Review by Booklist Review
Flavia Albia, daughter of Roman investigator Marcus Didius Falco (star of Davis' long-running mystery series), continues to build her reputation as an investigator in her own right. This time, a suitor asks for Flavia's help with his friend's political campaign, but Flavia has a more pressing problem: How did a dead body turn up inside a piece of furniture? As it turns out, the body in the furniture actually connects to her friend's friend's political aspirations. Cynics might say that Davis realized ol' Marcus was getting too long in the tooth to keep solving crimes, but that she didn't want to stop writing about ancient Rome, so, presto, she created a younger, female version of her hero. But that's a bit too slick. Flavia isn't a Marcus clone; she shares some of her father's traits (especially his ingratiating sense of humor and his persistence in the face of overwhelming odds), but she's her own person and quite an interesting one, too. Whether you call this a new series or an extension of the Falco series, it's a fine book, either way.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It's 89 C.E., and Rome is under the heel of the tyrannical emperor Domitian in Davis's entertaining third whodunit featuring informer Flavia Albia (after 2014's Enemies at Home). The discovery of an unidentified male corpse inside an armored chest, which Flavia's family was putting up for auction, launches her on a murder investigation. Since the chest was untouched in a warehouse for a decade, Flavia speculates that the killer hoped the body would be completely unrecognizable by the time it was found. As she conducts her probe, she also accepts an assignment to check out the opponents of Vibius Marinus, a candidate in the looming municipal elections. Davis lets the action drift at times and gives too much attention to a romantic subplot, but she does her usual smooth job of educating readers with historical tidbits (e.g., explaining that the word candidate derives from the word white, because those seeking elected office wore robes whitened with chalk). (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In her third outing (after The Ides of April and Enemies at Home), private informer -Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of -Marcus -Didius Falco, gets immersed in the dangerous world of Roman politics during the reign of Domitian. First, her father's auction business discovers a corpse inside a strongbox set to be sold. Soon after, -Manlius Faustus, her potential love interest and frequent investigative partner, asks her to dig up dirt on the competitors of his friend Sextus, who is running for aedile. What initially seems to be two unrelated events quickly become intertwined and seemingly benign candidates begin to reveal sinister motivations. As always, Davis vividly paints an ancient Rome full of grandiose architecture and ominous dark alleyways in the sweltering summer heat. Her characters are equally well designed, with distinct personalities that complement the winding mystery. VERDICT As Albia evolves with each new installment, Davis steps closer to achieving the success of the "Marcus Falco" mysteries. While touching on mature subjects this title does so without being crude. Appropriate for teens and anyone interested in historicals set in antiquity. [Library marketing.]-Matt Schirano, Magnus Wahlstrom Lib., Bridgeport, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In ancient Rome, elections can be murder. It's the year 89 B.C.E. Upon the retirement of her father, Marcus Didius Falco, Flavia Albia has inherited both his auction house and his clients as a private informer and sometime-sleuth. While preparing a sale of items from the household of wealthy Callistus Valens, who has gone to his country estate with his family, her workmen find a corpse inside a huge armored chest. Because it's too badly decomposed to identify, determining the body's killer, not to mention its identity, falls to Flavia despite the fact that Callistus suggests she simply dispose of it like rubbish. This potential slog takes a back seat when Flavia is buttonholed by rugged Manlius Faustus, a magistrate who's as attracted to her as she is to him, so far to little effect. Faustus hires Flavia to dig up dirt on the slate of candidates competing against his friend Sextus Vibius Marinus in the upcoming election for Plebian Aedile. Caesar favors one Volusius Firmus, an oar-making magnate with a sterling reputation, so it's particularly puzzling when he drops out of the race. There's no dearth of other candidates, but Flavia begins to question the ethics of her work when she learns that Sextus is commonly known as a wife beater. His wife's absence seems to intensify the rumors. A murder reminds Flavia of the danger she has placed herself in. But even she could never have foreseen her own arrest. Flavia's third case (Enemies at Home, 2014, etc.) benefits from the heroine's combination of archness and vulnerability and the author's deep knowledge of the period. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
