Nemesis

Marcus Didius Falco, Book 20

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Christian Rodska reads this complete, full-length Falco novel, by best-selling author Lindsey Davis.

In the high summer of AD 77, Marcus Didius Falco is beset by personal problems. Newly bereaved and facing unexpected upheavals, it is a relief for him to consider someone else’s misfortunes. A middle-aged couple who supplied statues to his father, Geminus, have disappeared. They had a feud with a bunch of notorious freedmen, the Claudii, who live rough in the pestilential Pontine Marshes, terrorising the neighbourhood.

When a mutilated corpse turns up near Rome, Falco and his vigiles friend Petronius investigate, even though it means travelling in the dread marshes. But just as they are making progress, the Chief Spy, Anacrites, snatches their case away from them. Making further enquiries after they have been warned off can only be dangerous - but when did that stop Falco and Petronius?

Egged on by the slippery bureaucrats who hate Anacrites, the dogged friends dig deeper while a psychotic killer keeps taking more victims, and the shocking truth creeps closer and closer to home....

©2010 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Excellent series, excellent finale

They say “all good things must come to an end.” Perhaps. And so ends the excellent series of Falco books. If you haven’t yet read any, start from the beginning. And if you have, you already know how good they are, and if you don’t like this series, then your taste is different, and shouldn’t bother with this one, either. Davis wrapped up the series well - that’s all I need to say. You’ll see for yourself. Rodska does a fine narration job - there have been other narrators, perhaps better, but Rodska was fine. I’m looking forward to hearing Davis’ spinoff series.

brilliant

Any scepticism that I may have had has been suspended with this wonderful and very well researched
story. The narrator helps to achieve this too. I feel that I am getting a priviledged glimpse into a world
long passed, whose storyline themes continue to be relevant and haunt the minds of people far into the future.

"Murder would justify intervention from Rome."

A lifelong fan about all things (ancient) Roman, both fictional and non fiction, I eagerly devoured Lindsey Davis's Falso series as each book was published. This time, I started at the end with the Audio read by Christian Rodska, probably not a good idea as it is, possibly, my !easy favourite of the series

And yes, I enjoyed it. But how I wish it had been Anton Lesser - my perfect Falco - reading instead of Rodska. Oh, he was fine in his interpretation of the now more mature Roman informer (investigator), married with children; although his humour was not as accessible, his personality still was clearly shown in the lerformance. But it was the other characters who were individually voiced which grated, especially the attempts at representation of female characters or any refinment, such as would have been spoken by Helena Justina, Falco's far from lesbian wife.

Nevertheless, the story is good, involved and involving and I highly recommend it to any especially first time, readers. The atmosphere of first Century Rome is very present, and is a good concluding story to a most excellent series