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Start giftingThe Graveyard of the Hesperides
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Learn moreRome, August AD 89. Flavia Albia, the daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, has taken up her father’s former profession as an informer. On a typical day, it’s small cases—cheating spouses, employees dipping into the till—but this isn’t a typical day. Her beloved, the plebeian Manlius Faustus, has recently moved in and decided that they should get married in a big, showy ceremony as part of beginning a proper domestic life together. Also, his contracting firm has been renovating a run-down building, a bar called the Garden of the Hesperides, where they uncover human remains buried in the backyard. For years there had been rumors that the previous owner of the bar, now deceased, killed a barmaid, and these are presumably her remains. In the choice between planning a big wedding to-do and looking into a crime from long ago, Albia would much rather investigate a possible murder—or murders, as more and more remains are uncovered, revealing that something truly horrible has been going on at the Hesperides.
As Albia gets closer to the truth behind the bodies in the backyard, her investigation has put her in the crosshairs—which might be the only way she’ll get out of the wedding preparations and away from all her relatives who are so very anxious to help out.
Lindsey Davis was born and raised in Birmingham, England. After taking an English degree at Oxford and working for the civil service for thirteen years, she “ran away to be a writer.” Her internationally bestselling novels featuring ancient Roman detective Marcus Didius Falco include Venus in Copper, The Iron Hand of Mars, Nemesis and Alexandria. She is also the author of Rebels and Traitors, set during the English Civil War. Davis is the recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, the highest accolade for crime writers, as well as the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel award.
Reviews
“This excellent Roman mystery, enriched by Davis’ characteristic wit and thorough understanding of the period, takes a darker turn as Flavia delves into Rome’s poorest streets, rife with prostitution, exploitation, thuggery, and murder.”
“Davis provides a sympathetic look at first-century Rome’s ‘ladies of the evening’ in this thoroughly satisfying fourth outing for Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco…The story unfolds at an astonishing pace, over the course of just eight days. There is plenty of drama and danger, which spill right over into the nuptial celebrations, but there is also a hearty helping of Davis’ well-placed humor. She continues to take us out onto the streets and into the alleyways of a Rome so unlike the pristine marble metropolis of romantic imagining…[as] we follow Flavia, a strong yet vulnerable female protagonist…Recommended for all fans of humorous mysteries and crime set in antiquity.”
“Flavia, an informer (the ancient Roman equivalent of a PI) who believes in justice above all else, sets out to identify the remains and solve a very cold case—which becomes more complex after she finds evidence of a previously unsuspected crime.”
“As always, you can rely on Davis to write a compelling and entertaining mystery. Following Flavia as she navigates ancient Rome during the reign of Domitian is engaging because of both the accurate historical depictions and the challenges of being a female private informer in a male-dominated society…Any fan of historical fiction and murder mysteries will enjoy this book.”
“Albia races against the clock to catch the killer before her wedding day. Davis’ fourth case for her heroine is long on drollery, unpacking its tricky murder puzzle piecemeal.”
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