Lindsey Davis in some time. The Jupiter Myth was one of her books that I most enjoyed as it combines a look at life in ancient Londinum with a well conceived mystery that is investigated by her wise cracking, cynical detective, Falco. As well, a few old friends from the series are roped into service.I am surprised upon thinking of it that I dropped the series soon after this point. I read the next book or two and then seem to have forgotten to look for more. I must remedy that.
—Julie Davis
Davis is at her best when the mystery is set in Rome, perhaps due to her substantial knowledge of Roman society when it is set in the home city, rather than in outer provinces. This shows in The Jupiter Myth; Falco is infinitely more comfortable within the familiar surroundings of Rome, and in Britain, his humour is considerably muted. His freedom to move and carry out investigations in whatever manner he chooses (helped by people he's familiar with, yet again) is also lacking here.The character of Petronius, Falco's best friend, seems also to have done a complete 180; where he is usually cheerful and ready to make light of situations, he seems to match Falco's sense of gloom and serious manner all of a sudden. It is understandable, considering his numerous family problems and the circumstances of his love life, but the way he acts around other characters is strangely inconsistent.
—Hannah
RATIG: 3.75"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." But what if you're a Roman, and you're in Britain? What do you do then? In A.D. 75, the Brits are an uncivilized bunch; and Marcus Didius Falco and his extended family, including his best friend and partner Petronius, are in Londinium for a visit. As Falco is quick to point out, the British amenities are sorely lacking in comparison to civilized Rome, whether that be the political environment, the societal structure or the weather. At times, his criticisms of everything British tended to grate on this reader.In Rome, Falco is an informer; and as is usual for him, he tends to stumble across crimes as he journeys. In this case, Verovolcus, a disgraced architect associated with a Roman ally by the name of King Togidubnus, is found with his feet sticking out of a well behind a seedy bar. Falco is familiar with the drowned man, as he had banished him to Gaul instead of subjecting him to a public trial and execution for murder. The silence that Falco meets when he tries to find out what happened to the man leads him to believe that there are gangsters involved, thugs who terrorize anyone who crosses their path. Lawlessness prevails, and the world of Londinium at that time is very dark indeed.As the investigation proceeds, Falco bumps into an old girlfriend, Chloris, who is now known as "Amazonia" and has a thriving career as a girl gladiator. Falco's wife, Helena, does not take kindly to the fact that Chloris is still in lust with Marcus Didius. In the course of the narrative, there's more murder, arson and a surprise addition to the Falco family, as well as an interesting relationship twist involving Falco's sister, Maia. There are enough narrative threads to keep the reader following merrily along. However, I did have a problem with the pacing of the book. There were a few very exciting action scenes, most notably a large fight involving the girl gladiators, but it felt as if much of the action were reported via dialog between the characters rather than being directly experienced by them, a lot of talk and not too much action overall. And the identity of the murderer was easily deduced.Fans of Marcus Didius Falco and crew will find this 14th entry in the series satisfying. I missed some of the laugh-out-loud humor that was typical of the earlier books; but as always, I enjoyed the characters that Davis has created and the wonderful relationship between Marcus Didius and Helena.
—Maddy
