Ode to a Banker

June 11, 2001
In Davis's 12th Marcus Didius Falco story (after 2000's One Virgin Too Many), the Roman informer, a sort of Columbo in a dirty toga, investigates a sensational murder connected to the worlds of poetry, publishing and banking. It's a good mystery and, as such, the reader doesn't suspect the perpetrator until all is gradually revealed, and then everything makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, unlike historical mystery author Steven Saylor, Davis deliberately makes his ancient Rome seem contemporary. Characters talk about man management and brandish the stylus and note tablet like a Palm –Pilot. On the other hand, the technology is true to period. Without benefit of forensic evidence and crime labs, Falco has to talk to people and rely on a few clues, such as a missing sea-nettle flan from the victim's lunch tray. Did the murderer really like nettle flans so much that he stopped to snack? Moreover, like sleuths from the dawn of civilization to the present day, Falco has to get on with solving the crime amid the distractions of work and various crises—here, involving his father, his mother, his sister, his lover and even his dog, Nux (Latin for "worthless"). The Romans were great believers in what we've come to call family values; the antics of the ruling families aside, those standards were important to the average Roman, including Falco. In the end, we leave Marcus Didius Falco with a wine flagon and a good scroll to read. Given the society in which he lives, he probably won't be idle for long, much to his fans' delight.

This series of historical mysteries set in first-century Rome has quite a following among twenty-first century audiobook listeners. Roman private investigator Marcus Didius Falco is really Sam Spade in a toga--bright, brash, brave, and observant, with a sardonic view of human beings and their motives. Christopher Scott brings Falco to life, allowing us to enjoy his dry sense of humor and to learn his long-standing prejudices. This story of the murder of a banker who also was a publisher is populated with a large cast of characters, all of whom are given individual voices and personalities. It really won't disconcert the listener that some characters have a decidedly Cockney accent. This tape is a lively romp in the Roman Empire and a passably good mystery as well. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine