The grove of the Caesars

Lindsey Davis

Book - 2020

"In the sacred grove of Julius Caesar, something deadly stirs in the undergrowth-a serial killer, who haunted the gardens for years, has claimed another victim-in Lindsey Davis's next historical mystery, The Grove of the Caesars. At the feet of her adoptive father, renowned private informer Marcus Didius Falco, Flavia Albia learned a number of important rules. First and foremost-always keep one's distance from the palace, nothing good comes from that direction. But right behind it-murder is the business of the Vigiles, best to leave them to it. Having broken the first rule more often than she'd like, it's no surprise to anyone when she finds herself breaking the second one. The public gardens named after the Caesars... is a place nice girls are warned away from and when a series of bodies are uncovered, it seems that a serial killer has been haunting the grove for years. The case is assigned to one Julius Karus, a cohort of the Vigiles, but Albia is convinced that nothing will come of his efforts. Out of sympathy for the dead women and their grieving relatives, Albia decides to work with the vile Karus and bring the serial killer to justice"--

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Subjects
Genres
Historical fiction
Mystery fiction
Detective and mystery fiction
Published
New York : Minotaur Books [2020]
Language
English
Main Author
Lindsey Davis (author)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Physical Description
324 pages : maps ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781250241566
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

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.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

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)

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