Venus in Copper

Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Falco, the swords-and-sandals, wisecracking informer (read “detective”) from Imperial Rome and his patrician (read upper-class) girlfriend Helena are back in one of the earlier books from this series. You would never realize it when you are reading it, but a wealth of historical detail underscores everything from the characters and plot to the endless one-liners that make up much of the dialogue.

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The Ides of April

The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve read many—but by no means all—of Lyndsey Davis’s Falco mysteries, and have always enjoyed them enough to read a new one when I come across it. In a nice development, the Didii family informing business devolves to adopted daughter Flavia Albia in The Ides of April. With her runaway mouth and streetsmart ways, she makes a great replacement for Falco, and it’s really nice to find ourselves back in Fountain Court again after so many years.
The very physical (and rather funny) description of an evening’s rites during the festival of Cerialia will remain in my memory, as will Robigo the fox, as will the wonderful plot twist at the end that I should have seen coming (but didn’t, dammit).
But that’s just my own humble opinion…what do you think? Do let me know! Read for my 2015 Goodreads reading challenge.


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