In the sacred grove of Julius Caesar, something deadly stirs in the undergrowth–a serial killer, who haunted the gardens for years, has claimed another victim–in Lindsey Davis’s next historical mystery, The Grove of the Caesars. At the feet of her adoptive father, renowned private informer Marcus Didius Falco, Flavia Albia learned a number of important rules. First and foremost–always keep … foremost–always keep one’s distance from the palace, nothing good comes from that direction. But right behind it–murder is the business of the Vigiles, best to leave them to it.
Having broken the first rule more often than she’d like, it’s no surprise to anyone when she finds herself breaking the second one. The public gardens named after the Caesars is a place nice girls are warned away from and when a series of bodies are uncovered, it seems that a serial killer has been haunting the grove for years. The case is assigned to one Julius Karus, a cohort of the Vigiles, but Albia is convinced that nothing will come of his efforts. Out of sympathy for the dead women and their grieving relatives, Albia decides to work with the vile Karus and bring the serial killer to justice.
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I must admit it took me a couple of books to get into the Flavia Albia series, because I was very attached to her parents Falco and Helena Justina. But I think Lindsey Davis ultimately made the right decision, switching the focus to a younger character who is less established in the world and therefore more likely to get into interesting scrapes than one who has joined the equestrian class!
The plot followed Albia as she investigates serial murders, assisted by the Ancient Roman equivalent of the typical British “plod” who needs saving from his incompetence. In the case of Ancient Rome the vigiles who are officially there to put out fires but act as de facto police.
There were plenty of exciting twists and turns, a few occasions when I was shouting “No, stay away from the Grove etc”. I found the sub plot about the scrolls a little convoluted. Interesting idea but there were so many different authors involved I got a bit lost trying to keep track of them and the scroll experts.
But the important elements were all there. What I particularly enjoy about Lindsey Davis is the clever and deliberate way she describes the authentic elements of Roman life in a way that immediately and entertainingly brings the modern equivalent to mind, whether it is fast food stalls, the police or removal men.
As Flavia Albia has apparently formed a partnership with new husband Tiberius Manlius (I am evidently a couple of books behind), I hope we will see them working together in future episodes. He sounds like a nice guy who presumably doesn’t cramp her style!
Here we are with the 8th in this wonderful historical mystery starring Flavia Albia, daughter of Falco. His daughter is following in her father’s footsteps and this time her investigating uncovers a serial killer who has been killing women for over a decade in the Grove of the Caesars, a stash of old scrolls and assorted other events. All of this while her husband is out of town having traveled to be with his ill and pregnant sister. Because he is going out of town he leaves Flavia in charge of their construction company. More fun there along with her juggling the running of her new home. So much going on and every bit of it makes for a terrific read.
When this series started I was so sad that Falco was stepping back, I wasn’t sure about a spinoff series. I was in for a treat and my enjoyment hasn’t wavered. Reads well as a stand alone but the very best way, in my opinion, is to line them up and read them in order so you can really get most out of the series. No matter how you read them, you will get a very satisfying puzzle, full of history, red herrings, and humor. Flavia is a force to be reckoned with.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Serial Rapist/Murderer That Reached Into Albia’s Household
This novel opens with extended B-storyline threads. If you are a Falcophile/Albiaphile as I am this section was wonderful. This section had more about Falco that has appeared in all of the previous novels in this series even though he did not make an appearance. In this section the author slips in the start of one main storyline thread in these opening chapters.
The other main storyline thread begins with a large birthday celebration for Cluventius, who moves heavy goods throughout the empire. The party is held in the Groove of the Caesars where Tiberius, Albia’s husband, has a crew building a nymphaeum. During the party Cluventius’s wife disappears. Her body, nude and raped, is found the next morning. Discovered at the same time is that two young slave boys, gifts from the Emperor Domitian to Tiberius and Albia, are missing. At the crime scene Albia meets a vigile’s local inquiry chief who professionalism surprised her. Albia enjoys a good working relationship with the inquiry chief. Also, she is hired by Cluventius to investigate his wife’s murder as the vigile investigation is not progressing well. Julius Karus, a Domitian favorite for questionable tasks, is assigned to beef up the inquiry. The main storylines proceeds from here.
The main storyline threads are woven well into an enjoyable narrative. In addition to the murder and rape and the missing slave boys, there is the building of the nymphaeum in the groove, the building of a water-feature in Albia’s residence, and the investigation of the authenticity of some scrolls discovered at the building site of the nymphaeum.
The B-storylines are rich especially in the beginning as noted above. More background is revealed on Albia, the Didii Clan members and associates, Tiberius and his family, and the auctioneer business throughout the novel. Being an avid reader of this series, this aspect of the novel enriched and heighted my enjoyment in reading this novel.
As with the trend of this and Falco series, the sexual content is non-existent. I only found eight instances of one minor expletive. While danger and anxiety is present, violence is described after the fact. I do recommend reading this novel on an e-reader with Internet access, as the author uses many Latin terms to enhance authenticity to the period and many British words. I used this capability to understand better what is happen.
What I really liked was that most of the main and B-storyline threads grabbed my attention and held it throughout the novel. Unfortunately, one main storyline thread involving the scrolls was slow reduced my desire to continue reading. Do not get me wrong, this thread was well researched and well presented, but for me it slowed the flow of the novel every time it became the current thread. Another characteristic of Lindsay Davis’s Falco and Albia novels is the addition of some interesting trivia. This one concerns the Lucius and Gaius Caesar figures in the Ara Pacis. Having visited that site and taken pictures of all the figures, I can’t confirm the author’s interpretation but it is feasible and adds a nice little touch.
Overall I rate this with four stars as the scroll thread dragged it down from five stars. Again, to be honest, this rating is for Falcophiles/Albiaphiles as I am. If this is the first book in this series that you are thinking of reading, I would recommend starting with an earlier novel in this series.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.