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Marcus Didius Falco—If you don’t know this first-century
detective from a superb series of mystery novels set during the early years of
the Roman Empire, then you have missed many hours of delightful reading.
Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is the English historical novelist who launched Falco
onto the literary scene in 1989 with The
Silver Pigs, set during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian (lived 9-79 CE;
ruled 69-79 CE).
In The Silver Pigs
Falco stumbles upon a conspiracy that involves trading silver ingots, and the
investigation takes him to Britain. There he meets a lady above his station,
the daughter of the senator who hired him, named Helena Justina. Against all
odds, Falco not only solves the case but also falls in love with the noble
lady—and she with him. However, they cannot wed until Falco is raised to the
upper middle-class rank of equestrian. And that will take some doing. Thus the
stage is set for an unfolding romance (and eventual marriage) that provides a
continuing narrative through a long and thoroughly engaging series of novels.
Lindsey Davis, by taking this approach, created both a
romantic backstory with three-dimensional characters whom readers become well
acquainted with over a number of years and a problem. What happens to your main
character (and those around him) as he ages? Moreover, what do you do when he
retires? Davis deftly handles the issues of aging as Falco grows in his
profession and the relationship between Falco and Helena Justina matures into a
longterm marriage, complete with the introduction of children into the family
dynamic.
I fretted that Davis might decide to retire with her
detective, but in fact she took a more interesting and adventurous turn by
focusing on Falco and Helena Justina’s adopted daughter, Flavia Albia. This
daughter picks up where her father, now comfortably living in retirement, left
off, becoming herself an “informer,” the role of first-century private
detective. The first of the Flavia Albia novels is The Ides of April, published in 2013. Set in the spring of 89 CE,
Flavia Albia even moves into Falco’s old, seedy apartment in Fountain Court, a
rundown tenement that Falco now owns. As the story opens, she is a 28-year-old
widow.
Davis adeptly negotiates the potential pitfalls of creating a
believable female detective working subtly within the constraints of
male-dominated Roman society. I recently finished reading Deadly Election, published this year, 2015, and could not be better
satisfied with the continuation of this fascinating series through Falco’s
daughter. I recommend this series, particularly to readers who love a good
mystery and are interested in Roman history, for Davis’s intricately plotted
stories also provide a convincing window into everyday life in Ancient Rome.
