A Bit of a Disappointment...

books:

	• Ode to a Banker Lindsey Davis Mysterious Press, 2001 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Falco at home

The series of Falco books is constructed from three parts. Ostensibly exotic and intricate mystery stories-murders investigated by Falco, an imperial freelance agent of Vespasian's early Roman empire (AD 69-79)-they also serve as tours of the various (mostly western) provinces, and as "behind the scene" introductions and evocations of Roman versions of things such as: mining (SILVER), travel, art business, retail, city policing, the games and animal hunts (LIONS), stagecraft (PALMYRA), construction, apartment and family life, the status of women, water supply (FOUNTAINS), and now publishing and banking (but neither politics nor the army). Unlike the Ciceronian books of the Late Republic written by Steven Saylor, Davis' stories don't seem to hew close to actual ancient Roman law cases, but formulate what might have been typical middle class crimes that seem of reasonable cause to a modern reader. The dialogue can be English slangy modern without a tang of old Latin, but there's no need for footnotes or glossary either. (If you miss them then you can find a lot of pertinant background information in the glossaries of Colleen McCullough's Caesar books.) Davis seems to capture the roistering, tireless, scheming, and fouled essence of ancient Roman city life.

The wise-cracking, sceptical Falco and his so smart Helena are Davis's own splendid "modern" creations. Their repartee is usually spritely and intelligent-not because Davis is being politically correct but because they are partners in an alliance of man and woman unusual for Rome, yet serving to move the plot forward when a case is at impass. Davis (and Falco) are cynics in all things, but classically so, entertaining rather than mean. No one ages fast in this series; for example, this 12th book covers only one month in summer, AD 74, and Falco is only a prime 33 despite his many adventures.

Although I've said the Falco stories that stay close to Rome are the best ones, this sticks TOO close to downtown. ODE features a tight coterie of bankers, publishers, and authors (including Falco as a poet!). The claustrophobic atmosphere, the innumerable puzzling suspects, the dogged police interrogations, and the climactic confrontation in the concluding chapters a la Poirot reminds me strongly of an inelegant Agatha Christie closed-room mystery, not at all my favorite sort. Each recent volume includes more and more of Falco's domestic relations, disputes, and family love interests-a theme that almost eclipses the mystery here and is continued in the next volume, A BODY IN THE BATHHOUSE.

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A Bit of a Disappointment...

I remember when I first discovered this series. I couldn't get enough of Falco! This was about two years ago. I bought this book and it has sat on my shelf for quite awhile; getting lost in the mounds of books I need to read. This weekend I decided to pull it out and re-visit ancient Rome. This book was a bit of a disappointment. I began to get bored at some point and question why I had liked this series. The plot just meandered around. It seemed unreal to me that Falco just "forgot" to check up on some basic facts and alibis. Falco and Lindsey Davis both seemed really tired. I am not giving up on the series...I hope to read more...I just hope that they are a little livelier. Hopefully this will be the only Dud in the bunch. I gave this three stars because I do love Falco and the gang so much, and hope does spring eternal...

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Falco's Literary Adventure

Ode to a Banker begins with Falco reading his poetry at a public reading. He's flattered when Chrysippus, a wealthy banker and scriptorium owner, offers him the chance to publish, but outright refuses when he learns he would have to pay Chrysippus for it. He's commissioned for the investigation when Chrysippus turns up murdered in the library. There is an abundance of suspects-lots of people thought Chrysippus was as creepy as Falco did, including a bunch of bitter authors and a twisted family, all with motives of course. There is a twist when someone else turns up dead, but the plot of the actual mystery unfolds pretty slowly until the end when Falco gathers all the suspects and interrogates them. Until then the plot is driven mainly by Falco's crazy extended family and their bizarre relationships and escapades.

This book explores the Roman world of the scriptorium and the Greek banking industry. The characters are interesting, and there are certainly a lot of them. The mystery develops slowly, or perhaps minimally until the end, but the story is enjoyable throughout the book. Overall, an enjoyable read but a slow plot.

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Not Free SF Reader

Publishing peril.

Falco is still toiling away till late hours at times working on his writing, and here he falls in with a banker/publishers that plays up to struggling writers.

Falco gets in trouble again when a man dies via a literary blunt implement, and with Petronius' help he gets to investigate and find out what is going on.

Like Last Act In Palmyra, the whole publishing thing may be of little interest to some, and this does detract a bit in general from the book making this one of the lesser entries in this series.

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Falco The Poet

This is the twelfth novel in the mystery series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, an informer and sleuth in Rome at the time of Vespasian. A series of books that have become hugely popular, so much so that the author is now at the forefront of historical mystery writers. It was probably a stroke of genius on her part to have novels that are extremely well researched and contain all the elements that would be and should be found in the Roman world of circa AD70, but to have a lead character who has the vocabulary of a present day New York cop.

This book sees Falco delving into the world of literary jealousies and everything that goes with them. Writers block, jealousy and fraud is just scratching the surface. He discovers that there are a series of puzzling links to the Aurelian Bank and finds out the business is owned by Chrysippus.

Chrysippus is a man that Falco knows only too well, because a little private recital of Falco's poetry had recently been gate crashed by Aurelius Chrysippus, a scriptorium owner and some of his literary friends and the following day Chrysippus offers to publish Falco's poems.

When the body of the scriptorium owner is found Petro, long time friend of Falco and the Vigil's enquiry officer, commissions Falco to investigate the murder, while at the same time trying not to pull his leg too hard regarding his poetic prowess.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Falco returns for the twelfth time and ventures into the greedy and vengeful world of money and publishing. When wealthy banker and publisher Chrysippus is found dead in his library, everyone is suspected--from his money-loving widow to Falco himself. The Roman sleuth must first prove his own innocence before he can set out into the crowded streets of Emperor Vespasian's metropolis to track down the killer. Eventually, Falco realizes that he must navigate his way through a maze of deceit, corruption, and sexual liasons in order to arrive at the truth. As he cleverly sorts through the evidence, another body is discovered, and Falco must quickly identify the culprit--or it may be his body they find next.

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