One of the stories from the bestselling historical fiction Falco series.
It is the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The days are short; the nights are for wild parties. A general has captured a famous enemy of Rome, and brings her home to adorn his Triumph as a ritual sacrifice. The logistics go wrong; she acquires a mystery illness - then a young man is horrendously murdered and she escapes from house arrest.
Marcus Didius Falco is pitted against his old rival, the Chief Spy Anacrites, in a race to find the fugitive before her presence angers the public and makes the government look stupid. Falco has other priorities, for Helena's brother Justinus has also vanished, perhaps fatefully involved once more with the great lost love of his youth.
Against the riotous backdrop of the season of misrule, the search seems impossible and only Falco seems to notice that some dark agency is bringing death to the city streets...
EBOOK COMMENTARY
As the festive holiday of Saturnalia approaches in Davis's well-crafted 18th Roman historical (after 2006's See Delphi and Die), informer Marcus Didius Falco receives an imperial commission from Emperor Vespasian to solve the murder of nobleman Sextus Gratianus Scaeva. The victim's brother-in-law was holding a valued captive, Veleda, a female German rebel leader who had caused plenty of problems for the Roman Empire. She somehow escaped at the same time the crime occurred, becoming the prime suspect in the process. Unconvinced that the mystery can be wrapped up neatly with the capture of the fugitive, Falco, aided as always by his astute and independent wife, Helena Justina, pursues other leads even as he hopes to find Veleda and prevent further political turmoil. The occasional anachronistic colloquial phrase jars a bit, but overall Davis does her usual sound job of bringing first-century Rome to life. (May)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Publishers Weekly
As the festive holiday of Saturnalia approaches in Davis's well-crafted 18th Roman historical (after 2006's See Delphi and Die), informer Marcus Didius Falco receives an imperial commission from Emperor Vespasian to solve the murder of nobleman Sextus Gratianus Scaeva. The victim's brother-in-law was holding a valued captive, Veleda, a female German rebel leader who had caused plenty of problems for the Roman Empire. She somehow escaped at the same time the crime occurred, becoming the prime suspect in the process. Unconvinced that the mystery can be wrapped up neatly with the capture of the fugitive, Falco, aided as always by his astute and independent wife, Helena Justina, pursues other leads even as he hopes to find Veleda and prevent further political turmoil. The occasional anachronistic colloquial phrase jars a bit, but overall Davis does her usual sound job of bringing first-century Rome to life. (May)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal
Marcus Didius Falco and his wife, Helena Justina, are back in Rome preparing for Saturnalia celebrations when their plans are upset by an imperial assignment. Celtic priestess Veleda, held captive in a senator's home, has escaped, and a member of the household appears to have been ritually murdered and decapitated, his head found in the atrium pool of the home. Veleda's disappearance is to be kept secret, and Marcus has only a week to find her. His old nemesis, Anacrites, competes in the same assignment but has the Praetorian Guard at his disposal. Marcus's investigation leads him to the fringes of Roman society as he begins to suspect that a serial killer has been adding to the burdens of hunger, disease, and cold that already plague these unfortunates. The complex intertwining of religion and politics complicate the investigation. With a nod to CSI, the medical practices described-a surprising blend of science and quackery-include an army surgeon using forbidden autopsy techniques to help solve the mysteries. Tightly plotted, this 18th series episode is one of Davis's best. Christian Rodska's performance of the cynical and wisecracking Marcus is flawless. Highly recommended for all collections.
—Janet Martin
Kirkus Reviews
The festival of Saturnalia, a December holiday of license and merriment for all classes, proves a ticklish time to hunt down a killer. It's 76 A.D. when undercover agent Marcus Didius Falco gets the dangerous and politically sensitive job of finding an enemy of the state who has escaped house arrest, leaving behind the decapitated body of Scaeva, the owner's brother-in-law. The escapee is Veleda, a German warrior princess Falco previously met on a mission to stamp out a revolt she was fomenting. Back then Veleda had a brief fling with Justinus, Falco's brother-in-law, and helped them both escape from Germany. Justinus, now a married man, is still a little in love with her. Falco's opposed by Anacrites and his Praetorian Guards, who are also tasked with finding Veleda. Having often outwitted the Praetorians' inept chief spy, he hopes to find Veleda and prevent her death, prove she didn't commit murder and save his brother-in-law's marriage. As Falco travels the streets of Rome, awash with drunken revelers, he realizes that destitute people are turning up dead in unusually high numbers. With help from his friends and his clever, aristocratic wife Helena, Falco finds the answers to many questions, including who killed Scaeva and whether there really is a serial killer in Rome. The latest entry in Davis's long-running series (See Delphi and Die, 2006, etc.) boasts a straightforward mystery along with her usual double helping of historical detail.
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