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Ode To A Banker

Ode To A Banker

(Marco Didius Falco: book XII): a mesmerising and murderous mystery set in Ancient Rome by bestselling author Lindsey Davis

Summary

Another delightful excursion into the world of Marcus Didius Falco by multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Bringing Ancient Rome to life with its vivid description and characterisation, this is perfect for fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom.

'Davis's writing zings with fun' -- Daily Mail
'One of the best of the current writers in this field' -- Donna Leon, The Times
'Fantastic! I'm addicted to Falco!' -- ***** Reader review
'Totally brilliant!' -- ***** Reader review
'Wonderful plot - full of suspense, as usual. Brilliant!!!!' -- ***** Reader review
'Subline - can't put these books down!' -- ***** Reader review
*****
WRITING FOR MONEY, PUBLISHING DEATH

AD74: it's a long, hot summer and Marcus Didius Falco, private informer and spare-time poet, is giving a reading for his family and friends. Things get out of hand - as usual...

The event is taken over by Aurelius Chrysippus, a wealthy Greek banker and patron to a group of struggling writers, who offers to publish Falco's work - a golden opportunity that rapidly palls.

A visit to the Chrysippus scriptorium implicates him in a gruesome literary murder so when Petronius Longus, the over-worked vigiles enquiry chief, commissions him to investigate, Falco is forced to accept.

Lindsey Davis' twelfth novel wittily explores Roman publishing and banking, taking us from the jealousies of authorship and the mire of patronage, to the darker financial world, where default can have fatal consequences...

Reviews

  • Davis's writing zings with fun
    Daily Mail

About the author

Lindsey Davis

Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is best known for her novels set in Ancient Rome, including the much-loved Marcus Didius Falco series, although she has also written about the English Civil War, including in 2014 A Cruel Fate, a book for the Quick Reads literacy initiative. Her examination of the paranoid reign of the roman emperor Domitian began with Master and God, a standalone novel, leading to her new series about Flavia Albia, set in that dark period.

Her books are translated and have been dramatized on BBC Radio 4. Her many awards include the Premio Colosseo (from the city of Rome) and the Crime Writers' Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. Most recently she was awarded the City of Ubeda Historical Novel Prize, also for lifetime achievement.
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