The Silver Pigs - Lindsey Davis

*** The Author *** This is the first book in Lindsey Davis's series about Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer in Rome circa AD 70. She has written 19 so far, but hopefully there are even more to come. Her next novel, due to be published in September, is not a Falco book though. It is Rebels and Traitors set against the English Civil War. While I think it is desirable to read the Falco series in order, it isn't essential, as each book in the series is self-contained, but I would advise reading The Silver Pigs first to understand how the team featured in the other books is formed. It is also one of the best in the ...  Read the complete review

Although not a great fan of historical crime fiction, I did really enjoy Ellis Peter’s Cadfael stories, and when I found out that there was a series of books by another author set in Ancient Rome, I thought that they would be worth a try. This book is the first in the series, which introduces us to “private informer” Didius Falco, who is the Ancient Roman equivalent of a modern day private investigator. Since this book was published in 1989, at least sixteen more books have followed and there is something of a cult following for Lindsey Davis’ books. Unfortunately, I struggled to appreciate the admiration others have for these books. The story It is AD ...  Read the complete review