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Product Description
Review
“Surely the best historical detective in the business.”–Daily Telegraph
Book Description
With Titus Caesar in pursuit of his patrician girlfriend Helena, the louche Roman sleuth, Marcus Didius Falco, is sent out of the way on an undercover mission to Roman Germany where there has been trouble with the natives. There he must exercise his doubtful diplomatic skills on the very uncivil Civilis, a one-eyed Batavian rebel chieftain, and must also persuade Veleda, a sinister tribal prophetess to desist from incessant rabble-rousing. But every rustling leaf heralds the approach of ancient ghosts, headhunting tribesmen or primeval animals…
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
More History than Mystery,
By
This review is from: Iron Hand of Mars (Paperback)
This book is definitely more of a history book than a mystery book, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. The wild ride through old Germany and the adventures that befall Falco's ragtag bunch of recruits is fun. The more I read of Falco, the more likeable he becomes. And the characters we are introduced to in each book make quite an impresion. In this case an effeminate barber called Xanthus, and the lovely Helena's younger brother. Her characters seem alive, and it makes for a fun quick read. If you are interested in getting an idea of what Germany was like in 71AD, you could do worse than read this book. Looking forward to the next installment.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews) 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of her two best--you'll turn it around and read it again,
By Nadine Harris - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Iron Hand of Mars: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Top hole! I've read all of Lindsey Davis' Falco series and although I enjoyed them all, this is the only one on a par with the marvelous series opener SILVER PIGS. In fact, I'd give this a 10--I just loved it--but I have to reserve that for SILVER PIGS itself which is incomparable. For fans of the series, this is another of the books where Falco goes on the road and enables Davis to cast a cocked eye on the various nationalities of Europe under the pretext of junketing the ancient world. Somehow the plots where Falco travels through the wilder bits of the Roman Empire bring out the best in him and are the most entertaining. Maybe it's just that Davis loves to tell a good adventure story--or maybe it's just that Falco is basically most convincing as a soldier. You'll finish it and turn to the beginning to read it again. Nadine Harris
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best book in the series,
By Xavier Abad - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Iron Hand of Mars: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
I read this book in less than one week. Normally I spend and average time of a month in finishing a book, but this was one of the "rare" cases that the reading last until 2 am. Marcus travels to a wild land, Germania Libera in order to send a gift of the emperor and ends with his life in hands of a German sorceress. The full novel is filled with action and historical references, it's worth the money!.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Falco battles the frontier, native/Roman leaders, and Helena,
By Scott Andrews - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Iron Hand of Mars: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Falco hits the road again in this fourth novel, this time for Germania. Unlike the first two novels, where the action split between Rome and rural locales, almost all of "The Iron Hand of Mars" is set in Gaul and Germany. The grit of the frontier backdrops matches Falco's sour attitude toward the journey and his Imperial mission. His girlfriend Helena Justina fortunately joins the more urban portions of the trip, as their character interactions in Davis's subtle prose are the highlight of these novels. The plot consists of a long list of Imperial requests relating to recent and past Roman military troubles on the frontier. Davis skillfully explains the history of first century Roman clashes with the Germanic tribes and relates it to the plot without bogging down in dry exposition. Falco's interaction with various members of the frontier legions shows Davis's thorough command of Roman military details. Falco's trek through feral Germania has the same wild adventure tainted with ghosts of legionary history feel as the journey beyond Hadrian's Wall in Sutcliffe's "Eagle of the Ninth." However, random encounters with several of the final people on Falco's task list leave the ending feeling coincidental. Regardless, Davis skillfully develops several new characters, including a gruff centurion and Helena's tribune brother, and continues to build the relationship between Falco and Helena. |
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