Falco

Lindsay Davis, "The Silver Pigs"

2010-10-01 21:15; in Adam's Books, Falco; 195 words

I've been rather enjoying the Falco plays on BBC radio lately, so I thought it'd be worth checking out the books. Falco is your standard hard-boiled detective, investigating shady dealings at the bidding of the rich and powerful, with the minor detail that he happens to live in first-century Rome. This story sees Falco getting to the bottom of thefts from the British silver mines — an investigation that'll lead him right to the top of Roman society.

Davis' combination of meticulously-researched worldbuilding and sharp writing — entertaining bordering on tongue-in-cheek — works brilliantly. If I'm allowed a minor complaint, it'd be that the pacing's a bit odd towards the end, but it's understandable given the amount of background and character introduction that's packed in here — and, from what I recall, it got smoothed out of the radio version (along with some of the bawdier bits earlier on).

I'll definitely be looking for more of this series — the only downside is that this is the first book of, so far, twenty. I figure I have a reasonable chance of acquiring these faster than the BBC can dramatise them...

ISBN 0099515059. Search for this book on Wikipedia or isbn.nu.