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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Wonderful descriptions of the Museio in Alexandria, Egypt -- including an autopsy done in A.D.77 style. Although this book is an interesting continuation of the adventurs of Marcus Didius Falco, it is not one of Lindsay Davis' best works. Somehow the action dragged in several parts. Still, worth a read for those who enjoy stories steeped in Roman culture.  hannahbond | Nov 24, 2009 |  Marcus Didius Falco is an old friend. Over the years I have lived his life vicariously through Lindsay Davis’ novels and enjoyed myself immensely. ‘Alexandria’ is one of the occasional volumes in the series where Falco and his family (ever growing; I blame it on the oysters) are travelling away from Rome and getting caught up in local or imperial (usually both) trouble. The key to her popularity is that Davis is so good at describing daily life in imperial Rome and she doesn’t disappoint here – the descriptions of Alexandria make us understand why this was a key city in the modern life of the times and reinforce all our worst fears about travel to foreign places. I think Falco appeals because he is an ordinary man. He is clever, but his wife Helena is cleverer; he is brave, but Aulus his brother-in-law and Petronius his friend are usually braver; he is shady, but Geminus his father is much shadier. ‘Alexandria’ is full of action and sharply reminds us that our own social and civic concerns and our approaches to satisfying them are nothing new. There are false trails for us to follow and twists in the plots as any good mystery should have. I am ever so slightly disappointed that Davis kills off the bad guys through convenient accidents, rather than through the courts, a bit too often. But that is carping; this is a comfortable return to a mystery series that many fans have waited for. If you haven’t met Falco before, this is as good a place as any to start. (  ) pierthinker | Sep 5, 2009 | Some people love their Mosley, some their Leon, Grafton or Parker. For my part, Lindsey Davis' series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, an "informer" (private eye) in the Rome of Vespasian's day, are the comfort mysteries I snatch up as soon as they come out. Not only are the plots interesting and the backdrops exotic, but the characters are wonderful—Falco...up from the gutter, tough, honest, loyal and cynical as all hell; Helena Justina...patrician, ascerbic, cultured, loving and cynical as all hell; as well as a wide, ever-growing cast of supporting characters you grow to love or despise as their personalities demand. This is the ninteenth in that series. It's not the best, having a slight flavor of formula based upon the previous books. I have no idea if this is a momentary dip—as will all series of this length, there have been greater and lesser stories—or whether Davis is tiring of it. I sure as hell hope not the latter. If you like mysteries and you've never tried this series, I definitely recommend you pick up Silver Pigs (the first book) and give it a try. If you're already reading the series, this one isn't one of the best, but it's still fun. (  ) TadAD | Jul 13, 2009 | susansw | Jun 6, 2009 | It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to read a new Falco novel, and since Ms. Davis is one of my absolute favourite authors, it’s been too long. This book is a lot of fun. Falco and his wonderful family are visiting in Alexandria, and while there he gets pulled into some very nefarious dealings at their celebrated library. Before long he and his brother-in-law Aulus are up to their necks in crocodiles, so to speak. We see lots of nefarious characters, and of course lots of local colour of the Alexandria of the 1st Century. No one can quite do it like Ms. Davis. She’s funny, the plot moves very quickly, and her characters are superb! This was a truly enjoyable book! Great stuff! (  ) Romonko | Apr 18, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0312379013, Hardcover)The new Falco novel finds Lindsey Davis’s First Century detective Marcus Didius Falco and his partner Helena Justina investigating crime in the famous city of Alexandria.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 library brings him into 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 undercover as a student among the in-fighting academics. The philosophers hunger after fame and fortune so ruthlessly there is soon another terrifying death, this time at the royal zoo. It so happens that his Uncle Fulvius is living in Alexandria with his partner Cassius. 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 a hand in events at the library, Falco knows he stands no chance. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:51 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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