Three Hands In The Fountain (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
In Three Hands in the Fountain, Marcus returns to Rome to find out that his longtime friend Petronius Longus has been thrown out of his home–his affair with Balbina Milvia (daughter of the mob boss our boys tracked down in Time to Depart) has become public knowledge and Arria Silvia can endure the humiliation no longer. As painful as this domestic situation is, there are even more horrific doings afoot in the capital of the world. Human body parts–hands, feet, heads–have been showing up in the water supply all around the city, and the mutilated torsos that belong to these appendages are drifting down the Tiber. These “festival fancies”, as Marcus’ crass brother-in-law Lollius terms them, only show up during and around the time of the games (spectacles of gladiator fights and chariot racing that occur approximately three times a year). As he investigates, Marcus discovers that these festival fancies have been appearing for years. He is dealing with a maniacal serial killer, one who preys on pretty young women in public places. When Claudia Rufina, the Baetican heiress betrothed to Helena Justina’s brother Aelianus, vanishes, the quest for the killer becomes personal. Can Marcus find the killer before he does away with Claudia?In Three Hands in the Fountain, Lindsey Davis provides a brilliant description of the Roman water supply, the interconnectedness of the aqueducts, and their sources up in the hills outside the city. She also hits just the right note in describing the Roman enthusiasm for sport. Marcus standing up in the chariot arena screaming for the Blues (while Helena Justina rolls her eyes and adjusts his seat cushion), is the perfect parallel to the modern football enthusiast and his longsuffering wife. This book–with its serial killer suspense–was one of the most exciting Falco novels in the whole set. Hard to put down, indeed.
Falco has just returned from Spain with Helena Justina and new baby in tow. During his welcome home party, Falco and his friend Petronius Longus sneak out for a drink beside a water fountain which typically isn’t working. When a city worker comes along to repair it it turns out that the source of the blockage was a human hand. After making a few enquiries it turns out that this has been a fairly regular occurrence, usually a hand or two turn up after a public festival. Anacrites is also back to full health and what’s more, he is in no mood to express gratitude by helping Falco. Instead he steals the case and when Falco and Petro fight back, Anacrites sends a group of thugs to beat them up.When two more hands turn up, and all but one are identified as having belonged to missing prostitutes, it would appear that Falco has a serial killer on his hands and must stop him before he kills again. Whats more, several more women are reported missing, including one associated with Helena Justina’s family.More excellent research here from Davis, this time about the Roman water supply in the first century. Not the most riveting of subjects but nonetheless, an interesting way to mix research and story-telling. This is the first serial killer that Falco has investigated ands the plot is fairly formulaic and will be familiar to the average crime-thriller fan.I enjoyed this but it is not amongst my favourites. To be honest, there is nothing here that really helps this book in the series to stand out against the others.See more book reviews at my blog
What do You think about Three Hands In The Fountain (1999)?
C1996: FWFTB: fountain, aqueducts, body-parts, sightseers, consul.Having read the first 8 – had to carry on. I am not sure whether or not it is because I read this after a number of really awful Kindle freebies, but this outing seemed to me to be much better than the last one. Well, I learnt more than I wanted to about the Roman water management systems but the vivid storytelling really makes you forget this. The characters of Falco and Julia are now well fleshed out so some of the scenes just jumped out of the page and slapped you in the face. I particular loved the scene where Falco is trying to conduct a stake –out outside of the Temple of the Sun and the Moon. Amongst others, along comes Falco’s nephew – “A long, tightly wrapped cloak did its best to hide my most disreputable nephew, although beneath the hem of the sinister disguise his dirty big feet in their outsize boots were unmistakable to associates.‘Jupiter! Its Gaius –‘ He was slinking along the dark Temple portico, pressing himself against the pillars and adopting a low crouch, with only his eyes showing.....”“Groaning, I watched him start to walk with an exaggerated stride, practising giant steps. A child at heart, he was now playing the old game of stepping on cracks in the pavement in case a bear ate him.” Highly recommended. FCN: Marcus Didius Falco, Helena Justina, Anacrites, Petronius Longus, Julius Frontinus.
—Ruth
Falco and his good friend Petro find a decaying hand in the local fountain and stumble into solving a good ol' fashioned mystery. Three Hands in the Fountain is a return to what I like best in the Falco series--street characters and action set in the city of Rome with a misogynistic serial killer on the loose who has to be found before he kills again. Falco discovering bits of women's bodies in the aqueducts and trying to work out the psyche of the killer gives the story a rather modern flair. About the only thing that slow the story's pacing are long descriptions of the Roman water supply system itself. (Agreed it was quite an achievement, but can we stick with the characters and their emotions a bit longer, please? I'm not a civil engineer!) Helena Justina makes only token appearances and one hopes her role increases in later stories as their child grows up. Still, Three Hands in the Fountain is an enjoyable read for fans of the series.
—Cynthianna /Celine Chatillon
This book had a very novel foundation, and the tour it provided of Roman water supply was far more interesting than might be expected. The tension created suffered a little from this being a series, especially as I had read the one after this one before this one, so I knew Claudia Ruffina ran off with Justinus rather than being chopped up. Still, the sense of urgency and frustration was very nicely portrayed and seemed real. I continue to enjoy this series very much.
—Rose
