One Virgin Too Many

I had this in my bookshelf a long time. When I finally got around to reading it I was glad I did. Davis explains the mores and concerns of Ancient Romans very naturally. (Great maps, plust a nice genealogy and character list at the beginning of the book.) Falco is as cynical about his society's sacred cows (or in his case sacred geese) as we would be. Davis gets into a lot of detail about the Vestal Virgins and the cult of Jupiter in a way that never drags you down. As you might expect the family of the priests of Jupiter is a bit wacky, especially since the youngest member, Gaia Laelia, has gone to see Falco saying one of them is trying to kill her. Meanwhile Falco has his own family problems to deal with, what with a sister with four kids whose husband has just been eaten by lions, a girlfriend/wife whose father is a Senator, a brother-in-law who just discovered a dead body at "The Sacred Grove," divorced parents, a crazy great-uncle and his 'Ma' nursing his worst enemy, the Chief Spy Anacrites, back to health, and, unfortunately for Falco, doting on him. Meanwhile Falco's best friend, Petronius, a cop, has just been left by his wife for a gardener after an 'indiscretion' he committed with a gangster's daughter. Have I mentioned that Falco also has a baby daughter, Julia, who enjoys contemplating eating her own foot and gets into everything, which can be a lot when you've got a bunch of sacred poultry and a rambunctious and attractive dog named Nux around. Not to mention the Vestals. (Both Gaia Laelia, and Falco's eight year old niece, Cloelia are trying to become one. And wouldn't you know it? The lottery's fixed.) Some of the most entertaining moments in this story have nothing to do with the mysteries themselves, they're more about the domestic chaos that Falco and his family are constantly negotiating. And that interacts nicely with the dysfunction of the sacred family he's investigating and the topsy turvy world of the Imperial family headed by Falco's sometime boss, the Emperor Vespasian himself. Or as one slave says to Falco "you've got a lot of nerve!" And Falco grins "That's what HE says." You can't help but like this character, and you can't help but enjoy this historical detective story even as you learn a bit about Imperial Rome. Abrupt ending, but the whole story was leading up to it. This is an entertaining historical mystery with heart.

Now that he has a child to support, you knew that sooner or later Falco was going to need a day job. Trust Falco's luck that it would be one he's not going to consider the honor outweighing the drawbacks. Trust Ms. Davis to make sure that Falco will still have to investigate. In the hands of a less competent author, the reader might complain that it's too coincidental that Falco's sacred geese gig gets him closer to the religious community in which the murder takes place, not to mention the connections his brother-in-law and neice have with the case. With Lindsey Davis, it just seems inevitable. What little I know about the Vestal Virgins comes mostly from "I Claudius", so the details provided here were very welcome. (Virgin Constantia was fun to meet.) I must say that the restrictions the Flamen Dialis, the top man among priests, must live under seem incredible (that anyone would take the job, let alone want it). If they really worked to keep the fellow out of trouble, it might be worthwhile trying that trick on some modern politicians. Actually, the priestly family of little Gaia Laelia, the child who thinks one of her relatives is trying to kill her, is an excellent example of the effect an unnatural way of life can have on the generations that follow. If you've ever envied royalty, the example of Queen Berenice of Judea should give you pause. In spite of my disapproval of her past and the way she turned to a grown son after failing with his father, I felt sorry for her. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I think Falco has plenty of reason to feel as he does about Anacrites. I would be horrified if either of my sisters might marry any of the men against whom I filed my on-public-record EEO complaints, and none of them tried to have me killed. (Of course, I would expect my sisters to have better sense.) I have a different favorite suspect for Maia's next husband, but I could be wrong. Ms. Davis is avoiding one of the sins of mystery series by having the characters change and grow, with one exception: Falco's family. Well, I wouldn't expect his parents to change; they're pretty set in their ways. But I was ticked off about the way his sister blamed him for her worthless husband's death. I lent my copy to one of my brothers, and he was angrier about it than I was. He was particularly irritated that Helena didn't stick up for Falco and complained vehemently that some of the women in his family seemed to think that teaching Falco a lesson was more important than that a little girl might die. When Falco's nephew was starting to act like the man of his family, my brother wanted Falco to point out to the lad that he did the same thing when his brother ran out on the family to join the army and his father just ran out on the family -- and look at the way the family treats him. He wanted Falco to advise his nephew to look at his grandmother and realize that was what his mother would be like in ten years. (Now there's

I love historical mysteries. I esp love historical mysteries set in ancient Rome. And this Lindsey Davis mystery featuring the intrepid Falco is a winner -- a brilliantly intriguing plot and written with the wit , charm and humour that Ms Davis is famous for.This latest Falco mystery has religion as its central theme. As a reward for services rendered to the empire, Falco has been rewarded with a new official position: Procurator to the Sacred Poultry. And since could mean social advancement which he is most anxious to achieve, Falco is anxious to perform his duties to the best of his abilities. Therefore he has little time for the precocious Gaia Laelia when she comes to him with the story that one of her relatives is out to kill her. Falco thinks that he has Gaia pegged: a spoilt, young child who is bored and has too much time on her hands. Falco has too much going on in his life right then: not only does he have new responsibilities but he must also keep an eye on his sister, Maia, and her newly fatherless brood. Especially when it looks as if Falco's mother has decided to promote a match between Maia and Anacrites, someone Falco dislikes beyond reason. So, he dimisses Gaia's concerns and sends her away. Unfortunately Gaia has been slated to become a vestal virgin, and when she disappears a few days later, Falco is called in by Vespasian himself to investigate the matter, much to Gaia's family's chagrin. Filled with guilt, Falco is determined to find Gaia alive in spite of her family's interference and lack of concern.In the meantime, Falco has also gotten involved in another investigation involving Helena's brother, Aelianus. Aelianus is hoping to be invited to join the priesthood of the Arval Brothers. While at a celebration however, Aelianus stumbles over a corpse. But when Aelianus and Falco go back to the villa to investigate, the body is gone. Later, the priests try to pass off the death as an accidental one. But Aelianus and Falco have their doubts.What exactly is the connection between both mysteries? Very little except that Gaia's family seem to be at the centre of both. In this latest adventure Falco finds himself delving into the various aspects of religious life. There are too many taboos and too many people in positions of power with toucy sensibilities. Will Falco be able to solve the mysteries with his life and new job in one piece? Only Lindsey Davis can weave together a story with plots that seeminly have little to do with each other and yet come together in such a way that will keep you marvelling at the feat. A brilliant mystery, written with great elan. Definitely a 'must read'.

In 74 AD Rome, private sleuth Marcus Didius Falco feels he finally can stop taking on sleazy, low paying cases since his return from census taking in North Africa. The Emperor rewarded Marcus for his fine work overseas by naming him the Procurator of Poultry. He might actually marry Helena Justina, his girl friend and mother of his daughter, who has moved into a new home on the other side of town.However, his investigative days are far from over. A beautiful girl wants to hire Marcus to protect her from her own family who rejects the notion that she might become the next Vestal Virgin. Helena's brother needs his help when he finds the corpse of one the Vestal Virgin selection committee members. Reluctantly Marcus begins to make inquiries even as he tries to perform his new government job of protecting the sacred geese that once saved Rome.The latest Falco Ancient Rome mystery is, like its predecessors, an excellent who-done-it amidst a fabulous look at the era. The often amusing story line is crisp, filled with action, and brings home to the audience the glory of first century Rome. Falco remains a great character while the support cast provides insight into his personality as well as vividly bringing the city-state to life. Lindsey Davis has written another winner that leaves the audience seeking the next novel in this powerful series.Harriet Klausner