Marcus Didius Falco

18 primary works • 20 total works

The Silver Pigs

by Lindsey Davis

Published 15 June 1989

A NEW EMPEROR SEEKS AN EXPERIENCED AGENT

Marcus Didius Falco is a private informer, the closest thing that first-century Rome has to a detective.

A new emperor, Vespasian, has ascended to power. The tides of money and power are in flux, and Rome's vicious games swirl more ferociously than ever.

When Falco rescues a young girl in trouble, he catapults himself into a dangerous game involving stolen imperial ingots, a dark political plot and, most hazardous of all, a senator's daughter connected to the traitors Falco has sworn to expose.

The rule of law is tenuous for ordinary citizens of Rome. Only a man with a mind as sharp as a gladius can prevail. . .

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'Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening' Hilary Mantel, Observer

'One of the best writers in this field!' Donna Leon, The Times

' The best historical detective in the business' Daily Telegraph

'Every book in this series is a delight. . . highly recommend!!' Library Journal

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Why Readers Love Lindsey Davis:

'Be careful, if you get the taste for this you'll end up reading them all... I can think of worse ways to pass the time' -- ***** Reader review

'This series is just so addictive!' -- ***** Reader review

'I just could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review

'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review

Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will absolutely love this gripping page-turner of a historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Full of twists, turns and tension - you will be hooked from page one.

Shadows In Bronze

by Lindsey Davis

Published July 1990

'A tumultuous Ancient Rome with a delightful modern eye' Sunday Times
'Fast-moving, funny and full of atmosphere!' Mail on Sunday

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LOVE, DEATH AND POLITICS UNDER VESUVIUS

Rome, AD 71: Against his better judgement, Marcus Didius Falco secretly disposes of a decayed corpse for the Emperor Vespasian, then heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his best friend Petronius. It's an opportunity to forget his doomed romance with the beautiful and bright Helena Justina.

He conveniently forgets to mention to his companion that this will be no holiday - they've been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas and on fancy yachts.

Nor does the idyllic seaside location help matters with Helena. The deeper he probes, the more it seems she is inextricably connected to the elite plotters, in ways that the smitten Falco cannot bear to contemplate. . . .

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Readers love Lindsey Davis:

'An exciting and gripping mystery!' ***** Reader review
' I could not put the book down' ***** Reader review
'Gripping right from the beginning' ***** Reader review
'Very addictive' ***** Reader review
'My advice is BUY IT and READ IT as you won't regret it!' ***** Reader review

Venus In Copper

by Lindsey Davis

Published 4 April 1991

Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor, C. J. Sansom will love this exciting and enthralling historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Expertly weaving an authentic depiction of Ancient Rome with exceptional characterisation and a tightly woven plot, this will have you hooked.

'Another redolent dip into corruption in Vespasian's Rome ... original and delightful' -- Sunday Times
'A tumultuous Ancient Rome with a delightful modern eye' -- Sunday Times
'Fast-moving, funny and full of atmosphere' -- Mail on Sunday
'A thrilling murder mystery' -- ***** Reader review
'Such fun!' -- ***** Reader review
'Another corking Falco' -- ***** Reader review
'My advice is BUY IT and READ IT as you will not regret it' -- ***** Reader review

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MARRY IN HASTE. DIE FOR THE MONEY.

Things are going well for Marcus Didius Falco, ancient Rome's investigator: he hates sharing a cell with a rodent, although being bailed by his old mother is almost as embarrassing; his highborn girlfriend can't decide if she wants him and Titus Caesar's reward for past services is disappointing to say the least.

Hoping for a better life, or at least a better apartment, he takes on new clients.

On the elegant slopes of the Pincian Hill, three freedmen with two flashy wives are under siege by a clever redhead. Severina Zotica has a foul-mouthed parrot, an odd connection with a snake dancer - and a very suspicious past.

As he pursues this flame-haired fortune-hunter, Falco finds himself beset by violent rent-racketeers, poisoners, and women without consciences who have dangerous designs on him...

The Iron Hand Of Mars

by Lindsey Davis

Published 7 May 1992

With the great characterisation, fast-paced plotting and wry humour that we've come to expect from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis, this is an addictive mystery that will transport you back to Britain at the time of the Roman invasion. Readers of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will be hooked from page one...

'Her most ambitious to date... Davis has found a winning formula.' -- Daily Telegraph
'Lindsey Davis doesn't merely make history come alive - she turns it into spanking entertainment, and wraps it around an intriguing mystery. She is incapable of writing a dull sentence' -- Peter Lovesey
'Wonderfully entertaining' -- ***** Reader review
'Davis at her best' -- ***** Reader review
'Very addictive and, at times, difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review
'My advice is BUY IT and READ IT as you will not regret it' -- ***** Reader review
'Gripping' -- ***** Reader review

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DEATH LIES BEYOND THE RIVER RHINE...

AD 71, Germania Libera: dark dripping forests, inhabited by bloodthirsty barbarians and legendary wild beasts, a furious prophetess who terrorises Rome, and the ghostly spirits of slaughtered Roman legionaries.

Enter Marcus Didius Falco, an Imperial agent on a special mission: to find the absconding commander of a legion whose loyalty is suspect.

Easier said than done, thinks Marcus, as he makes his uneasy way down the Rhenus, trying to forget that back in sunny Rome his girlfriend Helena Justina is being hotly pursued by Titus Caesar.

His mood is not improved when he discovers his only allies are a woefully inadequate bunch of recruits, their embittered centurion, a rogue dog, and its innocent young master; just the right kind of support for an agent unwillingly trying to tame the Celtic hordes...

Poseidon's Gold

by Lindsey Davis

Published 17 June 1993

Marcus Didius Falco returns from a mission to find his apartment has been wrecked by squatters and an ex-legionary friend of his heroic brother Festus is demanding money, allegedly owed him as the result of one of Festus's wild schemes. Worse still, the only client Falco can get is his mother -- who wants him to clear the family name. Then just as Falco thinks things can only get better, fate takes a turn for the worse...

"From the Paperback edition."

Last Act in Palmyra

by Lindsey Davis

Published 19 May 1994

The spirit of adventure callls Marcus Didius Falco on a new spying mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong. A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria. They join a traveling theatre group, which keeps losing members in non-accidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions - then as the killer hovers, Falco tries to write a play...

Time to Depart

by Lindsey Davis

Published 15 June 1995

I still can't believe I've put the bastard away for good!' Petro muttered. Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco's oldest friend, has finally nailed on of Rome's top criminals. Under Roman law citizens are not imprisoned but are allowed 'time to depart' into exile outside the Empire. One dark and gloomy dawn Petro and Falcoput the evit Balbinus aboard ship. But soon after, an outbreak of robbery and murder suggest a new criminal ring has moved into Balbinus' territory. Petro and Falco must descend into the underworld of Vespasian's Rome to investigate...

A Dying Light In Corduba

by Lindsey Davis

Published 1 May 1996

Another compelling and captivating historical mystery from the pen of multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Ancient Rome is brought to life in all its humour, political manoeuvring and murderous intent...

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LIQUID GOLD, COMPROMISED BY A MURDEROUS CARTEL...

Nobody was poisoned at the dinner for the Society of Olive Oil Producers of Baetica, though in retrospect this was quite a surprise...

Inimitable sleuth Marcus Didius Falco is back with a vengeance. On one night, a man is killed and Rome's Chief of Spies left for dead. This leaves no one except Falco to conduct the investigation.

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Praise for Lindsey Davis:

'Davis' books make old Rome sound fun. . . it is all so enjoyable' The Times

'The cast of characters is as various, corrupt, nasty and gnarled as the best of Dickens, described with similar scope and loving attention' Mail on Sunday

'Highly readable, funny and colourful' TLS

'This is a more than five star book' ***** Reader review

'Another excellent Falco book that is difficult to put down' ***** Reader review

'Lindsey Davis produces yet another masterpiece' ***** Reader review

'A marvellous read' ***** Reader review

Three Hands in the Fountain

by Lindsey Davis

Published 5 June 1997

Marcus Didius Falco and his friend Petronius find their local fountain blocked - by a gruesomely severed human hand. Soon other body parts are found in aqueducts and sewers. The killer lurks, preparing to strike again.

"From the Paperback edition."

Two for the Lions

by Lindsey Davis

Published 4 June 1998

Another Falco detective story, set in Rome AD 73. Distracted by the apparent murder of a star man-eating lion, Falco uncovers a bitter rivalry between the gladiators' trainers. When one also ends up dead, Falco is forced to investigate.

One Virgin Too Many

by Lindsey Davis

Published 3 June 1999

From the author of THREE HANDS IN THE FOUNTAIN and TIME TO DEPART, a crime story featuring Marcus Didius Falco who is determined to solve the mystery of a young girl's disappearance despite his new imperial responsibilities, his troublesome new partner, Aelianus, and the jealous activities of his former partner Petronius.

Ode To A Banker

by Lindsey Davis

Published 1 June 2000

The twelfth novel featuring Roman sleuth Marcus Didius Falco explores the Roman spheres of poetics and banking. When a rich banker family becomes patron to a group of struggling writers and is then murdered, Falco is sent to investigate.

The Jupiter Myth

by Lindsey Davis

Published 6 June 2002

For Falco, a relaxed visit to Helena's relatives in Britain turns serious at the scene of a downtown murder. The renegade henchman of Rome's vital ally, King Togidubnus, has been stuffed head-first down a bar-room well - leading to a tricky diplomatic situation which Falco must diffuse. One murder leads to others. Londinium now has a forum and an amphitheatre; the town is a magnet for legitimate traders - and for criminals from Rome. Drinking dens are plundered by extortionists; prostitution reigns in the dark streets; the army turns a blind eye. With his vigiles pal Petronius, Falco leads the hunt for gangsters who are intent on taking over. This will bring unwelcome encounters with faces from the past and grave threats to their present relationships. Danger and death lurk throughout their pursuit, all the way from the brand new wharves beside the River Thamesis to the familiar old haunts of organised crime back home in Italy.

The Accusers

by Lindsey Davis

Published 5 June 2003

Having returned from his trip to Londinium, Falco takes up employment with Paccius Africanus and Silius Italicus, two lawyers at the top of their trade. For the trial of a senator they need Falco to make an affidavit confirming repayment of a loan. Having been out of the country and starved of Forum gossip for some time, Falco has little interest in this trial, so he makes his deposition and then leaves. The prosecution are successful and a large financial judgement is made, but one month later the senator is dead, apparently by suicide. The heirs are now in a situation of not having to pay up, and the prosecutor Silius Italicus suddenly decides to seek out Falco. With a little coercion, Falco joins the prosecution in seeking to persuade a magistrate to instigate a new trial against Metellus' son. Blinded by the vision of rich pickings to be gained by the prosecution, Falco temporarily forgets that, if they fail, the financial penalties leveled against the informers who brought the case are potentially enormous. A pure delight, with Davis's unique blend of wit and humour brilliantly immersing us in the marvels of ancient Roman life

Scandal Takes A Holiday

by Lindsey Davis

Published 3 June 2004

In the wealthy town of Ostia, our hero Falco appears to be enjoying a relaxing holiday. But when his girlfriend, Helena, arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette - with the intention of catching up on the latest scandal - Falco is forced to admit to Petronius his real reasons for being there...'Infamia', the pen name of the scribe who writes the gossip column for the Daily Gazette, has gone missing. His fellow scribes have employed Falco to find him and bring him back from his lazy, drunken truancy. However, Falco suspects that there is more to his absence than might first appear. Before long, Falco's enquiries lead him into the world of piracy and the discovery of criminal traditions long believed dead. Is this the right path towards finding 'Infamia'? Why would pirates have taken him? And if they have, will he be found alive?

Saturnalia

by Lindsey Davis

Published 1 February 2007

The top ten bestseller. It is the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The days are short, the nights are for wild parties. A general has captured a famous enemy of Rome, and brings her home to adorn his Triumph as a ritual sacrifice. The logistics go wrong; she acquires a mystery illness - then a young man is horrendously murdered and she escapes from house arrest. Marcus Didius Falco is pitted against his old rival, the Chief Spy Anacrites, in a race to find the fugitive before her presence angers the public and makes the government look stupid. Falco has other priorities, for Helena's brother Justinus has also vanished, perhaps fatefully involved once more with the great lost love of his youth. Against the riotous backdrop of the season of misrule, the search seems impossible and only Falco seems to notice that some dark agency is bringing death to the city streets...

Alexandria

by Lindsey Davis

Published 5 February 2009

For Marcus Didius Falco, agent to the Emperor Vespasian, Alexandria holds fascination and a hint of fear. Beautiful, historic and famously unruly, the great cosmopolitan city wears Roman rule lightly. While his wife, Helena Justina, wants to see the Lighthouse and the Pyramids, Falco has a mission at the Great Library that soon turns out to involve much more than stock-taking its innumerable scrolls. A mysterious death in the world-famous library bring him into immediate conflict with the darker side of academic life. With forensic science in its infancy, even an illegal autopsy fails to find real answers.To solve the crime for the Roman Prefect - if indeed it is a crime - Falco will have to draw on his own doggedness and intuition, at first supported only by Helena's commonsense and the loyal backup of her brother Aulus, who goes under cover as a student among the in-fighting academics. The philosophers lust after fame and fortune so ruthlessly there is soon another terrifying death, this time at the royal zoo.
At the same time, his original innocent mission is overshadowed by the machinations of his Uncle Fulvius, who is living in Alexandria with his partner Cassius for obscure reasons. Their involvement in local affairs already seems shady when they are joined by their crony, Falco's father, Geminus, a man well known for disreputable business practices. If the irrepressible Pa has had any hand in what has gone wrong at the Library, Falco knows he stands no chance...

Nemesis

by Lindsey Davis

Published 3 June 2010

When a pair of his father's associates disappear under suspicious circumstances, informer Marcus Didius Falco of A.D. 77 Rome investigates allegations of a feud involving a group of notorious freedmen, who are receiving high-level protection from corruptrulers.

See Delphi and Die

by Lindsey Davis

Published 2 June 2005

With safe seas, good roads, and provinces rich in heritage sites, Marcus Didius Falco's fellow countrymen have become voracious tourists. Greece, home of the ancient Olympic Games, is a favourite destination for Seven Sights Travel, a seedy company which provides escorted tours for wealthy travellers. Falco and Helena hear that a young girl and a newly-wed woman, both Roman visitors, have been murdered at Olympia; the authorities will not investigate properly, so Falco steps in. After making himself unwelcome at the hidebound sanctuary, he soon finds himself up against Seven Sights, its absentee tour-guide and its mixed bunch of customers, some of whom have tings to hide. The search for culture is far from genteel - and it can be very dangerous. Both the bridegroom and Helena's brother go missing in the birthplace of myth, as Falco and Helena struggle with a case that may contain worse features than any they have dealt with yet.

A Body in the Bath House

by Lindsey Davis

Published 1 June 2001

AD75. As a passion for home improvement sweeps through the Roman Empire, Marcus Didius Falco struggles to deal with Gloccus and Cotta, a pair of terrible bath house contractors whose slow progress and bad workmanship have been causing him misery for months. They finally finish their contract, but leave Falco and his father with a ghastly smell from a hypocaust and some gruesome site debirs...Far away in Britain, King Togidubnus of the Atrebates tribe is planning his own makeover. His huge new residence (known to us as Fishbourne Palace) will be spectacular - but the sensational refurbishment is behind time and over budget, its labour force is beset by 'accidents', corrupt practices are rife, and everyone loathes the project manager. The frugal Emperor Vespasian is paying for all this; he wants someone to investigate. Falco has a new baby, an new house, and he hates Britain. But his feud with Anacrites the Chief Spy has now reached a dangerous level, so with his own pressing reasons to leave Rome in a hurry, he accepts the task. A thousand miles from home, with only his family to support him, he starts restoring order to the chaotic building site.
Then, while he searches the feuding workforce for Gloccus and Cotta, he realises that someone with murderous intentions is now after him...