Last Act in Palmyra

Falco, Book 6

De: Lindsey Davis

Narrado por: Gordon Griffin

'I was just a freelance hero doing his best in a hard world.'

The spirit of adventure calls Falco on a new spying mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong.

A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria. Here they join a travelling theatre group, which keeps losing members in non-accidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions - then as the killer hovers, Falco tries to write a play.

©1996 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible Ltd

Sheer fun with a new locale

I wrote a review for this book and posted it right after I finished, but the review disappeared. I'll try again. I've been enjoying these books loads. Fun characters, entertaining plots in interesting locales. This one takes us to points east and it is like an ancient travelogue. Do go along for the ride, but I recommend starting from the first book.
The narration is excellent, though a bit slow. I speed it up to 1.25 for Griffin's narrations and find it suits the suspense in the stories better.

weak plot and story

I was a big fan of the BBC didius falco stories. The one downside to the BBC version was always the fast pace with which the story was told and unfolded. For this reason I chose this full audio version. Unfortunately I have to conclude that this audio book really disappointed. The narrator was unconvincing (missed the different BBC voices) and the story was tediously slow. Unneeded chapters and poor plots. Also the ending was quite predictable. Perhaps it was just this one book from the series but the former fresh and cocky Marcus was replaced by a lovestruck blundering gentleman. Little bit like the new Bond movie remake. In all I would not recommend the book.