The grove of the Caesars

The audacious Flavia Albia returns in her eighth adventure (after A Capitol Death, 2019), once again feverishly traversing the Tiber in her never-ending quest for truth, justice, and the Roman way. With her husband away on family business, it falls to Flavia to oversee one of his projects, the demolition of an old grotto in the gardens that Julius Caesar bequeathed to the public as a peaceful sanctuary. They are anything but peaceful. When a woman disappears on the grounds and is found raped and murdered, Flavia learns that a serial predator has been about his deadly business there for years. She is hired by the woman's family when the local Vigiles (police in Ancient Rome) prove useless. At the same time, she is investigating the origin of bundles of tattered scrolls unearthed in the grotto, only to find that bibliomania has seized the city, and people are willing to kill to get their hands on literary artifacts. This one ends with a surprising conclusion that will make fans adore Flavia even more, if that is possible.

Set in Rome in 89 CE, Davis's engrossing eighth mystery featuring private investigator Flavia Albia (after 2019's A Capitol Death) finds Flavia in charge of her husband Tiberius's construction business while he's away dealing with a family illness. As part of her job, Flavia visits gardens bequeathed to the people of Rome by Julius Caesar, to check on the progress of a contract to dismantle a small grotto, where workers have unearthed some old scrolls, a find that may have some financial value. But Flavia's look into whether the writings are legitimate is put aside after the grisly discovery of the nude, strangled body of Victoria Teria, who disappeared during a birthday celebration held for her husband, Cluventius, in the gardens a short time before. Cluventius's subsequent doubts about the official inquiry's effectiveness lead him to hire Flavia to find the murderer, who she learns has been preying on women in the gardens for years. The author's trademark dry wit leavens the gruesomeness of the central plot. Davis convincingly sets a hunt for a serial killer in ancient Rome. (July)