Barbara B. (GrannyGamer) -
Helpful Score: 3
A great start to a mystery series set in ancient Rome, with one of the funniest "heroes" written. Although it can sound, at times, a bit anachronistic, it is never jarring. Reminds me a bit of the syle of writing used in the book I, Claudius. It's as though Falco, the protagonist, was telling the story in modern language. Good period details and a complex plot with interesting characters. I've already started on the second of the series and will problably work my way through them all!
Helpful Score: 2
Great detective novel. If you like historic books with twist of mystery -you will love this book.
Helpful Score: 2
First rate hard boiled mystery set in Rome, A.D. 70. Marcus Didius Falco embards on an intricate case of smuggling, murder, and treason that reaches into the palace itself where Vespasian is emperor. Falco is a very engaging tough guy with a sense of humor, a sense of honor, and a real need for money.
Helpful Score: 2
Another Anciet Rome series set 1st century AD. Not quite as good as Stephen Saylor's series. I find it gets bogged down a bit in the middle of novels. Characters are a lot of fun, and her descrition of the time period is lovely.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is best described as light reading for those who enjoy Historical Fiction. This is a detective story written with the Roman Empire as the background. I read it while at the beach and I highly recommend it to others.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the first book in the Marcus Didius Falco series. It is a great series that details different aspects of the Roman Empire. I highly recommend it. This book takes place in Great Britain and introduces Falco and his lady love Helena...
Helpful Score: 1
The first book in the Falco mystery series, set in the Roman Empire 1st century. Falco is a Philip Marlow type of lead character.
Helpful Score: 1
A wonderful mystery set in Rome - this series is the BEST!
I picked this book up from our faculty lounge and it was surprisingly good. The history was interesting. The main character is a guy like the main character in a Dick Francis novel. Honorable, with a twinkle. And this guy has an interesting mother.
Gloria H. (bookworm65) -
I am hooked! I've read both negative and positive reviews of this series on Amazon. Some compared Falco to Sam Spade. Since I didn't know who Sam Spade was, I had no idea of what that meant. Well, I read Silver Pigs straight through in two hours (yes, I am a fast reader!) Then the next two days, I re-read it slowly, savoring more of some of the humor I had missed first time around. The anachronisms do not bother me, as they are not glaring. For example, the hero is not named Constantius, which is a name that would not have yet been common in those times. I enjoyed getting the vivid feeling for Ancient Rome, without getting the feeling that I was reading a travelogue, or being treated to the author's 'see how much I've researched!" I am from Southern Europe, and in my 60s, and I've been in cities that still have that "Roman" atmosphere. The twisty turning streets, the laundry hanging overhead, the dog poop in the streets... a young girl of good family not being allowed out on her own (this was in the 1950s!).I love the sharp repartees, the subtle and not so subtle British humor, and the tender love story which does not go into graphic clinical detail (at 64, I know the facts of life, thank you very much!) but yet expresses the depth of love, both spiritual and physical. I also like Falco's character. I felt I was reading about a MAN, written by a male author (hey, in America, anything goes for a first name! I didn't realize Lindsey Davis was a female author until I received the book). I promptly ordered other books in the series. I recommend starting with Silver Pigs, as the next book in the series is a sequel to S. Pigs. If you like Gordianus from the Steven Saylor books, I think you will like Falco. Another comparison that will seem odd to some readers. Falco's mix of wit, anti-hero, and recklessness reminded me of Francis Crawford of Lymond, created by Dorothy Dunnett.
Marcus Didius Falco mystery--set in ancient Rome.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
About one-quarter of my way into this book, I decided I didn't like it. The 70 A.D. Roman informer (detective) sounded too much like he belonged in a 1930s mystery. I gave it one more chapter before I quit.
When I looked up several chapters later, I was completely hooked. I finished the book in 24 hours and have the next in the series on request.
When I looked up several chapters later, I was completely hooked. I finished the book in 24 hours and have the next in the series on request.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Book Description
The Silver Pigs is the classic novel which introduced readers around the world to Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer with a knack for trouble, a tendency for bad luck, and a frequently inconvenient drive for justice.
When Marcus Didius Falco encounters the young and very pretty Sosia Camillina in the Forum, he senses immediately that there is something amiss. When she confesses that she is fleeing for her life, Falco offers to help her and, in doing so, he gets himself mixed up in a deadly plot involving stolen ingots, dangerous and dark political machinations, and, most hazardous of all, one Helena Justina, a brash, indomitable senator's daughter connected to the very traitors that Falco has sworn to expose.
My Review
This is the first book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mystery series. It is a very different type of a detective series with witty jokes which make for an enjoyable read. Lindsey Davis brings historical Rome of the Caesars in 70 AD very much alive. Stolen treasure takes Didius Falco into occupied Britain where he meets Helena Justina. The chemistry between Falco and Helena Justina also makes for a very charming love story. I look forward to continue with this series and I would recommend it for readers who enjoy historical mystery novels.
The Silver Pigs is the classic novel which introduced readers around the world to Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer with a knack for trouble, a tendency for bad luck, and a frequently inconvenient drive for justice.
When Marcus Didius Falco encounters the young and very pretty Sosia Camillina in the Forum, he senses immediately that there is something amiss. When she confesses that she is fleeing for her life, Falco offers to help her and, in doing so, he gets himself mixed up in a deadly plot involving stolen ingots, dangerous and dark political machinations, and, most hazardous of all, one Helena Justina, a brash, indomitable senator's daughter connected to the very traitors that Falco has sworn to expose.
My Review
This is the first book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mystery series. It is a very different type of a detective series with witty jokes which make for an enjoyable read. Lindsey Davis brings historical Rome of the Caesars in 70 AD very much alive. Stolen treasure takes Didius Falco into occupied Britain where he meets Helena Justina. The chemistry between Falco and Helena Justina also makes for a very charming love story. I look forward to continue with this series and I would recommend it for readers who enjoy historical mystery novels.
