Nice listen, but also nothing special there. I at times had serious doubts about the historical accuracy, but I might stille take on more in the future. ( )

I think this was a 3.5.

The best parts of this book were its immersiveness and its plot. Lindsey Davis manages to bring out the full vibrance of the Roman Empire, from the provincial backwaters of Britain to the contrasting splendour and squalor of Rome. The plot was also intriguing the whole way through, with multiple crimes and mysteries that incorporated aspects of both public and private life intertwining into the conclusion.

It was interesting for once to have a detective that wasn't naturally blessed with amazing skills of deduction, and instead got to the bottom of things through sheer determination and strength of character. However, the flip side of this was that Falco was never a particularly appealing protagonist - irascible, sardonic and unable to fit comfortably in any of the social classes, his streak of irrepressible curiosity wasn't enough to elevate him beyond seeming to me like a rather ordinary citizen who happened to become involved in this chain of events.

Additionally, the pacing of the novel is quite fast, and although this greatly added to the sense of excitement and urgency when things were coming to a head, it also meant that the narrative was choppy at times, and some of the intrigues did not feel adequately unpacked.

Nevertheless, there are 20 books in this series, and I'm still definitely interested to see where Falco goes from here. ( )

I last read 'The Silver Pigs' thirty years ago. It was a revelation, a wonderful amalgam of historical fiction and murder mystery with just a touch of romance. I instantly became a fan and followed Falco all the way through to 'Nemesis' the twentieth Falco book, which I finished more than a decade ago.

I'd promised myself that I would get back to these books once I'd retired and had time on my hands. What I hadn't allowed for was that my eyesight would no longer be good enough to read all the Falco books on my shelves.

So I decided to work my way through the series using the audiobook versions.

I've had 'The Silver Pigs' audiobook on my shelves since 2015. I kept putting off reading it. I was afraid that I'd find that what had enchanted me thirty years ago would now feel dated and slow.

Instead, I found that the book still sparkles and that the thirty-year gap was long enough for enough details to fade from my memory that the story felt fresh and carried a few surprises.

'The Silver Pigs' has a solid plot that uncovers a political conspiracy that spans the Empire from the Forum in Rome to the silver mines in the Mendip hills of Britain. Even on a re-read, I was kept guessing about who had done what and how/if the bad guys would be brought to justice.

But it's not the plot that makes this book shine, it's the characters of Marcus Didius Falco, Private Informer and Helena Justina, a senator's daughter.

Falco is a poor son of Rome. Thirty years old and unmarried. A republican in a time of emperors. A former Legionnaire who served in Britain during the uprising. I loved his swagger, his cynicism his almost pathological defiance of authority and his self-deprecating humour. The story is told with dry humour by an older version of Falco, looking back, mostly tolerantly, at the events that shaped his adult life.

Helena Justina is a strong-willed, intelligent woman who has recently divorced her husband on the grounds of neglect. As a senator's daughter, she is two social classes higher than Falco. I loved that Helena Justina was more than a love interest for Falco. She is just as strong and as capable as he is. She knows her own mind and her decisions and actions drive a lot of the plot.

The most unexpected thing for me in this re-read was how hard I was hit by the description of Falco's term of (undercover) slavery in the silver mine. This was brutal and brought Falco to the edge of despair.

I listened to the audiobook version of 'The Silver Pigs' performed by Christian Rodska who captured Falco perfectly.

I've decided to continue re-reading Falco. I've started the second book, 'Shadows In Bronze' which, unfortunately, has a different narrator, Gordon Griffiths, who I'm still trying to get used to. He's good but his version of Falco sounds a little too officer class for my tastes. ( )

La plata de Britania
Lindsey Davis
Publicado: 1989 | 320 páginas
Novela Histórico Intriga
Serie: Marco Didio Falco #1 /suRov2pa8_G4

Roma, año 70 d. C. Bajo el ardiente sol de agosto, Marco Didio Falco —cínico informante de ideas republicanas— se topa en el Foro con una joven en apuros, Sosia Camilina. La bella joven se encuentra envuelta en una conspiración para derrocar al emperador Vespasiano, relacionada con el tráfico de lingotes de plata de Britania. Falco se apresura a convertirla en una cliente de la que espera conseguir pingües beneficios con el fin de mejorar su mermada economía. Pero no consigue salvarla del ataque de unos peligrosos matones y acepta ser contratado por el tío de la joven, el senador Décimo Camilo Vero, y por el emperador Vespasiano, para embarcar hacia Britania a fin de destapar la conspiración. Una vez allí, Falco conoce a una mujer de clase alta, Helena Justina, hija del Senador que le contrató. Ambos se profesan una mutua aversión desde el primer momento: él odia su clase y ella odia sus prejucios. Para acometer su misión Falco se infiltrará en una mina de plata como un esclavo, donde conocerá el significado de las palabras «odio», «miedo» y «abuso».

A (literal) run-in with a frightened young woman lands Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco in an investigation into the theft of silver pigs, as ingots of silver were known in Rome. The case becomes personal for Falco following a murder. His employers send him to Britain to find the source of the silver pigs, where Falco will go undercover as a slave in a silver mine. Falco will return to Rome for a final showdown with the criminals, this time in the company of the daughter of one of his employers. Falco and Helena Justina have met their match in each other.

I enjoyed the audio version read by Christian Rodska. His narration brought the characters to life. Davis occasionally dwells too much on the sanitary conditions in ancient Rome and ancient Britain. Hopefully that will lessen as the series progresses and its readers are more familiar with Falco’s Rome. ( )