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Flavia Albia #2
Enemies at Home
“There are rules for private informers accepting a new case. Never take on clients who cannot pay you. Never do favours for friends. Don’t work with relatives. If, like me, you are a woman, keep clear of men you find attractive.
“Will I never learn?”
In Ancient Rome, the number of slaves was far greater than that of free citizens. As a result, often the people Romans feared most were the “enemies at home,” the slaves under their own roofs. Because of this, Roman law decreed that if the head of a household was murdered at home, and the culprit wasn’t quickly discovered, his slaves—all of them, guilty or not—were presumed responsible and were put to death. Without exception.
When a couple is found dead in their own bedroom and their house burglarized, some of their household slaves know what is about to happen to them. They flee to the Temple of Ceres, which by tradition is respected as a haven for refugees. This is where Flavia Albia comes in. The authorities, under pressure from all sides, need a solution. Albia, a private informer just like her father, Marcus Didius Falco, is asked to solve the murders, in this mystery from Lindsey Davis.
“Will I never learn?”
In Ancient Rome, the number of slaves was far greater than that of free citizens. As a result, often the people Romans feared most were the “enemies at home,” the slaves under their own roofs. Because of this, Roman law decreed that if the head of a household was murdered at home, and the culprit wasn’t quickly discovered, his slaves—all of them, guilty or not—were presumed responsible and were put to death. Without exception.
When a couple is found dead in their own bedroom and their house burglarized, some of their household slaves know what is about to happen to them. They flee to the Temple of Ceres, which by tradition is respected as a haven for refugees. This is where Flavia Albia comes in. The authorities, under pressure from all sides, need a solution. Albia, a private informer just like her father, Marcus Didius Falco, is asked to solve the murders, in this mystery from Lindsey Davis.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
178 people are currently reading
979 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey Davis
77 books1,493 followersLindsey Davis, historical novelist, was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. Having taken a degree in English literature at Oxford University (Lady Margaret Hall), she became a civil servant. She left the civil service after 13 years, and when a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, she decided to become a writer, writing at first romantic serials for the UK women's magazine Woman's Realm.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
October 13, 2021
Read this great book inn 2014, and its the 2nd volume of the wonderful Flavia Albia series.
This tale is set in AD 89, and we find Flavia Albia once full into her investigating actions, looking for justice and truth.
Among many new figures, some old familiar will come along too with the likes of Marcus Didius Falco and his family and friends, and they will make this mystery witty and intriguing.
Once again the historical details has been thoroughly researched and used in this magnificent mystery.
The story itself is about the murder of two people at the local villa, and for Flavia Albia a new opportunity to prove herself as invetigator.
Soon she will encounter and enter a web of lies and deceit, where even the household slaves, who can't defend themselves, are suspects, and in these circumstances she will try to get to the truth to establish the culprit.
What is to follow is an intriguing and witty mystery full with action, where Flavia Albia will do her utmost to unravel these lies, and after some twists and turns she will finally get the result that she's looking for, and by doing so she saves the lives of innocent people and will the guilty one will be deservedly punished.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fabulous Flavia Albia Sequel"!
This tale is set in AD 89, and we find Flavia Albia once full into her investigating actions, looking for justice and truth.
Among many new figures, some old familiar will come along too with the likes of Marcus Didius Falco and his family and friends, and they will make this mystery witty and intriguing.
Once again the historical details has been thoroughly researched and used in this magnificent mystery.
The story itself is about the murder of two people at the local villa, and for Flavia Albia a new opportunity to prove herself as invetigator.
Soon she will encounter and enter a web of lies and deceit, where even the household slaves, who can't defend themselves, are suspects, and in these circumstances she will try to get to the truth to establish the culprit.
What is to follow is an intriguing and witty mystery full with action, where Flavia Albia will do her utmost to unravel these lies, and after some twists and turns she will finally get the result that she's looking for, and by doing so she saves the lives of innocent people and will the guilty one will be deservedly punished.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fabulous Flavia Albia Sequel"!
December 6, 2014
This is the second in the Flavia Albia stories and while it was better than the first book, I found myself still missing her father Falco in these stories.
Flavia is hired to investigate the murder of a couple a few days after their wedding, and the theft of some valuable silverware. Suspicion naturally falls on the household slaves, but it is a far more complicated story than that, and she has to pick her way through a tangled web of lies and omissions to get to the truth.
In some respect these stories are darker and more angry than the Falco books as we, through the eyes of Flavia, are forced to confront the harsh realities of Roman life. As a woman, she struggles much more than her father did, but this pales by comparison with the lives of the slaves that we get to meet here. Most of them, it has to be said, will not come to a good end in this story, though to a certain extent they brought their doom upon themselves by not protecting their master in the first place, and then by lying about what really happened to the authorities.
While I enjoyed this book, I still felt that it lacks a certain spark for the most part, and certainly is not in the same league as even the lesser Falco novels. There are a couple of occasions when promise is shown - one where a group of women sit around getting drunk together in defiance of all Roman convention, for example. The epilogue, in which the case has been solved , shows a lot more promise, so if the author can build on this then the series will be worth reading. I would also like to see a bit more about the politics of the time featured - Vespasian and Titus played a major part in the Falco stories, and I would like to read more about how Domitian affects the world in which this series is set.
So, possibly 3 1/2 stars for this book.
Flavia is hired to investigate the murder of a couple a few days after their wedding, and the theft of some valuable silverware. Suspicion naturally falls on the household slaves, but it is a far more complicated story than that, and she has to pick her way through a tangled web of lies and omissions to get to the truth.
In some respect these stories are darker and more angry than the Falco books as we, through the eyes of Flavia, are forced to confront the harsh realities of Roman life. As a woman, she struggles much more than her father did, but this pales by comparison with the lives of the slaves that we get to meet here. Most of them, it has to be said, will not come to a good end in this story, though to a certain extent they brought their doom upon themselves by not protecting their master in the first place, and then by lying about what really happened to the authorities.
While I enjoyed this book, I still felt that it lacks a certain spark for the most part, and certainly is not in the same league as even the lesser Falco novels. There are a couple of occasions when promise is shown - one where a group of women sit around getting drunk together in defiance of all Roman convention, for example. The epilogue, in which the case has been solved , shows a lot more promise, so if the author can build on this then the series will be worth reading. I would also like to see a bit more about the politics of the time featured - Vespasian and Titus played a major part in the Falco stories, and I would like to read more about how Domitian affects the world in which this series is set.
So, possibly 3 1/2 stars for this book.
October 9, 2024
A wealthy middle-aged man takes a trophy wife 15 years his junior. On their second night together, having held a party to celebrate the wedding, the two are strangled to death in an apparent burglary. The authorities in Ancient Rome, it being Rome, suspect the man’s slaves. But informer Flavia Albia sets out to investigate at the behest of her friend, a Roman elected plebian aedile.
Flavia Albia teams up again with Tiberius Manlius Faustus, the aedile (an elected magistrate in charge of public works, business regulation and safeguarding the supply of grain into Rome), which was wonderful. Their snarky repartee’s one of the most enjoyable parts of this five-star read. But the many surprises and twists didn’t hurt, either. I’m looking forward to reading more novels in this excellent historical mystery series.
One quibble: I listened to the audiobook edition of Enemies at Home, narrated by Lucy Brown. The word aedile is pronounced “ē-dīl,” not “eye-dīl.” It bothered me, but I wasn’t petty enough to bring down the rating over it.
Flavia Albia teams up again with Tiberius Manlius Faustus, the aedile (an elected magistrate in charge of public works, business regulation and safeguarding the supply of grain into Rome), which was wonderful. Their snarky repartee’s one of the most enjoyable parts of this five-star read. But the many surprises and twists didn’t hurt, either. I’m looking forward to reading more novels in this excellent historical mystery series.
One quibble: I listened to the audiobook edition of Enemies at Home, narrated by Lucy Brown. The word aedile is pronounced “ē-dīl,” not “eye-dīl.” It bothered me, but I wasn’t petty enough to bring down the rating over it.
June 10, 2014
I LOVE the Flavia Alba stories, and suspect that LD is also enjoying being able to write as a woman.
While there are lots of similarities between these and the Falco novels, and while the 'voice' is (unsurprisingly) basically the same one (understandable, as Flavia is Falco's daughter, and thus makes no attempt to hide the fact that many of her approaches and mannerisms are inherited from her father), what makes these novels as enjoyable as the Falcos is the slow development of the millieu around Flavia.
Just as, in the beginning of the earlier series, we saw Falco's world expand from himself alone to him and Helena, then bringing in Petro, Falco's family, Anacrites, Flavia herself and onwards, so, with this series, one of the pleasures, for me, is the 'side' characters who you hope will return.
Amongst them is Roscius, a swaggering, and potentially very dangerous gangster-in-training, and Dromo, a somewhat dopey slave that Albia's been saddled with.
The whole story is about slaves, a desperate attempt to save a dozen of them from being executed when their master and mistress are strangled, and any misgivings I may have had about the conceit's similarities to Saylor's Roman Blood were absolutely forgotten by the end, which - in true Davis fashion - is absolutely tragic.
It takes a while to get going, is very dialogue heavy, and (not-really-a-spoiler alert) doesn't have what you could call a feel-good ending, but these are the things I adore Lindsey Davis for, and I can't wait for the next Flavia Albia novel.
While there are lots of similarities between these and the Falco novels, and while the 'voice' is (unsurprisingly) basically the same one (understandable, as Flavia is Falco's daughter, and thus makes no attempt to hide the fact that many of her approaches and mannerisms are inherited from her father), what makes these novels as enjoyable as the Falcos is the slow development of the millieu around Flavia.
Just as, in the beginning of the earlier series, we saw Falco's world expand from himself alone to him and Helena, then bringing in Petro, Falco's family, Anacrites, Flavia herself and onwards, so, with this series, one of the pleasures, for me, is the 'side' characters who you hope will return.
Amongst them is Roscius, a swaggering, and potentially very dangerous gangster-in-training, and Dromo, a somewhat dopey slave that Albia's been saddled with.
The whole story is about slaves, a desperate attempt to save a dozen of them from being executed when their master and mistress are strangled, and any misgivings I may have had about the conceit's similarities to Saylor's Roman Blood were absolutely forgotten by the end, which - in true Davis fashion - is absolutely tragic.
It takes a while to get going, is very dialogue heavy, and (not-really-a-spoiler alert) doesn't have what you could call a feel-good ending, but these are the things I adore Lindsey Davis for, and I can't wait for the next Flavia Albia novel.
July 7, 2018
4 The cup-bearer did it Stars
Flavia Albia grew on me even more in this book. I enjoy her sense of humour, and her sarcastic commentary. I felt like this story was evenly paced, the murder case kept me engaged 'till the very end, becasue I honestly had no idea who killed. Also the blossoming romance between Flavia and Tiberius is warming my heart, ending made me swoon so hard.
Flavia Albia grew on me even more in this book. I enjoy her sense of humour, and her sarcastic commentary. I felt like this story was evenly paced, the murder case kept me engaged 'till the very end, becasue I honestly had no idea who killed. Also the blossoming romance between Flavia and Tiberius is warming my heart, ending made me swoon so hard.
May 20, 2015
It’s once more unto the breech for Flavia Alba in the second book of her series, Enemies at Home. I enjoyed the first of this series,
The Ides of April
, but for some reason I never managed to fit in the next book onto the reviewing schedule. With book three in the series released last month, this historical fiction month seemed like a great time to catch up on both of the books. And I have to say I enjoyed Enemies at Home even more than I did The Ides of April.
What bothered me most about the previous book was how modern Albia’s voice felt. This time around, whether because I was now used to Albia or because in the intermittent years I’ve read my books set in Roman times, Albia’s voice didn’t feel like a distraction in fact it was one of my favourite things about the narrative. Albia is distinctive and funny. Her acerbic wit and often somewhat snarky asides never failed to amuse me and I was greatly entertained by her narration of the story.
Albia is still the headstrong, independent, fearless investigator we met in The Ides of April. She’s a very entertaining character and a keen observer of everything and everyone around her. What I like about Albia’s investigative style is that she isn’t given to Sherlockian flashes of genius insights, but to dogged persistence and logical thinking. The wonderful Aedile Manlius Faustus returns and this time he is Albia’s client, giving her the assignment of figuring out who murdered a newly-wed couple. I love the connection between Albia and Faustus, which is flirty and fun, but also based on genuine respect and friendship. In addition to Faustus and several other returning characters, we also meet some new characters. Chief amongst these is Dromo, a slave assigned by Faustus to protect Albia during her investigations. I thought he was a great character and he had some genuinely comic scenes, but also some of the most heartbreaking ones. Through him we learn more about Albia’s background, which might be old news for readers of Davis’ Falco series which is about Albia’s father, but for new readers makes for interesting reading.
While The Ides of April was set in Albia’s home neighbourhood the Aventine, in Enemies at Home the action moves across town to the Esquiline. This meant that Albia is very much out of her comfort zone and lacking most of her usual contacts. The new stomping grounds in the Esquiline mean having to work twice as hard to find clues and figure out what happens and it shows off some of Albia’s strongest skills, especially the way she creates connections with people, other women in particular. There is one specific scene towards the end of the book where an impromptu gathering of women gives Albia the final pieces to solve the puzzle and I really loved the way Davis put that together. It also showed the silent power of Roman wives, be they powerful matriarchs or freedman’s wife. I appreciated Davis’ portrayal of the lives of Roman women and the surprising freedoms they had.
Albia’s case in Enemies at Home is a tough one, that centres on the legal obligations of slaves to their masters and the powerless positions slaves found themselves in. Slavery is always a tough subject, because it is such a heinous institution. I had mixed feelings about its portrayal here, because Albia both acknowledges it is an awful practice, yet at the same time seems to casually accept it and expect the slaves she encounters to be resigned to their fates and serve their time until they are freed for good service, if they are that lucky at all. I found it confusing, though it could be interpreted as an illustration how ingrained the practice was in society and that even if one knows it is wrong and would like to change it, actually changing even one’s own attitude requires a lot of work and constant awareness of one’s thought patterns.
In the end, Flavia Albia’s second outing was better for me than her first and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into Deadly Election, Lindsey Davis’ latest instalment in the series. If you enjoy fun, witty, and smart female investigators, Flavia Albia is a protagonist you won’t want to miss and Enemies at Home is a great introduction to her. In fact, I might even recommend starting with this book instead of The Ides of April as it stands alone quite well and Albia hits her stride from the beginning.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
What bothered me most about the previous book was how modern Albia’s voice felt. This time around, whether because I was now used to Albia or because in the intermittent years I’ve read my books set in Roman times, Albia’s voice didn’t feel like a distraction in fact it was one of my favourite things about the narrative. Albia is distinctive and funny. Her acerbic wit and often somewhat snarky asides never failed to amuse me and I was greatly entertained by her narration of the story.
Albia is still the headstrong, independent, fearless investigator we met in The Ides of April. She’s a very entertaining character and a keen observer of everything and everyone around her. What I like about Albia’s investigative style is that she isn’t given to Sherlockian flashes of genius insights, but to dogged persistence and logical thinking. The wonderful Aedile Manlius Faustus returns and this time he is Albia’s client, giving her the assignment of figuring out who murdered a newly-wed couple. I love the connection between Albia and Faustus, which is flirty and fun, but also based on genuine respect and friendship. In addition to Faustus and several other returning characters, we also meet some new characters. Chief amongst these is Dromo, a slave assigned by Faustus to protect Albia during her investigations. I thought he was a great character and he had some genuinely comic scenes, but also some of the most heartbreaking ones. Through him we learn more about Albia’s background, which might be old news for readers of Davis’ Falco series which is about Albia’s father, but for new readers makes for interesting reading.
While The Ides of April was set in Albia’s home neighbourhood the Aventine, in Enemies at Home the action moves across town to the Esquiline. This meant that Albia is very much out of her comfort zone and lacking most of her usual contacts. The new stomping grounds in the Esquiline mean having to work twice as hard to find clues and figure out what happens and it shows off some of Albia’s strongest skills, especially the way she creates connections with people, other women in particular. There is one specific scene towards the end of the book where an impromptu gathering of women gives Albia the final pieces to solve the puzzle and I really loved the way Davis put that together. It also showed the silent power of Roman wives, be they powerful matriarchs or freedman’s wife. I appreciated Davis’ portrayal of the lives of Roman women and the surprising freedoms they had.
Albia’s case in Enemies at Home is a tough one, that centres on the legal obligations of slaves to their masters and the powerless positions slaves found themselves in. Slavery is always a tough subject, because it is such a heinous institution. I had mixed feelings about its portrayal here, because Albia both acknowledges it is an awful practice, yet at the same time seems to casually accept it and expect the slaves she encounters to be resigned to their fates and serve their time until they are freed for good service, if they are that lucky at all. I found it confusing, though it could be interpreted as an illustration how ingrained the practice was in society and that even if one knows it is wrong and would like to change it, actually changing even one’s own attitude requires a lot of work and constant awareness of one’s thought patterns.
In the end, Flavia Albia’s second outing was better for me than her first and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into Deadly Election, Lindsey Davis’ latest instalment in the series. If you enjoy fun, witty, and smart female investigators, Flavia Albia is a protagonist you won’t want to miss and Enemies at Home is a great introduction to her. In fact, I might even recommend starting with this book instead of The Ides of April as it stands alone quite well and Albia hits her stride from the beginning.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
May 28, 2015
This is the second of the Flavia Albia mysteries - Albia being the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina, protagonists of twenty previous Lindsey Davis mysteries set in Flavian Rome. Domitian is now in power and Albia has taken up both her father's trade as informer and his Aventine apartment. Davis seems to have found Albia's voice here and is gradually providing her with love interests, sidekicks, and contacts in the much darker post-Vespasian, post-Vesuvius Rome. Unlike the first volume,in which they were sorely missed, we are now re-introduced to members of the extended Didius/Camillus family. The plot itself concerns slaves and slavery. I will happily seek out the third in the series. In the mean time, I may find my copy of The Silver Pigs and start all over - they are by far my favorite period mysteries and highly recommended.
July 12, 2014
This was a slow read for me, due to the tone and unfamiliar terms specific to this setting. I wish there was a glossary, because that would have facilitated my reading. However, I liked the vantage point of 1st century Rome, especially in a mystery format.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
March 24, 2021
An absorbing and complex case for Flavia Albia. Davies is so good at the daily vernacular of everyday Roman life.
March 7, 2019
This is the second book in the series Lindsey Davis has created featuring Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of her earlier hero, Falco. The first book firmly established Albia in her own right; smart, determined, and fiercely independent.
Hardly has she recovered from the professional and personal issues surrounding her last case, when she is called in to investigate two deaths. A newly married couple have been found dead in their bed. Immediately afterwards, most of their household slaves claim sanctuary in a local temple. The local magistrate - who Albia encountered in the first book - asks her to look into what happened.
This makes for an interesting story. The laws around slaves who may have been involved in the death of their master or mistress were straightforward; and brutal. Designed for practical reasons - from the owners' point of view - to prevent such an event happening. But it meant that slaves had no way of defending themselves; evidence from a slave was only valid if it had been obtained under torture.
Albia therefore has to work on two levels. Try to unravel the lives of the victims, their friends and their free household members. Then try to work out what the slaves fear and why they didn't defend their master and mistress during the attack that killed them.
There are a lot of characters involved in this story. The victims have a number of friends and relations who might have benefitted from their deaths. And the slaves are a very mixed bunch; the newlyweds were in the process of merging their households, and everyone knew that meant some of the slaves would be surplus to requirements. The final element in the mix is the local crime family, who may - or may not - have been involved.
To make life easy for herself, Albia moves temporarily into the house of the victims, along with Dromo, a slave of the magistrate, who is there for her protection. He is ever present through the rest of the story; useless, but dependable in his own way. He's the source of quite a bit of humour. Albia's growing relationship with the magistrate himself is also handled well, leaving you wondering where it might go.
The story actually covers quite a lot of ground around Roman law; though never gets bogged down. Marriage contracts, guardianship, divorce, the status of slaves and freedmen. All interesting, and relevant to the story, but handled lightly. I learnt quite a lot without any pain!
As always, with Lindsey Davis, the story rattles along at pace. New faces appear, but always with just enough detail to allow you to remember them with ease. She has a singular knack of handling a large cast list with aplomb, and avoiding any confusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Albia is an interesting character; in some ways, she has more about her than her more famous father. Lindsey Davis seems to have been re-invigorated by writing stories from a different perspective. I wondered if taking a character from the Falco books to create a new lead would work, but after the first two books, I would have to say that it is working beautifully.
Hardly has she recovered from the professional and personal issues surrounding her last case, when she is called in to investigate two deaths. A newly married couple have been found dead in their bed. Immediately afterwards, most of their household slaves claim sanctuary in a local temple. The local magistrate - who Albia encountered in the first book - asks her to look into what happened.
This makes for an interesting story. The laws around slaves who may have been involved in the death of their master or mistress were straightforward; and brutal. Designed for practical reasons - from the owners' point of view - to prevent such an event happening. But it meant that slaves had no way of defending themselves; evidence from a slave was only valid if it had been obtained under torture.
Albia therefore has to work on two levels. Try to unravel the lives of the victims, their friends and their free household members. Then try to work out what the slaves fear and why they didn't defend their master and mistress during the attack that killed them.
There are a lot of characters involved in this story. The victims have a number of friends and relations who might have benefitted from their deaths. And the slaves are a very mixed bunch; the newlyweds were in the process of merging their households, and everyone knew that meant some of the slaves would be surplus to requirements. The final element in the mix is the local crime family, who may - or may not - have been involved.
To make life easy for herself, Albia moves temporarily into the house of the victims, along with Dromo, a slave of the magistrate, who is there for her protection. He is ever present through the rest of the story; useless, but dependable in his own way. He's the source of quite a bit of humour. Albia's growing relationship with the magistrate himself is also handled well, leaving you wondering where it might go.
The story actually covers quite a lot of ground around Roman law; though never gets bogged down. Marriage contracts, guardianship, divorce, the status of slaves and freedmen. All interesting, and relevant to the story, but handled lightly. I learnt quite a lot without any pain!
As always, with Lindsey Davis, the story rattles along at pace. New faces appear, but always with just enough detail to allow you to remember them with ease. She has a singular knack of handling a large cast list with aplomb, and avoiding any confusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Albia is an interesting character; in some ways, she has more about her than her more famous father. Lindsey Davis seems to have been re-invigorated by writing stories from a different perspective. I wondered if taking a character from the Falco books to create a new lead would work, but after the first two books, I would have to say that it is working beautifully.
February 12, 2018
This was an interesting one - I admire the fact that Davis chose to grapple with slavery, which must surely be one of the more difficult aspects of ancient Roman life for a fiction writer: abhorrent to modern readers, it was taken for granted by Romans. That said, the end result is somewhat discomfiting. The narrator, Flavia Albia, narrowly escaped a life of slavery herself, and knows it; she does not have slaves and prefers to live independently. She is sympathetic to the concerns of slaves. At the same time, the narrative demands of the mystery mean that she can't be too sympathetic to the slaves, and that's where it starts to get dicey: Albia happily pals around with slave owners who complain about the bad attitude of a slave (who was, as Albia admits, forced into her owner's bed probably at puberty, bore him as many as ten children, had all of the children taken from her and sold off, then was scheduled to be sold off herself when her owner remarried), and dislikes the slave herself, in part because she keeps making eyes at men. Albia can't stand women like that, who rely on men for everything, who are not independent! Oh. Well, that's nice. Albia is a Roman citizen with a (probably ahistorically) loving and protective yet independence-granting family, so this is intensely grating to read, and the fact that Albia acknowledges how rough the slave had it doesn't actually help. The power differential makes it difficult to read the conflict neutrally. At the same time, Albia is sympathetic enough (and her voice and attitudes are modern enough) that I think we're supposed to read her as somehow better than the Romans who mistreat their slaves or take them for granted - but Davis doesn't pull that off. I almost wish she'd just gone whole hog and made Albia dislikeable in her attitude towards slaves.
It's very difficult, from the mystery-reader perspective, to view a slave character the same way you view a free character, because the back stories and motivations are so horrifying to the modern reader that murder seems entirely justified. When the novel begins there is a temple full of slaves who are fleeing execution for not preventing the murder of their owners. I mean, from page one they're operating at a disadvantage that makes it hard to view them critically, and the free Romans are working within a system that is horrifyingly unfair. Yet the book read as though we were supposed to be reading these characters the same way we'd be reading, say, suspects in a Sherlock Holmes story - but Victorian servants, at least, would not be facing this kind of arbitrary execution, and at least hypothetically could find new employers. Awful though the situation of Victorian servants was, it's a different level of awful. This level of awful is so high that the narrative just didn't work for me. Like I said, interesting.
It's very difficult, from the mystery-reader perspective, to view a slave character the same way you view a free character, because the back stories and motivations are so horrifying to the modern reader that murder seems entirely justified. When the novel begins there is a temple full of slaves who are fleeing execution for not preventing the murder of their owners. I mean, from page one they're operating at a disadvantage that makes it hard to view them critically, and the free Romans are working within a system that is horrifyingly unfair. Yet the book read as though we were supposed to be reading these characters the same way we'd be reading, say, suspects in a Sherlock Holmes story - but Victorian servants, at least, would not be facing this kind of arbitrary execution, and at least hypothetically could find new employers. Awful though the situation of Victorian servants was, it's a different level of awful. This level of awful is so high that the narrative just didn't work for me. Like I said, interesting.
August 26, 2014
Fighting with myself to decide if I should rate this a 3 or a 4. And then the ending came and the 4 star won. Flavia Albia is far from perfect, but she does have her own style and intelligence over-driven personality. She's a young widow, not the normal "hot" chick lady detective favorite of any era. Falco never appears and Helena J. just at the end, so Flavia A. gets her full 300 plus page of working individually in the family business. The adile that hires her has potential too, on more than several basis points. He's witty and he's fair in the societal context. There are also some under characters introduced that are priceless, like Dromo. Panther, the dog, was good too.
My problem came only with the slight redundancy of information and the slowness of minutia for page upon page of rather insipid inquiry to the accused slaves' dialog. But even there, some of the asides and descriptive Flavia thoughts of evaluation made most of those readable. Just too slow for me to keep the higher interest, especially within the entire subplot to the slave who had just given birth.
Being Rome in this era I give credit for the eventual outcome in this Davis reveal. As today, the most essential information is given up by/when perps are promised lighter sentences or freedom from prosecution. But being Rome, entire others of the accused often have extremely dire ends.
As in all Lindsey Davis books, the only big complaint I have is the constant Roman roads direction and plotting of every walking route and journey. Just put in a map already or state you are going down a hill or by Temple of Ceres or something. This is too many pages to continually detail routing walks or chair rides. 3.5 star rounded to 4 because this new series will be full 4 star once Flavia context is just a bit more established.
OH, I also loved the parts with her favorite Uncle and his wife. In the Falco books Helena's younger brother was always my favorite and here he is again. And he is a Senator with the purple stripe now too.
My problem came only with the slight redundancy of information and the slowness of minutia for page upon page of rather insipid inquiry to the accused slaves' dialog. But even there, some of the asides and descriptive Flavia thoughts of evaluation made most of those readable. Just too slow for me to keep the higher interest, especially within the entire subplot to the slave who had just given birth.
Being Rome in this era I give credit for the eventual outcome in this Davis reveal. As today, the most essential information is given up by/when perps are promised lighter sentences or freedom from prosecution. But being Rome, entire others of the accused often have extremely dire ends.
As in all Lindsey Davis books, the only big complaint I have is the constant Roman roads direction and plotting of every walking route and journey. Just put in a map already or state you are going down a hill or by Temple of Ceres or something. This is too many pages to continually detail routing walks or chair rides. 3.5 star rounded to 4 because this new series will be full 4 star once Flavia context is just a bit more established.
OH, I also loved the parts with her favorite Uncle and his wife. In the Falco books Helena's younger brother was always my favorite and here he is again. And he is a Senator with the purple stripe now too.
March 13, 2021
My library copy came due. I'd read the first 3 or 4 chapters, and, well. I certainly didn't hate the book. It's pretty well-written, and better than the previous Lindsey Davis historical mysteries I'd tried. "The Silver Pig" was one, another DNF, lost interest. This one was recommended by a GR friend as worth a try, because they liked this series more than the original. Well, so do I -- but not enough to finish it, sadly. So I'm done with Lindsey Davis. Minority opinion, looks like. I like historical fiction, but I'm lukewarm on whodunnits.
August 26, 2024
Flavia Albia serisinin ikinci kitabı. Zengin bir çift yatak odalarında öldürülmüş olarak bulunur. Katil ya da katiller soyguncular mı yoksa evdeki 9 köleden biri mi? Flavia Albia çok zor entrikalı bir soruşturmanın içine girer. Bayıldım kitaba, severek gülerek bir çırpıda okudum. Ms 89 yılı Romasında geçtiği için otantik bir havası var. Rahatlıkla tavsiye ederim.
September 7, 2018
It was a mere moment to step back in time and gather myself into post-Falco mode after reading the 19th of his series. Flavia Alba’s home is the world of dust and corruption that is Rome. I had forgotten she had a potential love interest. Eventually I remembered how they’d encountered each other in book one. Pleasingly, the young man (Tiberius) is worthy of her, intelligent enough, independent enough, and useful enough. He is an aedile, which is a bit like a sheriff, I suppose, in the Roman hierarchy.
Like most of these books, a body appears, and the question is, how did it come to be there. The critical part of this plot is that under Roman law, slaves belonging to the deceased are put to death for failing to rush to protect him from his assailant. This leads to plenty of concern on Flavia’s part both for the determination of the truth, and the ethics of putting slaves to death merely for being slaves.
We are treated to a full on Lindsey Davis investigation, full of beautifully written intrigue, twists, red herrings, and blind alleys. She draws us into the alleys and byways of Rome, and I occasionally wonder how she manages to inhabit this bygone world so fully that we can almost smell it with her. I love this writing, and this book is one of her best.
Like most of these books, a body appears, and the question is, how did it come to be there. The critical part of this plot is that under Roman law, slaves belonging to the deceased are put to death for failing to rush to protect him from his assailant. This leads to plenty of concern on Flavia’s part both for the determination of the truth, and the ethics of putting slaves to death merely for being slaves.
We are treated to a full on Lindsey Davis investigation, full of beautifully written intrigue, twists, red herrings, and blind alleys. She draws us into the alleys and byways of Rome, and I occasionally wonder how she manages to inhabit this bygone world so fully that we can almost smell it with her. I love this writing, and this book is one of her best.
October 30, 2017
Anything by Lindsey Davis is a must read for me, and I've never been disappointed. Yes, some are more satisfying than others, but they're all worth diving into. This is the second book following Flavia Albia. We know her from the Falco books, but in those she was a teenager and seen through the eyes of her father. She is a rather different person when you get into her own mind, and she's someone we can get as attached to as we are to Falco.
The mystery was suitably intricate. I had now idea who the murderer was until about the same time that Albia figured it out, which is the sign of a well-plotted mystery novel. I was also intrigued by the way the author managed to get inside the mindset of the character and her time period to present the entire issue of slavery as the Romans would have seen it, not with out modern attitudes. Albia recognizes when slaves are being treated badly because of her own difficult past, which brought her perilously close to that condition, and yet she still has the Roman attitude that if a slave is useless, the owner should sell him and be rid of the trouble. This flies in the face of everything our modern culture believes (or is supposed to believe), but because modern morality is not allowed to intrude, the narrative rings true.
This is, first and foremost, a mystery novel, and it can be enjoyed as such. But readers who are more interested in characters and their development will be equally satisfied. Overlayering the puzzle is a very sweet, if very slowly developing, love story that is no less satisfying for the indications that it could take any number of books to bring to fruition. I look forward to seeing Albia and Faustus partner up again.
The mystery was suitably intricate. I had now idea who the murderer was until about the same time that Albia figured it out, which is the sign of a well-plotted mystery novel. I was also intrigued by the way the author managed to get inside the mindset of the character and her time period to present the entire issue of slavery as the Romans would have seen it, not with out modern attitudes. Albia recognizes when slaves are being treated badly because of her own difficult past, which brought her perilously close to that condition, and yet she still has the Roman attitude that if a slave is useless, the owner should sell him and be rid of the trouble. This flies in the face of everything our modern culture believes (or is supposed to believe), but because modern morality is not allowed to intrude, the narrative rings true.
This is, first and foremost, a mystery novel, and it can be enjoyed as such. But readers who are more interested in characters and their development will be equally satisfied. Overlayering the puzzle is a very sweet, if very slowly developing, love story that is no less satisfying for the indications that it could take any number of books to bring to fruition. I look forward to seeing Albia and Faustus partner up again.
August 15, 2020
Originally published at Reading Reality
The past is another country, they do things differently there – or so the saying goes.
In my reading of this particular book, the saying can be interpreted more than one way. The Flavia Albia series is set in Imperial Rome in the year 89 AD, during the reign of the emperor Domitian. And I first encountered Flavia, or at least her adopted father Marcus Didius Falco, in the first book in his series, The Silver Pigs, 30 years ago, at a time when I had a one hour plus commute to and from work each day, and good, unabridged audiobooks were still pretty thin on the ground. Falco’s world-weary voice made a long journey shorter and considerably more entertaining.
I welcomed Flavia Albia back into my reading life with all the enthusiasm of greeting a long-lost and much-missed friend. After all, she is a chip off the disreputable old block in all the best ways!
Both Flavia and Falco were private informers and inquiry agents, in other words, private detectives, in an imperial Rome that for all of historical trappings feels a lot more contemporary than most readers probably expected. One of the things that this author does so well is to emphasize the things that we have in common, rather than the details that differentiate that time from our own.
After all, Flavia and Falco are both paid to investigate wandering spouses and uncover criminal activity. While technology has changed a lot in the intervening millennia, it’s not difficult to get caught up in the writer’s interpretation that human nature hasn’t changed much, if at all, in that same period – if ever.
But the setting does play its part. In this case, Flavia is hired by an up-and-coming official that she’s worked with before, Tiberius Manlius Faustus, on a case that she has to break all of her own rules to take – and almost immediately wishes that she hadn’t.
Faustus has hired Albia to determine which, if any, of the slaves from the household of burgled and murdered newlyweds were culpable in the crime. If she can’t determine that some of them neither participated in the murder, nor the theft, nor sat back and allowed it all to happen while they stood idly by, they’ll all be killed in the Coliseum – as public fodder for the beasts.
It’s clear from her initial interviews of the potential subjects that they are all hiding something. The question that Albia has to figure out is whether they’re merely covering up a bit of spiteful backbiting and petty thievery, or whether they are responsible for theft of a staggering – in more ways than one – amount of silver serving ware and the murder of their masters.
Albia finds herself caught between the officials who want a quick solution, a criminal gang unwilling to take responsibility for a job they didn’t do, her own meddling uncles, neighbors who seem to have seen nothing and heard less, and a group of people who seem to be lying at every turn.
Just as she decides that this is one case that she’s never going to solve, there’s another body. A body that can’t be laid at the feet of the original suspects, as Albia was interviewing them all at the time!
Once the case breaks wide open, with Albia squarely on the scene this time, she finally has a chance to figure out what really happened the first time around. Before anyone else winds up dead – justly or not.
Escape Rating A-: Slipping back into Albia’s world was like slipping into a warm bath or under a comfy blanket – in spite of the story being just chock full of lying witnesses, murder suspects and dead bodies. Mystery is a comfort read because it’s the romance of justice. More or less. It may start with a dead body, whether much lamented or completely unlamented, but it ends with good triumphing, or at least normal order prevailing, while evil, or at least misguided criminals, receive their just desserts.
There are two things that make this series, as well as its predecessor featuring Albia’s father Falco.
One is the first-person, cynical, sometimes world-weary voice of the protagonist. Admittedly, Falco was a bit more world-weary than Albia, but by the end of his series in Nemesis he was a bit older than Albia is here. Not that Albia is a newbie in either her work or her life, as this story opens she is 29, a widow with no children, and has been working in her father’s old profession for a number of years.
She’s had plenty of time and experience to observe human behavior in all its ugliness to earn the wry cynicism in her perspective. Also, her world is a bit darker than her father’s and not just because there are more obstacles in her way as a woman doing a man’s job, or any job at all. The Emperor Vespasian, who Falco worked under and occasionally worked for, was a much different man than Domitian, the emperor of Albia’s time.
For one thing, Vespasian was a soldier, a realist, and generally not insane. A condition that Domitian is heading towards by this point in history. Falco had friends in high places when he was a private informer, while during Albia’s time no one would want to have friends in those same places if they had any sense. Which she certainly does.
The other thing that makes this series work is the way that the author brings the commonalities of life in Imperial Rome to life. It’s a big, complicated city, a center of government, a hive of activity. And in the complexities of life in a major metropolis, we see that some things are the same. People gossip about their neighbors. Divorces are more often acrimonious than friendly. Some people rub other people the wrong way. Life in a big city is portrayed as not all that different once you get past 20th or 21st century technology.
Even though Albia doesn’t have contemporary forensics to help her solve this case, the things she does have to work with haven’t changed all that much. She has to examine the crime scene, interview the witnesses, interrogate the suspects, establish a timeline, pull together the evidence she does have and determine who is innocent and who is guilty.
And we get vicarious pleasure in watching her do so, as well as observing the tentative steps she takes towards a relationship with Manlius. Something that we’ll see develop in later books in the series. I’m looking forward to Albia’s next case, Deadly Election, the next time I need to see someone receive their just desserts!
The past is another country, they do things differently there – or so the saying goes.
In my reading of this particular book, the saying can be interpreted more than one way. The Flavia Albia series is set in Imperial Rome in the year 89 AD, during the reign of the emperor Domitian. And I first encountered Flavia, or at least her adopted father Marcus Didius Falco, in the first book in his series, The Silver Pigs, 30 years ago, at a time when I had a one hour plus commute to and from work each day, and good, unabridged audiobooks were still pretty thin on the ground. Falco’s world-weary voice made a long journey shorter and considerably more entertaining.
I welcomed Flavia Albia back into my reading life with all the enthusiasm of greeting a long-lost and much-missed friend. After all, she is a chip off the disreputable old block in all the best ways!
Both Flavia and Falco were private informers and inquiry agents, in other words, private detectives, in an imperial Rome that for all of historical trappings feels a lot more contemporary than most readers probably expected. One of the things that this author does so well is to emphasize the things that we have in common, rather than the details that differentiate that time from our own.
After all, Flavia and Falco are both paid to investigate wandering spouses and uncover criminal activity. While technology has changed a lot in the intervening millennia, it’s not difficult to get caught up in the writer’s interpretation that human nature hasn’t changed much, if at all, in that same period – if ever.
But the setting does play its part. In this case, Flavia is hired by an up-and-coming official that she’s worked with before, Tiberius Manlius Faustus, on a case that she has to break all of her own rules to take – and almost immediately wishes that she hadn’t.
Faustus has hired Albia to determine which, if any, of the slaves from the household of burgled and murdered newlyweds were culpable in the crime. If she can’t determine that some of them neither participated in the murder, nor the theft, nor sat back and allowed it all to happen while they stood idly by, they’ll all be killed in the Coliseum – as public fodder for the beasts.
It’s clear from her initial interviews of the potential subjects that they are all hiding something. The question that Albia has to figure out is whether they’re merely covering up a bit of spiteful backbiting and petty thievery, or whether they are responsible for theft of a staggering – in more ways than one – amount of silver serving ware and the murder of their masters.
Albia finds herself caught between the officials who want a quick solution, a criminal gang unwilling to take responsibility for a job they didn’t do, her own meddling uncles, neighbors who seem to have seen nothing and heard less, and a group of people who seem to be lying at every turn.
Just as she decides that this is one case that she’s never going to solve, there’s another body. A body that can’t be laid at the feet of the original suspects, as Albia was interviewing them all at the time!
Once the case breaks wide open, with Albia squarely on the scene this time, she finally has a chance to figure out what really happened the first time around. Before anyone else winds up dead – justly or not.
Escape Rating A-: Slipping back into Albia’s world was like slipping into a warm bath or under a comfy blanket – in spite of the story being just chock full of lying witnesses, murder suspects and dead bodies. Mystery is a comfort read because it’s the romance of justice. More or less. It may start with a dead body, whether much lamented or completely unlamented, but it ends with good triumphing, or at least normal order prevailing, while evil, or at least misguided criminals, receive their just desserts.
There are two things that make this series, as well as its predecessor featuring Albia’s father Falco.
One is the first-person, cynical, sometimes world-weary voice of the protagonist. Admittedly, Falco was a bit more world-weary than Albia, but by the end of his series in Nemesis he was a bit older than Albia is here. Not that Albia is a newbie in either her work or her life, as this story opens she is 29, a widow with no children, and has been working in her father’s old profession for a number of years.
She’s had plenty of time and experience to observe human behavior in all its ugliness to earn the wry cynicism in her perspective. Also, her world is a bit darker than her father’s and not just because there are more obstacles in her way as a woman doing a man’s job, or any job at all. The Emperor Vespasian, who Falco worked under and occasionally worked for, was a much different man than Domitian, the emperor of Albia’s time.
For one thing, Vespasian was a soldier, a realist, and generally not insane. A condition that Domitian is heading towards by this point in history. Falco had friends in high places when he was a private informer, while during Albia’s time no one would want to have friends in those same places if they had any sense. Which she certainly does.
The other thing that makes this series work is the way that the author brings the commonalities of life in Imperial Rome to life. It’s a big, complicated city, a center of government, a hive of activity. And in the complexities of life in a major metropolis, we see that some things are the same. People gossip about their neighbors. Divorces are more often acrimonious than friendly. Some people rub other people the wrong way. Life in a big city is portrayed as not all that different once you get past 20th or 21st century technology.
Even though Albia doesn’t have contemporary forensics to help her solve this case, the things she does have to work with haven’t changed all that much. She has to examine the crime scene, interview the witnesses, interrogate the suspects, establish a timeline, pull together the evidence she does have and determine who is innocent and who is guilty.
And we get vicarious pleasure in watching her do so, as well as observing the tentative steps she takes towards a relationship with Manlius. Something that we’ll see develop in later books in the series. I’m looking forward to Albia’s next case, Deadly Election, the next time I need to see someone receive their just desserts!
January 4, 2015
In this, the second Flavia Albia novel (or Falco reboot), Lindsey Davis seems to have found Flavia's voice. Without the need for as much back story there is a better flow. The plot was okay; I figured out who dunnit fairly quickly, although I was surprised by the ending. I like the pace; we know Flavia and Faustus are meant for each other but she's taking her time and I'll certainly read more installments to see how they get together. I'm especially excited for Faustus and Falco to meet. I imagine that won't happen soon. Falco could easily dominate the story. I want to see Falco through Flavia and Fautus' eyes. Definitely a good second book in the series and I am looking forward to more.
August 15, 2014
Lindsey Davis is my guilty pleasure -- yes, well-researched and cerebral, these books are still like candy to me. I enjoyed this much more than the first Flavia Albia book. It took Davis a while to relax into Flavia's voice, I think, and it took me a while to accept the idea that there isn't going to be much Falco (or Helena Justina!) in these books.
July 8, 2018
I listened to the audio book and then at the end when I did not want to wait to drive again transferred to the book. I really enjoyed the sense of life in Rome and the way in which customs were explained without being too overwhelming, but fitting in with the story. Lovely, really lovely.
January 3, 2018
An excellent, clever Roman whodunnit with a strong and likeable heroine, packed full of details about daily life in ancient Rome.
July 16, 2016
For being Ancient Rome, this had a contemporary feel (which worked for me).
August 5, 2021
2021 bk 246. A newlywed couple is murdered. Their house slaves fled to a temple for sanctuary. (Roman slaves could be put to death for not going to their owner's aid.) What are two aediles to do. When a murder involves 2 districts and the temple is in Flavia Albia's, then her friend calls her in to help. Moving into the strange house to provide more ease in conducting the investigation, she encounters suspicion, fear, bland assessment, and tangled up relationships that have to be first sorted out. Finding the truth behind the lies and looking for the not-so-obvious allows Albia the chance to sort out her own thoughts on marriage, slavery ownership/ responsibility, and allows us a closer look at the workings of a Roman home.
July 30, 2021
Like the first book, this was not what you might call a page-turner; it takes its time. There is a big knot of confusion about the crime that slowly begins to come loose for Albia. I enjoyed the journey and untangling because I enjoy these characters and the writing. The resolution of the case is not necessarily happy, but satisfying.
The historical setting is interesting in its difference from most historical fiction I read: Ancient Rome (AD 89) as opposed to periods closer to and around Victorian England.
A bit of profanity; sexual talk but nothing other than a kiss on page; slavery; non graphic violence.
The historical setting is interesting in its difference from most historical fiction I read: Ancient Rome (AD 89) as opposed to periods closer to and around Victorian England.
A bit of profanity; sexual talk but nothing other than a kiss on page; slavery; non graphic violence.
November 4, 2019
Flavia Albia is a strong female character who survived childhood tragedy and then was adopted into the Falco family who gave her further strength with love as their daughter. Add her natural spunk, curiosity, her ability to work well with Faustus, a plebeian aedile, and sit back for a well written complicated murder mystery set in Ancient Rome.
February 21, 2017
Enjoyable, but not her very best,
December 30, 2021
Truly a better-written book compared to The third Nero! My only problem was with how it ended... I found it to be quite random considering the rest of the story. Loved the short chapters. As well as the mystery as to who murdered the newly wedded couple! All in all a lovely read.
October 30, 2022
Interesting and ably narrated mystery set in ancient Rome and featuring a female "informer" or private detective--unlikely but enjoyable to read about.
December 22, 2018
I'd steered clear of this series, being a little tired with the Falco series by the end, but I saw this in the library and thought "Why not?"
I'm glad I did, at the core Davis is just very good at what she does. Some of the latter day Falco problems remained i.e. too much soap opera and not enough drama, but the different voice was a refreshing change. Nearly gave it a 5, but the fact I'm not rushing out to get the rest tells its own story. Ah... screw it, 5.
I'm glad I did, at the core Davis is just very good at what she does. Some of the latter day Falco problems remained i.e. too much soap opera and not enough drama, but the different voice was a refreshing change. Nearly gave it a 5, but the fact I'm not rushing out to get the rest tells its own story. Ah... screw it, 5.
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