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Flavia Albia Mystery #11
Fatal Legacy
An unpaid bar bill leads Flavia Albia to her most bitter and complex case yet.
Decades earlier Appius Tranquillus Surus wrote his will: it freed his slaves and bequeathed his businesses to them. He left an orchard to the Prisci, a family he was friendly with, on the condition that his freedmen could still take its harvest.
The convoluted arrangement has led to a feud between the two families, each of which has its own internal strife. Endless claims and counterclaims lead to violence and even death. Lawyers have given up in exasperation as the case limps on. The original will has disappeared, along with a falsified codicil - and might there be another one?
But is there a solution? Two youngsters from each side of the divide, Gaius Venuleius and Cosca Sabatina, have fallen in love, which could unite the feuding families. There is only one problem: were Sabatina's grandmother and father really liberated in the Surus will? If not, the stigma of slavery will stop the marriage and the dispute will rage on forever.
Reconciliation seems impossible, but Albia will try. Her investigation must cut through decades of secrets, arguments, lies and violence to reach a startling truth.
Praise for Lindsey Davis and the Flavia Albia series
'It positively crackles with knowledge of the city and its people, mixed with social comment, ingenious and bloody plots and sharp observational skills leavened by more than a smattering of genuine and sometimes earthy humour' Crime Review
'Fiendishly twisted mystery' Mail on Sunday
'Great fun, shot through with sharp observations' SHOTS
'In this witty novel by the mistress of Roman crime, the reader is transported behind the scenes of a Triumph into a fascinating world of actors, costumiers and animal trainers, all united in their hatred of the murdered man' Sunday Express Magazine
Decades earlier Appius Tranquillus Surus wrote his will: it freed his slaves and bequeathed his businesses to them. He left an orchard to the Prisci, a family he was friendly with, on the condition that his freedmen could still take its harvest.
The convoluted arrangement has led to a feud between the two families, each of which has its own internal strife. Endless claims and counterclaims lead to violence and even death. Lawyers have given up in exasperation as the case limps on. The original will has disappeared, along with a falsified codicil - and might there be another one?
But is there a solution? Two youngsters from each side of the divide, Gaius Venuleius and Cosca Sabatina, have fallen in love, which could unite the feuding families. There is only one problem: were Sabatina's grandmother and father really liberated in the Surus will? If not, the stigma of slavery will stop the marriage and the dispute will rage on forever.
Reconciliation seems impossible, but Albia will try. Her investigation must cut through decades of secrets, arguments, lies and violence to reach a startling truth.
Praise for Lindsey Davis and the Flavia Albia series
'It positively crackles with knowledge of the city and its people, mixed with social comment, ingenious and bloody plots and sharp observational skills leavened by more than a smattering of genuine and sometimes earthy humour' Crime Review
'Fiendishly twisted mystery' Mail on Sunday
'Great fun, shot through with sharp observations' SHOTS
'In this witty novel by the mistress of Roman crime, the reader is transported behind the scenes of a Triumph into a fascinating world of actors, costumiers and animal trainers, all united in their hatred of the murdered man' Sunday Express Magazine
337 pages, Hardcover
First published July 18, 2023
About the author
Lindsey Davis
78 books1,427 followersLindsey Davis, historical novelist, was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. Having taken a degree in English literature at Oxford University (Lady Margaret Hall), she became a civil servant. She left the civil service after 13 years, and when a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, she decided to become a writer, writing at first romantic serials for the UK women's magazine Woman's Realm.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 26, 2023
Look I love Lindsey Davis. Her grasp of ancient Roman history is simply astounding and the way she infuses something most people are only familiar with from text books and college electives with just so much life and vitality never ceases to amaze me. I love that she essentially writes old fashioned detective noirs that just happen to be set during the reign of emperor Domnition.
I USUALLY love the cast of characters running in and out of the story and the surprise reveals that her wonderful detective (informer in ancient Roman terms) Flavia Albia uncovers.
I say usually because there are so many goddamn characters in this book that neither the cast of characters (two pages) nor the TWO family trees she supplies before the story even starts are enough to keep anyone straight. Add to that the ancient Roman tendency to use any one of three or four names depending on who they're talking to and I about lost my damn mind trying to keep everyone straight. Shocking revelations (that incidentally change a bunch of people's names and familial relationships as if my head wasn't already about to explode) were meaningless because I had no idea until I'd flipped back to the front and puzzled out someone's lineage who was even being talked about. Hell I couldn't even work out who Albia was even speaking to at any given moment!
Listen I love these books and I have no intention of ending my wonderful literary relationship with Ms. Davis but dear lord above can we have a slightly smaller cast of characters next time? Please? For the sake of my sanity?
I get that part of the point in this particular tale, that hinges on two families trapped in a decades long feud that involves multiple court battles, affairs, scams and even murder, is the red tape and insane complexity of the Roman legal system. But I need to at least know who the flippin' bad guys and good guys are!
I USUALLY love the cast of characters running in and out of the story and the surprise reveals that her wonderful detective (informer in ancient Roman terms) Flavia Albia uncovers.
I say usually because there are so many goddamn characters in this book that neither the cast of characters (two pages) nor the TWO family trees she supplies before the story even starts are enough to keep anyone straight. Add to that the ancient Roman tendency to use any one of three or four names depending on who they're talking to and I about lost my damn mind trying to keep everyone straight. Shocking revelations (that incidentally change a bunch of people's names and familial relationships as if my head wasn't already about to explode) were meaningless because I had no idea until I'd flipped back to the front and puzzled out someone's lineage who was even being talked about. Hell I couldn't even work out who Albia was even speaking to at any given moment!
Listen I love these books and I have no intention of ending my wonderful literary relationship with Ms. Davis but dear lord above can we have a slightly smaller cast of characters next time? Please? For the sake of my sanity?
I get that part of the point in this particular tale, that hinges on two families trapped in a decades long feud that involves multiple court battles, affairs, scams and even murder, is the red tape and insane complexity of the Roman legal system. But I need to at least know who the flippin' bad guys and good guys are!
April 7, 2023
Make sure you have your thinking hat on while reading this one as you will need it. After the gruesome murders in the last book this is a gentler tale but oh so.complicated. The holidays are over a new year has begun, Tiberius is now free from his duties as Adaile and can concentrate on his new business as a building contractor, but while he is getting started Flavia Albia needs to keep doing her Informer work ................ Their household now has many mouths that need feeding , they tend to get testy otherwise............... Albia's aunt Julia who owns the stargazer cafe commissions her to find a man who stiffed them, paying his bill.with metal rivets. Now, the sum owed is minor but for Julia it's the principal involved and when found the cheeky thief can pay her fees so she accepts. Albia soon tracks him down and presents herself at his home to demand payment. The matron of the house impressed with Albia's skill commissions her to investigate a problem the family has. Her niece is due to be married soon but the preparations have but a problem. You see, the prospective brides family are first generation freed slaves, but her father Posthuminius was born after the death of his father (following me I hope) so the groom's family are asking for proof that he was in fact freed. You see his dead father would not have known to mention him in his will as he wasn't then born, so there needs to be proof of his mother's being freed to establish him as the son of a free woman and not a slave. The will is long gone and memories are vague at best. The consequences for Posthuminius would be disastrous if this proof can not be found as he would be judged to be a slave still................after living his whole life as a free man of wealth. So Flavia Albia has her work cut out for her here and that's without all the parties involved hiding things from her .....................
September 29, 2023
3.5 stars
Not one of the best in this long running series. I found it to be a bit of a slog. Albia gets mixed up with two feuding families, while trying to find proof that one member of the family of former slaves had actually been freed by his owner. What she finds is a convoluted history of 40 years' worth of lawsuits, claims, counter-claims, mostly involving a fruit orchard.
Quite frankly, trying to keep all of the various family members straight gave me a head ache. Thank goodness for the family trees at the beginning of the book. Even Albia has to consult them a time or two.
However, the mystery itself is rather clever, with a couple of 'ah ha, so that's what is going on' moments. And the climactic scene, where Albia gathers all of the participants together for a 'reconciliation', is a doozy.
Albia is in fine form, snarky as ever. I wish that her husband had more time on the page than he did. Their interchanges are a delight to read.
I will definitely be on hand for the next one. My disappointment in this one is certainly no reason to drop the series from my 'must read' list.
Not one of the best in this long running series. I found it to be a bit of a slog. Albia gets mixed up with two feuding families, while trying to find proof that one member of the family of former slaves had actually been freed by his owner. What she finds is a convoluted history of 40 years' worth of lawsuits, claims, counter-claims, mostly involving a fruit orchard.
Quite frankly, trying to keep all of the various family members straight gave me a head ache. Thank goodness for the family trees at the beginning of the book. Even Albia has to consult them a time or two.
However, the mystery itself is rather clever, with a couple of 'ah ha, so that's what is going on' moments. And the climactic scene, where Albia gathers all of the participants together for a 'reconciliation', is a doozy.
Albia is in fine form, snarky as ever. I wish that her husband had more time on the page than he did. Their interchanges are a delight to read.
I will definitely be on hand for the next one. My disappointment in this one is certainly no reason to drop the series from my 'must read' list.
September 3, 2023
I found this one hard to follow from a certain point - too many characters, it got convoluted. It also dragged in the middle and felt a lot longer than it actually is.
June 16, 2023
Honestly this kind of went over my head. I get that Davis was deliberately spending most of the book working up to the big reveal(s)...it just didn't quite work for me.
ARC access & an honest review. Not my favorite entry in this series.
ARC access & an honest review. Not my favorite entry in this series.
September 5, 2023
Fatal Legacy (Flavia Albia #11), by Lindsey Davis
Wills are tricky business, even under the best of circumstances. This is a book that takes a bit of time to develop, where there are a lot of plots all connected together, and where our titular debt collector seeks to bring about family peace while also dealing with complicated rivalries and actions going back generations, all while the very will in question is detained until the last possible moment. As far as a novel goes, this one is easy to read, though as it manages to deal with contemporary identity politics (in a way that also shows Roman decadence), it will not be to everyone's taste. What appears at first to two families fighting each other ends up being two branches of one much more complicated family, with a third contender interested in raising some questions that appear to hint at even future business to deal with. It is unclear to what extent the complicated message about family here seems to be designed for corrupt ages in crisis, as this novel hints at the Roman politics of the time, with a time period that is near the end of Domitian's reign and with a look forward, somewhat prophetically, to the period of the five adoptive emperors, with the appearance of Trajan as a minor character in the novel.
If you look at this book on the largest scale, it tells a complex story about family. Some 40 years ago, a wealthy man died in the aftermath of a shocking scene where his double life was exposed. The division of family wealth between the two branches of his family seem custom-made to bring about problems between the two branches of the family. Fights over the ownership or usufruct of a particular almond tree farm at the end of its usable lifespan have led to acts of violence and a pretend eloping that fails in large part because of the shady behavior of others involved in the scheme. One side of the family is given ownership of a building while the other side has generous renting terms, but pitting the two sides against each other over and over again in various ways. Attempts to unite the families in marriage have similarly failed to bring about peace between the two branches of this family, and against all odds Flavia Albia manages to piece together enough of what is going on between the slaves and relationships that entangle these relatives to bring about a final effort at reconciliation that, somehow, manages to include a bit of justice and mercy to make things right.
Still, if this book is all about family, and family in a particularly complicated way, it is unclear to what extent this point will resonate. The author shows herself aware of Roman law and practice, but if the author wants the reader to root for corrupt dealings, this book doesn't lead the reader to celebrate what is going on, but it's rather the sort of book that forces us to confront the corrupt and shadowy dealings of our own time. If our time appears to be less out of the ordinary than it would otherwise, it certainly does not make one nostalgic about the corruption of imperial Rome. For the same sort of complexity that this novel explores, and even wallows in, is the sort of corruption that our own society specializes in. This includes, but is not limited, to homosexuality, people with multiple secret partners stashed in one area or another, faked identity documents to give people citizenships that they do not deserve and which they abuse, fraud, murder, and affairs that border on and even cross the line into incestuous relations. When readers pick up this novel, are they going to want to see people behave like they do nowadays, or are they going to look forward to a pleasant mystery novel that takes them away from the unpleasant aspects of the real world? I'm not sure if this novel is enough of an escape to make it as enjoyable a read as the author would wish.
Wills are tricky business, even under the best of circumstances. This is a book that takes a bit of time to develop, where there are a lot of plots all connected together, and where our titular debt collector seeks to bring about family peace while also dealing with complicated rivalries and actions going back generations, all while the very will in question is detained until the last possible moment. As far as a novel goes, this one is easy to read, though as it manages to deal with contemporary identity politics (in a way that also shows Roman decadence), it will not be to everyone's taste. What appears at first to two families fighting each other ends up being two branches of one much more complicated family, with a third contender interested in raising some questions that appear to hint at even future business to deal with. It is unclear to what extent the complicated message about family here seems to be designed for corrupt ages in crisis, as this novel hints at the Roman politics of the time, with a time period that is near the end of Domitian's reign and with a look forward, somewhat prophetically, to the period of the five adoptive emperors, with the appearance of Trajan as a minor character in the novel.
If you look at this book on the largest scale, it tells a complex story about family. Some 40 years ago, a wealthy man died in the aftermath of a shocking scene where his double life was exposed. The division of family wealth between the two branches of his family seem custom-made to bring about problems between the two branches of the family. Fights over the ownership or usufruct of a particular almond tree farm at the end of its usable lifespan have led to acts of violence and a pretend eloping that fails in large part because of the shady behavior of others involved in the scheme. One side of the family is given ownership of a building while the other side has generous renting terms, but pitting the two sides against each other over and over again in various ways. Attempts to unite the families in marriage have similarly failed to bring about peace between the two branches of this family, and against all odds Flavia Albia manages to piece together enough of what is going on between the slaves and relationships that entangle these relatives to bring about a final effort at reconciliation that, somehow, manages to include a bit of justice and mercy to make things right.
Still, if this book is all about family, and family in a particularly complicated way, it is unclear to what extent this point will resonate. The author shows herself aware of Roman law and practice, but if the author wants the reader to root for corrupt dealings, this book doesn't lead the reader to celebrate what is going on, but it's rather the sort of book that forces us to confront the corrupt and shadowy dealings of our own time. If our time appears to be less out of the ordinary than it would otherwise, it certainly does not make one nostalgic about the corruption of imperial Rome. For the same sort of complexity that this novel explores, and even wallows in, is the sort of corruption that our own society specializes in. This includes, but is not limited, to homosexuality, people with multiple secret partners stashed in one area or another, faked identity documents to give people citizenships that they do not deserve and which they abuse, fraud, murder, and affairs that border on and even cross the line into incestuous relations. When readers pick up this novel, are they going to want to see people behave like they do nowadays, or are they going to look forward to a pleasant mystery novel that takes them away from the unpleasant aspects of the real world? I'm not sure if this novel is enough of an escape to make it as enjoyable a read as the author would wish.
June 1, 2023
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*
Another great entry in the Flavia Albia series, this one starting off with a seemingly benign request: to hunt down a man who skipped paying the tab at her aunt's bar. Inquiries lead her to the family of the culprit, who conveniently find themselves in need of an informer. The daughter of the youngest son is slated to get married, but the groom's family is demanding proof that the father is a freedman (as the family was previously enslaved). Despite constantly saying she avoids such cases, Albia takes them on, but the search for will uncovers a decades long feud that spells trouble for poor Albia. It was a nice change of pace to not have the case centered on a murder, the focus was on a domestic and legal dispute that was rather complex. The complexity and amount of people involved-many of whom are related in some way-did make it hard to follow at times, and there were many people who popped back up in the end that I had completely lost track of. However, the story was still great and Albia' character remains strong. I did miss seeing her family as much as we've seen in the most recent books, but given the already large cast, it was best to focus on the key players. Looking forward to more from Albia!
Another great entry in the Flavia Albia series, this one starting off with a seemingly benign request: to hunt down a man who skipped paying the tab at her aunt's bar. Inquiries lead her to the family of the culprit, who conveniently find themselves in need of an informer. The daughter of the youngest son is slated to get married, but the groom's family is demanding proof that the father is a freedman (as the family was previously enslaved). Despite constantly saying she avoids such cases, Albia takes them on, but the search for will uncovers a decades long feud that spells trouble for poor Albia. It was a nice change of pace to not have the case centered on a murder, the focus was on a domestic and legal dispute that was rather complex. The complexity and amount of people involved-many of whom are related in some way-did make it hard to follow at times, and there were many people who popped back up in the end that I had completely lost track of. However, the story was still great and Albia' character remains strong. I did miss seeing her family as much as we've seen in the most recent books, but given the already large cast, it was best to focus on the key players. Looking forward to more from Albia!
April 10, 2023
Fatal Legacy starts with a sort of domestic spat. Some customers leave not only without paying at auntie’s restaurant. They leave the insult of some rivets in a dish instead of coin. Because Flavia Albia has turned up on an errand, she’s coerced into finding the customers and restoring the payment due.
After some padding by the author about the type of things going on in the family and the general state of Rome, Flavia uncovers the family of the reprobates. The matriarch hires her to investigate a will. This uncovers a can of worms, or a nest of vipers, or a tangled web of lies and deceit. Slowly Flavia strips away until, after quite a decent story, we know who did what to whom more or less. Not satisfied at this point, the author convenes a long-winded showdown for the characters. I think this aims to make absolutely clear that the reader knows who did what, and why. The trouble is, by now we don’t care about the people concerned. Tying up loose ends is all very well, but some of these we didn’t realise were loose. We don’t care when they are finally tied up. Twists in the tail are only twists if they are relevant to the plot, rather than extra colour.
So I’ve been generous with a 4 star rating, because the story itself is worthy of it. But it could have had a good deal of editing, and been a better read as a result. And the plot is better than a few of the really nasty incidents of previous ones in the series.
After some padding by the author about the type of things going on in the family and the general state of Rome, Flavia uncovers the family of the reprobates. The matriarch hires her to investigate a will. This uncovers a can of worms, or a nest of vipers, or a tangled web of lies and deceit. Slowly Flavia strips away until, after quite a decent story, we know who did what to whom more or less. Not satisfied at this point, the author convenes a long-winded showdown for the characters. I think this aims to make absolutely clear that the reader knows who did what, and why. The trouble is, by now we don’t care about the people concerned. Tying up loose ends is all very well, but some of these we didn’t realise were loose. We don’t care when they are finally tied up. Twists in the tail are only twists if they are relevant to the plot, rather than extra colour.
So I’ve been generous with a 4 star rating, because the story itself is worthy of it. But it could have had a good deal of editing, and been a better read as a result. And the plot is better than a few of the really nasty incidents of previous ones in the series.
February 28, 2024
An entertaining historical mystery set in ancient Rome, this one involving a female investigator. Flavia Albia is sent to collect a debt ... but she soon stumbles into something far more complicated, involving the socio-legal status of a man whose daughter wants to marry, and who owns a fruit orchard in the Campania.
The whodunnit was a good fair-play puzzle, don't get me wrong. But what cost this book a star for me was that Flavia Alba's voice was just too modern. She sounded more like a character out of Damon Runyan than a Roman matron. I get that this was probably to make her more accessible to modern readers, but I found it a trifle jarring.
Still, fans of historical mysteries set in this period will be entertained.
The whodunnit was a good fair-play puzzle, don't get me wrong. But what cost this book a star for me was that Flavia Alba's voice was just too modern. She sounded more like a character out of Damon Runyan than a Roman matron. I get that this was probably to make her more accessible to modern readers, but I found it a trifle jarring.
Still, fans of historical mysteries set in this period will be entertained.
March 15, 2024
This is the first book in this series that I've read. Generally, I try to read series books in order, but I won this one through goodreads and wanted to leave a review sooner rather than later.
While it took me a while to get used to the old Roman names and sorting out who's who (probably because I didn't start with book 1, which usually would set the scene, so to speak, the plot seemed pretty clear from the beginning.
I enjoyed this look at ancient Roman times - the setting plays as big a part in the story as the people. Flavia Albia is an interesting character, whose series is an off-shoot of another series by this author. I liked this book enough that I'll probably start with the prior series and work my way into this one.
While it took me a while to get used to the old Roman names and sorting out who's who (probably because I didn't start with book 1, which usually would set the scene, so to speak, the plot seemed pretty clear from the beginning.
I enjoyed this look at ancient Roman times - the setting plays as big a part in the story as the people. Flavia Albia is an interesting character, whose series is an off-shoot of another series by this author. I liked this book enough that I'll probably start with the prior series and work my way into this one.
October 27, 2023
I usually love anything by Lindsey Davis, but I have to say that out of all her Falco and then Flavia Albia books, this was the worst. Maybe I am just getting old, but I had a very difficult time understanding who was who in this book. Too many names the same; too many families presented. Seemed like a lot of to-do about a court case for nothing. Very disappointing overall.
February 27, 2023
A partial sequel to Falco's legal jaunt The Accusers, Fatal Legacy is blessed with a lighter tone, but the case is too baroque to delight. 3.5/5, rounded up but definitely with reservations.
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Flavia Albia has been on a bit of a mean streak lately - even the Saturnalia books have been heavy (and high-casualty) going. So it came as a welcome surprise to find that despite the portentous title, Fatal Legacy spends most of its pages without even an obvious crime to investigate. Instead Davis expands on one of the social intrigues of her late Falco novel, The Accusers, adding several new generations and a truckload of familial trauma to keep things fresh alongside Flavia Albia's usual wry wit and gently jaundiced eye.
This is promising material, and ends strongly - the complete picture she builds by the end is compelling - but there are so many players and long-ago submysteries and complex family relations to keep track of that Fatal Legacy begins to feel more like a spreadsheet than a novel. Indeed, we get a full scene of the (very sharp) Tiberius Manlius complaining this mystery is all just too complicated to follow, and it's hard to argue the aedile's point. The overcomplication isn't just a headache for the reader, it clearly posed some problems for the author as well, with some questions being resolved almost out of the blue while others linger until their answers are thuddingly obvious.
Still, there's plenty of welcome diversion to be had here if you just let the details wash over you, and Davis' dive back into the eccentricities of the Roman legal system is more interesting than it has any right to be. I just wish it could have been married to a slightly tighter plot; one suspects our poor Flavia agrees.
---------
Flavia Albia has been on a bit of a mean streak lately - even the Saturnalia books have been heavy (and high-casualty) going. So it came as a welcome surprise to find that despite the portentous title, Fatal Legacy spends most of its pages without even an obvious crime to investigate. Instead Davis expands on one of the social intrigues of her late Falco novel, The Accusers, adding several new generations and a truckload of familial trauma to keep things fresh alongside Flavia Albia's usual wry wit and gently jaundiced eye.
This is promising material, and ends strongly - the complete picture she builds by the end is compelling - but there are so many players and long-ago submysteries and complex family relations to keep track of that Fatal Legacy begins to feel more like a spreadsheet than a novel. Indeed, we get a full scene of the (very sharp) Tiberius Manlius complaining this mystery is all just too complicated to follow, and it's hard to argue the aedile's point. The overcomplication isn't just a headache for the reader, it clearly posed some problems for the author as well, with some questions being resolved almost out of the blue while others linger until their answers are thuddingly obvious.
Still, there's plenty of welcome diversion to be had here if you just let the details wash over you, and Davis' dive back into the eccentricities of the Roman legal system is more interesting than it has any right to be. I just wish it could have been married to a slightly tighter plot; one suspects our poor Flavia agrees.
August 6, 2023
I received a copy of Fatal Legacy from Hachette Australia to review.
Rating of 4.5.
Return to one of my favourite historical fiction series with another clever crime fiction read set in ancient Rome with Fatal Legacy by Lindsey Davis.
While I have had the pleasure of reading many great historical fiction series and books over the years, few have been as enjoyable to me as the Flavia Albia books by legendary author Lindsey Davis. The follow-up to her iconic and long-running Falco novels, the series follow the titular Flavia Albia, a private investigator in Rome who finds herself involved with a series of unusual or gruesome crimes, often resulting in a series of over-the-top events. I have had a great deal of fun with the Flavia Albia books over the years, including The Third Nero, Pandora’s Boy, A Capitol Death, The Grove of the Caesars (one of my favourite books of 2020), A Comedy of Terrors and Desperate Undertakings (one of my favourite books of 2022), and I am always excited to check out the latest novel in the series, especially when it has an intriguing plot behind it.
Fatal Legacy was another compelling and fun entry in the series which once again brings together Davis’ fantastic take on Roman historical fiction with a unique mystery and several entertaining characters. Fatal Legacy was the 11th book in the Flavia Albia series, and it proved to be quite an exciting and addictive read.
I had a lot of fun with Fatal Legacy’s great story, especially as it requires the protagonist to dive into an elaborate family feud. Starting off by chance as Flavia attempts to appease one of her many eccentric relatives by investigating an unpaid bar bill, Flavia soon finds a family even more disastrous than her own when she encounters an infamous Roman clan embroiled in a variety of issues, including a feud with another family over a profitable orchard, as well as various internal conflicts and problems. Hired to find proof that one member of the family was legally freed by their previous master, Flavia is forced to examine the labyrinthine relationships, family history and feuds that define this conflict, all while trying to deal with her own personal concerns. This swiftly descends into a complex mess of many, many secrets, and readers will be left completely enthralled by how the story unfolds.
This was one of the more unique mysteries that Davis has come up with in her series, which really helped to set this book apart. I personally enjoyed how Davis changed the focus of the book onto a family’s internal and external history and drama rather than the typical murder investigation, especially as it made for quite entertaining reading. There are layers upon layers of secrets, betrayals, and hidden family connections that the reader needs to travel through to get to the truth, and you really get caught up in the new characters as a result. The slow trawl through this history results in several great twists and turns, and it was fun watching the protagonist slowly unwind the many threads of the case, while also trying to avoid as much as their bitter conflict as possible. I appreciated have Davis tried to break up this family focused investigation in places by adding in a few entertaining scenes, such as a farcical brawl at the protagonist’s house, as well as several over-the-top encounters amongst the family that Flavia is trying to investigate/help. Despite that, the story does get rather dry and slow in places, especially towards the centre of the book as the reader gets a bit weary of finding out even more layers to the slow-paced mystery that emerges. It also doesn’t help that this case has low stakes, especially compared to some of Davis’s other books that feature murder and serial killers, and this occasionally dulls the reader’s excitement. Despite that, Davis manages to bring together quite an excellent read, and I loved the elaborate and fun reveal sequence at the end, which in some ways acts as a parody to classic whodunnits.
In addition to the clever and elaborate mystery, Fatal Legacy also features a great combination of entertaining characters and the typical fun ancient Rome setting. I always love Davis’ vision of ancient Rome that are featured in the Flavia Albia books, especially as she tries to bring together classic Roman elements with characters and attitudes that are more recognisable in a modern setting. Having the ancient characters speak with modern dialogue and act in ways we would associate more with contemporary people rather than figures in classic times gives the story a relatable and humorous edge at times, and it is always fun to see this version of ancient Rome. This combines well with the cast of Fatal Legacy, especially as Davis introduces an eclectic group of new characters whose complex personal problems result in the book’s intriguing mystery. The fun interactions between Flavia and these figures are very entertaining, and you have to love the protagonist’s cynical and sarcastic observations about the people she is forced to deal with. The chaotic family she is forced to investigate contrasts comedically with Flavia’s own dysfunctional household, which got a good amount of focus in Fatal Legacy. I think that Davis featured Flavia’s own family just the right amount in this latest book (sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming and distracting), and it was fun to see them interact, and at one point get into a massive punch up, with some of the case-specific character of the main plot. All this helps to turn Fatal Legacy into a great read with an excellent blend of mystery, comedy and big personalities.
Overall, I felt that Fatal Legacy was a pretty awesome entry in one of my favourite historical fiction series. Lindsey Davis wrote an outstanding and distinctive story for Fatal Legacy, and readers will enjoy the complex and character-focussed mystery that emerges as a result. While aspects of Fatal Legacy’s narrative might not be as sharp as some of the other books in the Flavia Albia series, this was still an excellent read and one that fans of Davis will have a great time reading.
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 13 April 2023:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/08/06/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Rating of 4.5.
Return to one of my favourite historical fiction series with another clever crime fiction read set in ancient Rome with Fatal Legacy by Lindsey Davis.
While I have had the pleasure of reading many great historical fiction series and books over the years, few have been as enjoyable to me as the Flavia Albia books by legendary author Lindsey Davis. The follow-up to her iconic and long-running Falco novels, the series follow the titular Flavia Albia, a private investigator in Rome who finds herself involved with a series of unusual or gruesome crimes, often resulting in a series of over-the-top events. I have had a great deal of fun with the Flavia Albia books over the years, including The Third Nero, Pandora’s Boy, A Capitol Death, The Grove of the Caesars (one of my favourite books of 2020), A Comedy of Terrors and Desperate Undertakings (one of my favourite books of 2022), and I am always excited to check out the latest novel in the series, especially when it has an intriguing plot behind it.
Fatal Legacy was another compelling and fun entry in the series which once again brings together Davis’ fantastic take on Roman historical fiction with a unique mystery and several entertaining characters. Fatal Legacy was the 11th book in the Flavia Albia series, and it proved to be quite an exciting and addictive read.
I had a lot of fun with Fatal Legacy’s great story, especially as it requires the protagonist to dive into an elaborate family feud. Starting off by chance as Flavia attempts to appease one of her many eccentric relatives by investigating an unpaid bar bill, Flavia soon finds a family even more disastrous than her own when she encounters an infamous Roman clan embroiled in a variety of issues, including a feud with another family over a profitable orchard, as well as various internal conflicts and problems. Hired to find proof that one member of the family was legally freed by their previous master, Flavia is forced to examine the labyrinthine relationships, family history and feuds that define this conflict, all while trying to deal with her own personal concerns. This swiftly descends into a complex mess of many, many secrets, and readers will be left completely enthralled by how the story unfolds.
This was one of the more unique mysteries that Davis has come up with in her series, which really helped to set this book apart. I personally enjoyed how Davis changed the focus of the book onto a family’s internal and external history and drama rather than the typical murder investigation, especially as it made for quite entertaining reading. There are layers upon layers of secrets, betrayals, and hidden family connections that the reader needs to travel through to get to the truth, and you really get caught up in the new characters as a result. The slow trawl through this history results in several great twists and turns, and it was fun watching the protagonist slowly unwind the many threads of the case, while also trying to avoid as much as their bitter conflict as possible. I appreciated have Davis tried to break up this family focused investigation in places by adding in a few entertaining scenes, such as a farcical brawl at the protagonist’s house, as well as several over-the-top encounters amongst the family that Flavia is trying to investigate/help. Despite that, the story does get rather dry and slow in places, especially towards the centre of the book as the reader gets a bit weary of finding out even more layers to the slow-paced mystery that emerges. It also doesn’t help that this case has low stakes, especially compared to some of Davis’s other books that feature murder and serial killers, and this occasionally dulls the reader’s excitement. Despite that, Davis manages to bring together quite an excellent read, and I loved the elaborate and fun reveal sequence at the end, which in some ways acts as a parody to classic whodunnits.
In addition to the clever and elaborate mystery, Fatal Legacy also features a great combination of entertaining characters and the typical fun ancient Rome setting. I always love Davis’ vision of ancient Rome that are featured in the Flavia Albia books, especially as she tries to bring together classic Roman elements with characters and attitudes that are more recognisable in a modern setting. Having the ancient characters speak with modern dialogue and act in ways we would associate more with contemporary people rather than figures in classic times gives the story a relatable and humorous edge at times, and it is always fun to see this version of ancient Rome. This combines well with the cast of Fatal Legacy, especially as Davis introduces an eclectic group of new characters whose complex personal problems result in the book’s intriguing mystery. The fun interactions between Flavia and these figures are very entertaining, and you have to love the protagonist’s cynical and sarcastic observations about the people she is forced to deal with. The chaotic family she is forced to investigate contrasts comedically with Flavia’s own dysfunctional household, which got a good amount of focus in Fatal Legacy. I think that Davis featured Flavia’s own family just the right amount in this latest book (sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming and distracting), and it was fun to see them interact, and at one point get into a massive punch up, with some of the case-specific character of the main plot. All this helps to turn Fatal Legacy into a great read with an excellent blend of mystery, comedy and big personalities.
Overall, I felt that Fatal Legacy was a pretty awesome entry in one of my favourite historical fiction series. Lindsey Davis wrote an outstanding and distinctive story for Fatal Legacy, and readers will enjoy the complex and character-focussed mystery that emerges as a result. While aspects of Fatal Legacy’s narrative might not be as sharp as some of the other books in the Flavia Albia series, this was still an excellent read and one that fans of Davis will have a great time reading.
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 13 April 2023:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/08/06/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
July 11, 2023
A Simple Task And So Difficult To Accomplish
The novel starts just after Saturnalia. It is a slow time as everyone was recovering from the holidays. To keep busy, Flavia Albia take on the case of finding a customer who had left the family greasy spoon, The Stargazer, without paying for himself and his girlfriend. With the help of a talented server at the Stargazer who draws their pictures on Albia’s wax tablet, she is successful in tracking down the identity of the man and where he lives. She talks to the woman, Euhodia, who tells her that it cannot be her son as he has been and still is out of town. When Euhodia sees the drawing of the woman, she recognizes her daughter. Albia receives the full due amount and her fee. Before Albia leaves, Euhodia asks if she can help in another matter. Her niece wants to marry a boy, but his family’s is questioning if the girl’s father is a slave. All Albia needs to do is prove Euhodia’s brother is a freeman. Albia now has a better paying job. From this simple task a very difficult a case proceeds.
There is only a single main storyline but what a complex storyline it is. Besides what information that Euhodia provides, Albia interviews the household slaves, and then goes to the other family and receives a different view. She discovers that both families and their slaves only provide the bare minimum of facts at best and sometimes lies. She discovers that the two families have been interaction over three to four generations. The interactions between the family are legal over a property and assaults, marriages and assignations, and landlord and renter. It seems that there are more connections between these families that connections between my brain cells. It took me some time to digest all this information. I have promised to read every ARC that I receive, but that promise was tested until this novel had not grabbed my attention by 50% in. Then, a connection was made that changed all that. My interest went into high gear. I actually began to enjoy reading this novel starting at this point.
As usual with Lindsey Davis, the character of Albia is well developed and continues to grow. This character information is well integrated into the main storyline. In many scenes she interacts with her entire family and household that brings Albia’s character into focus. I believe that this is true even if this is your first novel of hers to read. Albia’s relationship with her uncles, her parents, Helena and Falco, and her teenage sisters are the most I have seen in the previous Albia novels. This aspect of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.
As for what may discourage some readers, it will be hard to find something objectionable in this novel. There are not any amorous scenes. There are not any vulgar words with very few rude words. There are no impious language unless the Roman gods are important to you. There is some violence with one scene as it occurs, but I do not believe anyone will object and probably will bring a smile to your face as it did mine. I do recommend reading this novel on an e-reader with a good dictionary and Internet access. Lindsey Davis uses many old words to give an ancient ambiance to her novels. I used those to assets extensively while reading this novel. Lastly, you can read this novel without reading any of the previous novels as I did not find anything that depended upon knowledge from those novels.
The largest issue that I had and may stop readers from reading this novel completely is the slow beginning as the author lays the complex relationships between the two families upon which the rest of the novel depends. On the plus side, I enjoyed the greater role of Albia’s family, and the author’s frequent use of dry humor. My advice is to work through it, as, I believe, you will find that the novel becomes very enjoyable read in the last half. The author is my top Must-Read author and have read 33 of her novels. I do recommend reading this novel, with the caveat that I have mentioned several times. I rate this novel with four stars.
I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Press. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
The novel starts just after Saturnalia. It is a slow time as everyone was recovering from the holidays. To keep busy, Flavia Albia take on the case of finding a customer who had left the family greasy spoon, The Stargazer, without paying for himself and his girlfriend. With the help of a talented server at the Stargazer who draws their pictures on Albia’s wax tablet, she is successful in tracking down the identity of the man and where he lives. She talks to the woman, Euhodia, who tells her that it cannot be her son as he has been and still is out of town. When Euhodia sees the drawing of the woman, she recognizes her daughter. Albia receives the full due amount and her fee. Before Albia leaves, Euhodia asks if she can help in another matter. Her niece wants to marry a boy, but his family’s is questioning if the girl’s father is a slave. All Albia needs to do is prove Euhodia’s brother is a freeman. Albia now has a better paying job. From this simple task a very difficult a case proceeds.
There is only a single main storyline but what a complex storyline it is. Besides what information that Euhodia provides, Albia interviews the household slaves, and then goes to the other family and receives a different view. She discovers that both families and their slaves only provide the bare minimum of facts at best and sometimes lies. She discovers that the two families have been interaction over three to four generations. The interactions between the family are legal over a property and assaults, marriages and assignations, and landlord and renter. It seems that there are more connections between these families that connections between my brain cells. It took me some time to digest all this information. I have promised to read every ARC that I receive, but that promise was tested until this novel had not grabbed my attention by 50% in. Then, a connection was made that changed all that. My interest went into high gear. I actually began to enjoy reading this novel starting at this point.
As usual with Lindsey Davis, the character of Albia is well developed and continues to grow. This character information is well integrated into the main storyline. In many scenes she interacts with her entire family and household that brings Albia’s character into focus. I believe that this is true even if this is your first novel of hers to read. Albia’s relationship with her uncles, her parents, Helena and Falco, and her teenage sisters are the most I have seen in the previous Albia novels. This aspect of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.
As for what may discourage some readers, it will be hard to find something objectionable in this novel. There are not any amorous scenes. There are not any vulgar words with very few rude words. There are no impious language unless the Roman gods are important to you. There is some violence with one scene as it occurs, but I do not believe anyone will object and probably will bring a smile to your face as it did mine. I do recommend reading this novel on an e-reader with a good dictionary and Internet access. Lindsey Davis uses many old words to give an ancient ambiance to her novels. I used those to assets extensively while reading this novel. Lastly, you can read this novel without reading any of the previous novels as I did not find anything that depended upon knowledge from those novels.
The largest issue that I had and may stop readers from reading this novel completely is the slow beginning as the author lays the complex relationships between the two families upon which the rest of the novel depends. On the plus side, I enjoyed the greater role of Albia’s family, and the author’s frequent use of dry humor. My advice is to work through it, as, I believe, you will find that the novel becomes very enjoyable read in the last half. The author is my top Must-Read author and have read 33 of her novels. I do recommend reading this novel, with the caveat that I have mentioned several times. I rate this novel with four stars.
I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Press. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
February 19, 2023
I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Fatal Legacy, the eleventh novel to feature Roman informer Flavia Albia set in AD 90.
Albia’s aunt insists that she hunt down the bar patron who left without paying. This leads her to the Tranquilli family and a commission to prove that Tranquillus Postuminus is a freedman, so that his daughter can marry into the Prisci family. The two families have been at loggerheads for forty years over an apricot orchard. It’s an absolute minefield of litigation, death, claims and counterclaims that more than one lawyer has given up on.
I thoroughly enjoyed Fatal Legacy, which made me laugh from the start, all that time, energy, emotion and money over something so minor. The novel is told mainly from Albia’s point of view, so the reader gets close to her rather caustic take on events and it offers fun in situation and her analysis and dialogue.
The plot is way too complicated to try and explain the nuance. Suffice to say that everyone, including her clients, is either lying or withholding pertinent information. The reader needs to be on their toes to keep up with all the permutations of relationships between the two families and who did what and why. I’m not even sure that I got all of it, but I liked the steady stream of revelations and the kickers at the end. I am very impressed by the author’s plotting, her command of detail and her imagination to bring such an absurd situation to life and make it interesting.
I must admit that I am not overly familiar with life in the Roman Empire, so I can accept the picture that the author paints, a corrupt, venal society with a wealth and status fixation. Slavery plays a big part in keeping the Empire running, never to be condoned but in this novel while slaves may not have any personal freedom, it doesn’t stop them being cheeky, gossipy and nosey. I don’t know what to think about that.
Flavia Albia is a wonderful creation, a working woman in a world run by men. Fortunately she is smarter and more determined than most of them, so she gets results. Her relationship with her husband Tiberius is modern with him having no objection to either her trade, generally regarded as seedy, or to her working and her doing her bit to drum up trade for his builder’s yard. They seem friends as well as partners. The only thing I don’t get is the three name thing, with various characters being called different things at different times, although I discount her father calling her Tiddles from the general confusion.
Fatal Legacy is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Albia’s aunt insists that she hunt down the bar patron who left without paying. This leads her to the Tranquilli family and a commission to prove that Tranquillus Postuminus is a freedman, so that his daughter can marry into the Prisci family. The two families have been at loggerheads for forty years over an apricot orchard. It’s an absolute minefield of litigation, death, claims and counterclaims that more than one lawyer has given up on.
I thoroughly enjoyed Fatal Legacy, which made me laugh from the start, all that time, energy, emotion and money over something so minor. The novel is told mainly from Albia’s point of view, so the reader gets close to her rather caustic take on events and it offers fun in situation and her analysis and dialogue.
The plot is way too complicated to try and explain the nuance. Suffice to say that everyone, including her clients, is either lying or withholding pertinent information. The reader needs to be on their toes to keep up with all the permutations of relationships between the two families and who did what and why. I’m not even sure that I got all of it, but I liked the steady stream of revelations and the kickers at the end. I am very impressed by the author’s plotting, her command of detail and her imagination to bring such an absurd situation to life and make it interesting.
I must admit that I am not overly familiar with life in the Roman Empire, so I can accept the picture that the author paints, a corrupt, venal society with a wealth and status fixation. Slavery plays a big part in keeping the Empire running, never to be condoned but in this novel while slaves may not have any personal freedom, it doesn’t stop them being cheeky, gossipy and nosey. I don’t know what to think about that.
Flavia Albia is a wonderful creation, a working woman in a world run by men. Fortunately she is smarter and more determined than most of them, so she gets results. Her relationship with her husband Tiberius is modern with him having no objection to either her trade, generally regarded as seedy, or to her working and her doing her bit to drum up trade for his builder’s yard. They seem friends as well as partners. The only thing I don’t get is the three name thing, with various characters being called different things at different times, although I discount her father calling her Tiddles from the general confusion.
Fatal Legacy is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
March 20, 2023
Lindsey Davis's latest offering featuring Flavia Albia, private informer in Rome 90 AD, is delightfully entertaining, if teeming with what can appear to be hard to follow complexities and absurdities of the historical conflict ridden past of a family that Flavia, in the face of obstructions, lies and deceptions, trawls her way through with her observant, cynical and jaundiced eye. It all starts out with her Aunt Junia insisting she hunts down a couple, obviously married, just not to each other, who run out without paying their bill at the Stargazer Bar. Flavia endeavours to avoid political and family cases because nothing good comes of them, but a chaotic home life and lack of clients has her ignoring this. This case turns out to be relatively straightforward.
However, the debtor family, in the form of matriarch Tranquilla Euhodia, hires her to prove that her brother, Postuminus, is a freed man, not a slave, so that his self willed, 'empty headed', spoiled daughter, Cosca Sabatina, can marry the man she loves, a member of the Pisci family. Flavia is all to aware that the underlying agenda is that she provide fraudulent documentation and tells her client she will pursue only the truth. As Flavia disappears down the rabbit hole of the history of the Tranquilli and Prisci feuds and hatred that goes back 40 years, I had to admire her commitment, persistence and perseverance to not be put off by all attempts to lead her astray. Flavia is a joy as she slowly but surely works her way through the murky past and present of the litiginous families and encountering the contested ownership of an apricot orchard that has defeated many a lawyer through the years, conspiracy theories, plots, scandals, a lost will, and murder.
It's a tribute to Davis's writing and plotting talents that for most of the novel there is no juicy murder to solve, yet she still held my attention with her gripping, intricate, fun and unsavoury portrayal of a family where absolutely no-one is innocent, and with her vivid and insightful depiction of life in Rome in this historical period. A brilliant addition to a wonderful series, Flavia is a great character and I love the glimpses we have into her family life and remarkably progressive marriage with Tiberius. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
However, the debtor family, in the form of matriarch Tranquilla Euhodia, hires her to prove that her brother, Postuminus, is a freed man, not a slave, so that his self willed, 'empty headed', spoiled daughter, Cosca Sabatina, can marry the man she loves, a member of the Pisci family. Flavia is all to aware that the underlying agenda is that she provide fraudulent documentation and tells her client she will pursue only the truth. As Flavia disappears down the rabbit hole of the history of the Tranquilli and Prisci feuds and hatred that goes back 40 years, I had to admire her commitment, persistence and perseverance to not be put off by all attempts to lead her astray. Flavia is a joy as she slowly but surely works her way through the murky past and present of the litiginous families and encountering the contested ownership of an apricot orchard that has defeated many a lawyer through the years, conspiracy theories, plots, scandals, a lost will, and murder.
It's a tribute to Davis's writing and plotting talents that for most of the novel there is no juicy murder to solve, yet she still held my attention with her gripping, intricate, fun and unsavoury portrayal of a family where absolutely no-one is innocent, and with her vivid and insightful depiction of life in Rome in this historical period. A brilliant addition to a wonderful series, Flavia is a great character and I love the glimpses we have into her family life and remarkably progressive marriage with Tiberius. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
September 8, 2023
Another very enjoyable read from one of our favorite mystery writers. I was glad that I had taken the time to re-read 'The Accusers' since a few of the characters (or their descendants) show up in this novel.
It is a very different feel from the previous Flavia Albia novel, which was quite bloody. Albia is hired to investigate family history to determine the status of one of the family members. There is a complicated family tree involving intermarriage between two families, some of them freed slaves. In this case, a brother and sister were specifically freed in a will, and the question is whether their younger brother (not yet born when his father/master died) is technically still a slave.
It was interesting to address the attitudes Rome had regarding enslaved people. Unlike slavery in America, there was a socially accepted path to freedom and freed slaves would often become merchants or entrepreneurs working as trusted partners with their former masters families. However, the author does not gloss over the fact that the master in question often remarked that having children with his slaves was a way of increasing his working capital.
There is a lot of legal wrangling about a will, and a bequest that is contested between two families. In the will, a property (an orchard) is bequeathed to one family, but the use of the orchard in terms of the fruit produced is bequeathed to another family. Somewhat like Dickens' Bleak House, the dispute has lasted for 40 years and ensured the livelihood of many lawyers. I had never heard the legal term usufruct before, defined as the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of its substance.
Because I listen to a Zoom reading the author does on occasion, I felt a bit of deja vu at the beginning of the novel because she had read the opening chapter several months ago (when the book was released in Britain). I also knew that she had to rewrite a scene to include a pair of sheep shears as a weapon because they were a prominent feature of the British cover.
I was less crazy about the way some same sex relationships were handled. I understand that in Roman times they did occur but were socially frowned upon, but the tongue in cheek way the author referred to such relationships seemed slightly tasteless in today's society.
It is a very different feel from the previous Flavia Albia novel, which was quite bloody. Albia is hired to investigate family history to determine the status of one of the family members. There is a complicated family tree involving intermarriage between two families, some of them freed slaves. In this case, a brother and sister were specifically freed in a will, and the question is whether their younger brother (not yet born when his father/master died) is technically still a slave.
It was interesting to address the attitudes Rome had regarding enslaved people. Unlike slavery in America, there was a socially accepted path to freedom and freed slaves would often become merchants or entrepreneurs working as trusted partners with their former masters families. However, the author does not gloss over the fact that the master in question often remarked that having children with his slaves was a way of increasing his working capital.
There is a lot of legal wrangling about a will, and a bequest that is contested between two families. In the will, a property (an orchard) is bequeathed to one family, but the use of the orchard in terms of the fruit produced is bequeathed to another family. Somewhat like Dickens' Bleak House, the dispute has lasted for 40 years and ensured the livelihood of many lawyers. I had never heard the legal term usufruct before, defined as the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of its substance.
Because I listen to a Zoom reading the author does on occasion, I felt a bit of deja vu at the beginning of the novel because she had read the opening chapter several months ago (when the book was released in Britain). I also knew that she had to rewrite a scene to include a pair of sheep shears as a weapon because they were a prominent feature of the British cover.
I was less crazy about the way some same sex relationships were handled. I understand that in Roman times they did occur but were socially frowned upon, but the tongue in cheek way the author referred to such relationships seemed slightly tasteless in today's society.
July 31, 2023
Flavia Albia is Rome’s foremost (perhaps only) female sleuth in the year 90 a.d, but it is just after the Saturnalia festivities and business is slow so she accepts her Aunt Juna’s job to run down a customer who paid his caupona (tavern) bill with rivets. It is easy enough to find the deadbeat’s family and get the bill paid. However the family matriarch retains Albia on another matter—to find proof that her baby brother, is a freedman, not a slave. Certainly, he had lived his entire life as a freedman, but now his daughter was engaged to be married and the prospective bridegroom’s family demanded proof. The matriarch explained that she and her two brothers were the offspring of a slave woman and a Roman citizen who had died 20 years ago. She and the older brother worked on the father’s rabbit farm, developed some business acumen and were eventually freed by their father’s will. The baby of the family, Postuminus, was born after their father’s death and everyone assumed he is free man, either by virtue of his father’s will or codicil or that his mother had. A slave could not marry but the siblings assume that their parents eventually had because they had lived as man and wife on the farm. Albia is unable to discover any manumission document for Postuminus or his mother . The mother may have lived as the father’s wife but the operative phrase is on the farm, for dear old Dad had an actual wife in Rome
Albia has to get down and dirty with some lawyers, but the probate law involved is not so different from that of today— thankfully, now without manumission laws.
The plot becomes a bit intricate with characters from two families involved. I often had to stop and think about a person’s place in the scheme of things whenever they are metioned. “Ah, yes, Turbo is the husband of Mariana from the Tranquillii family and he himself a grandson in the Prisci family”. Although I had a few ideas where the story was going, I mainly just sat back and enjoyed the ride where the authors took me. As usual, I enjoyed reading how Albia’s family life, especially her relationship with her husband, Manlius, but I hope he has a more prominent role in her next adventure. In the end, Albia’s intervention saves Postuminus from total disaster. Another enjoyable read.
Albia has to get down and dirty with some lawyers, but the probate law involved is not so different from that of today— thankfully, now without manumission laws.
The plot becomes a bit intricate with characters from two families involved. I often had to stop and think about a person’s place in the scheme of things whenever they are metioned. “Ah, yes, Turbo is the husband of Mariana from the Tranquillii family and he himself a grandson in the Prisci family”. Although I had a few ideas where the story was going, I mainly just sat back and enjoyed the ride where the authors took me. As usual, I enjoyed reading how Albia’s family life, especially her relationship with her husband, Manlius, but I hope he has a more prominent role in her next adventure. In the end, Albia’s intervention saves Postuminus from total disaster. Another enjoyable read.
July 31, 2023
I'm a massive fan of Lindsey Davis, but I have to say I found this one of her weaker novels. It started off with a bang - Flavia is hired by her relatives at the Stargazer to aprehend a pair of lovers who absconded leaving military rivits instead of money to pay their bill. Loved that - its funny, fast paced and an excellent entry into the main plot. Her enquiry leads to a huge Romeo and Juliet style families feud over posession of an orchard. As she digs deeper Flavia finds that she might not actually be dealing with two families at all, but one convoluted and estranged one...
Most of Flavia's cases involve murder and with a title like Fatal Legacy, the nasty shears on the cover and a case involving a massive feud you'd expect the bodies to be piling up, but we don't really get any hints of a murder until the 350 page mark - I think that's what disappointed me about this - Its NOT a typical murder mystery and the family relationships are convoluted to say the least - It does have two family trees which help - but you've got some many similar names (Appius Tranuillus Surus, Appius Tranuillus Aprilis, Appius Tranuillus Postuminus, not helpful when Flavia's brother is called Postumous, and we've got an array of J's Julius, Januarius, Julia, Junia, Junstinus, Junillus)... I was constantly referring back to the cast list and family trees to try and keep the characters straight - That really lessened my enjoyment of this one.
It drags in the middle too, with no murders or much action and less humour than usual, I found this one slow going in places. Normally I get several laugh out loud moments and I didn't find this one nearly as much fun as some of her other books.
Its still well written mind you, and an excellent evocation of 1st century Rome, you can literally smell and taste daily life in Rome. I also like that this looks at ordinary people, we have a gay couple, freed slaves, tradespeople - its quite refreshing to see Rome from another persepective than soldiers or statesmen.
Not bad, but by no means her best.
Most of Flavia's cases involve murder and with a title like Fatal Legacy, the nasty shears on the cover and a case involving a massive feud you'd expect the bodies to be piling up, but we don't really get any hints of a murder until the 350 page mark - I think that's what disappointed me about this - Its NOT a typical murder mystery and the family relationships are convoluted to say the least - It does have two family trees which help - but you've got some many similar names (Appius Tranuillus Surus, Appius Tranuillus Aprilis, Appius Tranuillus Postuminus, not helpful when Flavia's brother is called Postumous, and we've got an array of J's Julius, Januarius, Julia, Junia, Junstinus, Junillus)... I was constantly referring back to the cast list and family trees to try and keep the characters straight - That really lessened my enjoyment of this one.
It drags in the middle too, with no murders or much action and less humour than usual, I found this one slow going in places. Normally I get several laugh out loud moments and I didn't find this one nearly as much fun as some of her other books.
Its still well written mind you, and an excellent evocation of 1st century Rome, you can literally smell and taste daily life in Rome. I also like that this looks at ordinary people, we have a gay couple, freed slaves, tradespeople - its quite refreshing to see Rome from another persepective than soldiers or statesmen.
Not bad, but by no means her best.
May 7, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"The subtle perfume of apricots."
I have loved the books by Lindsey Davis over the decades (bought my first one in Fishbourne, site of the palace of Cogidubnus, which features in one of the initial Falco books and at which I had been one of the earlier archaeological team). When the excellent Falco series ended - a mix of detective (informer) tales mixed into first century Roman life, I was excited to see a continuation of sorts with a new series, this time about the detective work of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Albia. So I read the first but was and, though it was all right, it had none of the charisma of the books about her father's exploits, not helped, of course, by her being a female in a very male dominated society. So I didn't continue with these stories...
Until now.
The narrator, Jane Collingwood, had a pleasant, appropriate voice for the female Seth but too slow in delivery - not a problem with playback increased to 1.2. But the story was a real slog with s huge cast of names to remember in this tale of family feud and trying to determine the citizenry status of the father of a silly young girl about to marry. Two warring families going back several generations, plus work colleagues, slaves, traders - the list goes on, complicated by the more than one name which can be used for each free individual. Some interesting pictures of life in Rome, AS 90' but without a who's who checklist I became lost in the proliferation of names and struggled to follow, even abandoning the brief note keeping I usually do along the way. It did come together at the end but, goodness what a long way to go to get there.
Perhaps I was just unlucky in choosing this as my (almost) introductory book in Ms.Davis's new Roman (O.K., Anglo Romano) female detective series, and I will probably try another one day. But not yet.
And I really don't recommend it as a starter to books by this fascinating, creative and colourful historical detective story author
"The subtle perfume of apricots."
I have loved the books by Lindsey Davis over the decades (bought my first one in Fishbourne, site of the palace of Cogidubnus, which features in one of the initial Falco books and at which I had been one of the earlier archaeological team). When the excellent Falco series ended - a mix of detective (informer) tales mixed into first century Roman life, I was excited to see a continuation of sorts with a new series, this time about the detective work of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Albia. So I read the first but was and, though it was all right, it had none of the charisma of the books about her father's exploits, not helped, of course, by her being a female in a very male dominated society. So I didn't continue with these stories...
Until now.
The narrator, Jane Collingwood, had a pleasant, appropriate voice for the female Seth but too slow in delivery - not a problem with playback increased to 1.2. But the story was a real slog with s huge cast of names to remember in this tale of family feud and trying to determine the citizenry status of the father of a silly young girl about to marry. Two warring families going back several generations, plus work colleagues, slaves, traders - the list goes on, complicated by the more than one name which can be used for each free individual. Some interesting pictures of life in Rome, AS 90' but without a who's who checklist I became lost in the proliferation of names and struggled to follow, even abandoning the brief note keeping I usually do along the way. It did come together at the end but, goodness what a long way to go to get there.
Perhaps I was just unlucky in choosing this as my (almost) introductory book in Ms.Davis's new Roman (O.K., Anglo Romano) female detective series, and I will probably try another one day. But not yet.
And I really don't recommend it as a starter to books by this fascinating, creative and colourful historical detective story author
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2023
*Should Read as 4.5 STARS!*
This eventful Roman mystery is the 11th volume of the sublime "Flavia Albia" series.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a map of Rome in AD90 and a List of Characters featuring in this great mystery.
The historical and legal details concerning this period of history are superbly researched and these are in a most splendid fashion interwoven in this complicated mystery.
Storytelling is absolutely brilliant, fluent and with a lot of wit, the characters are very believable and lifelike, while the atmosphere of Rome in AD90 is wonderfully described throughout.
This Roman mystery is set in January, AD90, and it starts off with a non payment by Gallicus Tranquillus, while dating his brother Turbo's wife, Mardiana, at the Stargazer restaurant, and that mistreatment will get Flavia Albia into her famous investigative mood.
This action will turn into a very complicated case for Flavia Albia to investigate, because these two families, the Priscii and Tranquillii, headed by an elderly man acting as the Godfather of them both called, Gallus Ursulinus, both these families are lying and deceptive in their dealings with her, and besides that they are at each other's throat for whatever reason and this time its the question of Postuminus being a freedman or still a slave, and not to forget the legacy of the famous orchard and who it really belongs to.
What is to follow is a complex mystery involving many sub plots that will eventually after some very interesting twists will turn into a definite plot where certain accusations and resolutions will be solved, due to the appearance of the cursed will and its codicil in the end.
Very much recommended, for this is a captivating if somewhat complicated addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this latest episode: "A Hot Disputed Lethal Will"!
This eventful Roman mystery is the 11th volume of the sublime "Flavia Albia" series.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a map of Rome in AD90 and a List of Characters featuring in this great mystery.
The historical and legal details concerning this period of history are superbly researched and these are in a most splendid fashion interwoven in this complicated mystery.
Storytelling is absolutely brilliant, fluent and with a lot of wit, the characters are very believable and lifelike, while the atmosphere of Rome in AD90 is wonderfully described throughout.
This Roman mystery is set in January, AD90, and it starts off with a non payment by Gallicus Tranquillus, while dating his brother Turbo's wife, Mardiana, at the Stargazer restaurant, and that mistreatment will get Flavia Albia into her famous investigative mood.
This action will turn into a very complicated case for Flavia Albia to investigate, because these two families, the Priscii and Tranquillii, headed by an elderly man acting as the Godfather of them both called, Gallus Ursulinus, both these families are lying and deceptive in their dealings with her, and besides that they are at each other's throat for whatever reason and this time its the question of Postuminus being a freedman or still a slave, and not to forget the legacy of the famous orchard and who it really belongs to.
What is to follow is a complex mystery involving many sub plots that will eventually after some very interesting twists will turn into a definite plot where certain accusations and resolutions will be solved, due to the appearance of the cursed will and its codicil in the end.
Very much recommended, for this is a captivating if somewhat complicated addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this latest episode: "A Hot Disputed Lethal Will"!
September 28, 2023
This is quite outlier to the series Flavia Albia in its depth. Not that the humor isn't still there- but it is more a sit. com. type of humor with mostly one liners. Because the case directions themselves are buried in various and at times nearly oppositional interpretations of laws. Roman laws.
So you have a treatise on minutia of manumission status interpretations rather than a case of criminal deed as the central focus. And this is so true. An informer is not always going about because of a body or missing goods or some other dire assault factor solutions for retributions etc.
For me this just dragged. And I am one who on the whole likes to ponder or list or number note the various declensions of formal governmental laws. But in this case? Too many characters to keep track of and I felt the eruditeness of the whole didn't not meld well with the usual Tiberius and Flavia humor. I did like that she got Flavia's sisters in the act for awhile.
So for me the pace flow just seemed stymied with dozens of asides. I would rather have heard more about what was going to be done with the usable bricks taken from Fountain Court.
Davis's knowledge of the Roman Law and the various curlicues of sidestepping it are more than impressive. Like another current situation I can think of- the downfall and failure of any good system is met with ever increasing corruption, mostly embedded within cronyism.
It WAS a hard job that Flavia took on this time. Just not one that is linear in any way to read about. So despite the credible ending, most of this read just dragged. It felt like a much longer book than what it actually was. Never a good sign. One of my 3 least favorite Flavia for sure.
So you have a treatise on minutia of manumission status interpretations rather than a case of criminal deed as the central focus. And this is so true. An informer is not always going about because of a body or missing goods or some other dire assault factor solutions for retributions etc.
For me this just dragged. And I am one who on the whole likes to ponder or list or number note the various declensions of formal governmental laws. But in this case? Too many characters to keep track of and I felt the eruditeness of the whole didn't not meld well with the usual Tiberius and Flavia humor. I did like that she got Flavia's sisters in the act for awhile.
So for me the pace flow just seemed stymied with dozens of asides. I would rather have heard more about what was going to be done with the usable bricks taken from Fountain Court.
Davis's knowledge of the Roman Law and the various curlicues of sidestepping it are more than impressive. Like another current situation I can think of- the downfall and failure of any good system is met with ever increasing corruption, mostly embedded within cronyism.
It WAS a hard job that Flavia took on this time. Just not one that is linear in any way to read about. So despite the credible ending, most of this read just dragged. It felt like a much longer book than what it actually was. Never a good sign. One of my 3 least favorite Flavia for sure.
June 23, 2023
Fatal Legacy
I’m a big fan of Lindsey Davis’ Falco series and in fact have been going through them again via audiobook since it’s been years since I read them. This is my first Flavia Albia one, so obviously I’m coming in having missed some big changes in the Falco family. Unfortunately, I have to admit to being disappointed by this, though I’ll give the series another shot once I finish my reread/listen of the Falco books in hopes this was an anomaly.
I won’t go too much into plot, it being a mystery. Basically, Flavia gets tasked with solving a seemingly mundane and trivial problem—finding someone who stiffed a bar for lunch. Chasing down the culprits though leads her down a rabbit hole of secrets involving two families that have been at each other’s throats legally for decades. We’ve got lawsuits, assaults, home invasions, adultery, elopement, questions over whether someone is a slave or free, and a connection to one of Falco’s old cases.
As is always true with Davis, the writing is smooth and fluid and reading is effortless. There’s a good sense of the time period and setting, again as always. And some typically wry humor. What didn’t work for me was the way the story was plotted and conveyed. It seemed to me a very “talky” book, with Flavia actually doing very little sleuthing. It just seemed like she went from person to person and got told a lot of info in interviews and eventually she was told everything she needed to “solve” the case. I can’t say I felt any real sense of mystery, suspense, or tension. Not a “bad” book, but a disappointing entry from an author whose work I so enjoy.
I’m a big fan of Lindsey Davis’ Falco series and in fact have been going through them again via audiobook since it’s been years since I read them. This is my first Flavia Albia one, so obviously I’m coming in having missed some big changes in the Falco family. Unfortunately, I have to admit to being disappointed by this, though I’ll give the series another shot once I finish my reread/listen of the Falco books in hopes this was an anomaly.
I won’t go too much into plot, it being a mystery. Basically, Flavia gets tasked with solving a seemingly mundane and trivial problem—finding someone who stiffed a bar for lunch. Chasing down the culprits though leads her down a rabbit hole of secrets involving two families that have been at each other’s throats legally for decades. We’ve got lawsuits, assaults, home invasions, adultery, elopement, questions over whether someone is a slave or free, and a connection to one of Falco’s old cases.
As is always true with Davis, the writing is smooth and fluid and reading is effortless. There’s a good sense of the time period and setting, again as always. And some typically wry humor. What didn’t work for me was the way the story was plotted and conveyed. It seemed to me a very “talky” book, with Flavia actually doing very little sleuthing. It just seemed like she went from person to person and got told a lot of info in interviews and eventually she was told everything she needed to “solve” the case. I can’t say I felt any real sense of mystery, suspense, or tension. Not a “bad” book, but a disappointing entry from an author whose work I so enjoy.
April 25, 2024
I love authors who make me think while I read their books. This one did an exceptional job of that.
If you are a fan of Davis' Falco series, you should remember The Accusers, a tale that could carry the subtitle 'sins of the parents'. In that book we were introduced to a minor character who has a bigger role in this addition to the Flavia Albia series.
Fatal Legacy could also carry the subtitle 'sins of the parents' but in a different way.
What starts out as a simple job collecting an unpaid bar bill evolves into an investigation into two families and focused on status. Not just family status but Roman status.
It is a complicated tale of ownership, bequests, legal status, and family dynamics that I had to take in small chunks simply to think it through. I was also reading this on my Kindle because the audio version was not available when it was released. Thankfully, I have added that version to my Wishlist.
Like the ending in The Accusers, this one made me sit back and contemplate the consequences of the stories families tell not only outsiders but themselves.
I like that Albia's story is continuing to evolve. Her household is taking shape, the relationships are evolving and the connections to her family continue to support her.
There is a touch of a sad note about Falcon Court and The Eagle Building, but we were aware of that with earlier books. I would love to find out how Falco got Hadrian to finally purchase the place...
If you are a fan of Davis' Falco series, you should remember The Accusers, a tale that could carry the subtitle 'sins of the parents'. In that book we were introduced to a minor character who has a bigger role in this addition to the Flavia Albia series.
Fatal Legacy could also carry the subtitle 'sins of the parents' but in a different way.
What starts out as a simple job collecting an unpaid bar bill evolves into an investigation into two families and focused on status. Not just family status but Roman status.
It is a complicated tale of ownership, bequests, legal status, and family dynamics that I had to take in small chunks simply to think it through. I was also reading this on my Kindle because the audio version was not available when it was released. Thankfully, I have added that version to my Wishlist.
Like the ending in The Accusers, this one made me sit back and contemplate the consequences of the stories families tell not only outsiders but themselves.
I like that Albia's story is continuing to evolve. Her household is taking shape, the relationships are evolving and the connections to her family continue to support her.
There is a touch of a sad note about Falcon Court and The Eagle Building, but we were aware of that with earlier books. I would love to find out how Falco got Hadrian to finally purchase the place...
July 2, 2024
When a couple who are clearly having an affair leave the bar owned by Flavia Albia's aunt without paying, the aunt asks Albia to track them down. She quickly does, finding the family of the woman, who agree to pay the bar bill, plus Albia's fee. But they then ask her to take on another job. A young girl in the family is engaged to be married, but her fiancees family has raised questions about the girl's father. Is he really a freedman, or was he never really freed and has been a slave all along? The family wants Albia to prove his is free.
But soon Albia finds there is much more here, with the two families being both constantly feuding and at the same time intertwined in a number of ways. She must unravel a very complicated situation (and as a reader, I'm glad the book came with both a cast of characters and a family tree).
This is another fun entry in the Flavia Albia series, where Albia is an informer (basically a private eye) working in the Rome of Domitian. She's the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, who was the main character in the previous series by Lindsey Davis. The characters are wonderful, and the setting portrayed in a way that feels real. It's Rome in its glory and its dirt.
I recommend both the Marcus Didius Falco series and the Flavia Albia series to anyone who likes historical mysteries, as these are some of the best.
But soon Albia finds there is much more here, with the two families being both constantly feuding and at the same time intertwined in a number of ways. She must unravel a very complicated situation (and as a reader, I'm glad the book came with both a cast of characters and a family tree).
This is another fun entry in the Flavia Albia series, where Albia is an informer (basically a private eye) working in the Rome of Domitian. She's the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, who was the main character in the previous series by Lindsey Davis. The characters are wonderful, and the setting portrayed in a way that feels real. It's Rome in its glory and its dirt.
I recommend both the Marcus Didius Falco series and the Flavia Albia series to anyone who likes historical mysteries, as these are some of the best.
April 17, 2023
This latest offering from the Author starts with Flavia Albia's Aunt Junia insisting that she should chase up a couple who had not paid their bill at the Stargazer Bar . Her troubles are multiplied by the fact the couple are not married to each other - she hates family cases but soon manages to solve this simple(?) case
On completing the case the debtor family matriarch asks her to prove her brother is a freed man and not a slave, his spoiled daughter wished to marry the man she loves - a man whose family are at loggerheads over a will that has gone missing .... a will that has been in dispute for a long time , a will that requested that all the owners slaves be freed on his death .
Flavia accepts the case on the basis that she would only report the truth - a truth that many would like to remain hidden - a truth that is hidden in 40 years of dispute and feuding .
This is yet another delightful book with twists and turns aplenty from the Author - I look forward to reading more in the future
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
On completing the case the debtor family matriarch asks her to prove her brother is a freed man and not a slave, his spoiled daughter wished to marry the man she loves - a man whose family are at loggerheads over a will that has gone missing .... a will that has been in dispute for a long time , a will that requested that all the owners slaves be freed on his death .
Flavia accepts the case on the basis that she would only report the truth - a truth that many would like to remain hidden - a truth that is hidden in 40 years of dispute and feuding .
This is yet another delightful book with twists and turns aplenty from the Author - I look forward to reading more in the future
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
July 19, 2023
The author, Lindsey Davis, is just a tish older than I am, and I used to worry that Marcus Didius Falco, one of my favorite all-time characters, would reach the end of his natural working life and I would be bereft. Fortunately for all of Falco's legions of fans, Davis has provided us with Flavia Alba, Falco's adopted daughter, who is carrying on her father's profession as "informer," meaning detective. "Fatal Legacy" is the eleventh installment in this second series, and it is excellent.
Those who are familiar with my reviews (all two of you) know that I hate spoilers and won't give any. Please read the blurb.
And please read this book. "Fatal Legacy" is absolutely up to the high standard which Davis has set for herself, and like all of her books it is a pleasure to read. If you are not familiar with Falco and Alba, it is a good place to start, you won't have any trouble. And then you have the great pleasure of the entire backlist to read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC,
Those who are familiar with my reviews (all two of you) know that I hate spoilers and won't give any. Please read the blurb.
And please read this book. "Fatal Legacy" is absolutely up to the high standard which Davis has set for herself, and like all of her books it is a pleasure to read. If you are not familiar with Falco and Alba, it is a good place to start, you won't have any trouble. And then you have the great pleasure of the entire backlist to read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC,
April 21, 2023
I have greatly enjoyed Lindsay Davis foray into the world of Ancient Rome. From the time of Falco (a private informer) to his daughter Flavia Alba who is following in his footsteps.
An unpaid bill leads to a much more complicated case for Flavia.
Decades earlier Appius Tranquillus Surus wrote his will: it freed his slaves and bequeathed his businesses to them. He left an orchard to the Prisci, a family he was friendly with, on the condition that his freedmen could still take its harvest.
Previous lawyers gave up on this case. Flavia has been offered a solution if she is willing to forge a document. The complicated system of Slaves and their freedom is at the centre of this story.
You may get a bit lost with all the Roman names but Flavia’s wit and determination to hold to her values will win you over in the end.
Thanks to @netgalley and @HodderBooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An unpaid bill leads to a much more complicated case for Flavia.
Decades earlier Appius Tranquillus Surus wrote his will: it freed his slaves and bequeathed his businesses to them. He left an orchard to the Prisci, a family he was friendly with, on the condition that his freedmen could still take its harvest.
Previous lawyers gave up on this case. Flavia has been offered a solution if she is willing to forge a document. The complicated system of Slaves and their freedom is at the centre of this story.
You may get a bit lost with all the Roman names but Flavia’s wit and determination to hold to her values will win you over in the end.
Thanks to @netgalley and @HodderBooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2023
Another fun installment in this series, which I recommend, especially if you've read Davis's Falco books. These are much lighter in almost every way, but do include the same interesting historical flourishes related to life in Ancient Rome. The fast-paced plot takes up most of the book, which is never a bad thing, though in a series of this length, it's surprising that Davis doesn't take a little more time to move the characters forward. Flavia and her husband have adopted their two young nephews, but their role is slight and the transition to being in charge of a household with children doesn't seem to affect Flavia all that much other than a few passing grumbles. Her husband, Tiberius, a central character in previous books, is now mostly relegated to the sidelines. It's not a choice that makes the book worse, but it's a weird move for Book #11. Maybe Davis has something else up her sleeve.
February 22, 2023
would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Fatal Legacy,
It all started out so simply. Someone skipped out of a bar without paying their bill Flavia Albia is tasked with tracking down the thief and recouping the money owed. From that point it gets more and more complicated with an ever growing list of characters, most of whom seem to be only distantly acquainted with the truth.
This is a very clever, well plotted story demanding the full attention of the reader. It repays that attention by providing a story that grips the imagination and brings to life Rome under Emperor Domitian. The conclusion is a delight with everyone getting what they deserve if not what they want.
I highly recommend this book but to get the most out of it read the rest of the series first. It will more than repay the effort.
It all started out so simply. Someone skipped out of a bar without paying their bill Flavia Albia is tasked with tracking down the thief and recouping the money owed. From that point it gets more and more complicated with an ever growing list of characters, most of whom seem to be only distantly acquainted with the truth.
This is a very clever, well plotted story demanding the full attention of the reader. It repays that attention by providing a story that grips the imagination and brings to life Rome under Emperor Domitian. The conclusion is a delight with everyone getting what they deserve if not what they want.
I highly recommend this book but to get the most out of it read the rest of the series first. It will more than repay the effort.
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