- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Arrow; New edition edition (Jun 21 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0099445263
- ISBN-13: 978-0099445265
- Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 2.5 x 17.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #83,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Lindsey Davis's Falco thrillers normally focus on how like us the Romans were; The Accusers concentrates on an important difference. Prosecutors were rewarded with a portion of the guilty's goods, or fined to compensate the innocent. When a senator, found guilty in a corruption trial, apparently kills himself, Falco is hired to prove he was murdered because suicide nullifies the prosecution's financial claims. Only the question is: which of the late Metellus' heirs poisoned him, since almost all of them had more than one motive? Falco finds himself and his wife Helena caught up once again in the dark side of Roman high society and all the interesting ways in which it is contiguous with the busy life of sordid streets.
Davis's books are always at their best when Falco, as our viewpoint, is finding out something he does not know about how things work; this is a good detective story partly because of the exposition of the Roman legal system and not in spite of it. It also helps that it is one of the Davis novels in which Falco over-reaches and finds himself distinctly out of his depth; he is one of the most attractive of historical detectives because he is not infallible. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Fans of "informer" Marcus Didius Falco will be glad to find the classical world's answer to the modern-day gumshoe back in Rome in Davis's stellar historical, the 15th entry in this witty and learned series, after two adventures set in Britain (A Body in the Bathhouse; The Jupiter Myth). In an effort to resume his career as an informer on his home turf, Falco ends up playing advocate in a messy dispute that pits him against two highly successful "legals," Paccius Africanus and Silius Italicus. The convoluted case, which involves a wealthy, fractious family and tricky questions of inheritance, gives Davis the opportunity to explore the vagaries of Roman law, which she approaches with her usual mix of respect and sarcasm. The corruption conviction of senator Rubirius Metellus followed by his mysterious demise threaten the Metelli family's fortunes. Hired to prove the senator's death was not a suicide, Falco finds himself immersed in scandal, blackmail, corruption and intrigueâ€"common ingredients of legal practice. In one particularly fine scene, Falco delivers a speech in the Basilica that relies on amusing and effective rhetorical tricks. Wry, cynical and principled, Falco makes the perfect guide to Davis's vividly realized ancient Rome.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superior Roman legal thriller,
By booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Accusers (Hardcover)
Back in Rome after an extended stay in Roman Britain, informer Marcus Didius Falco and his young brother-in-laws attempt to restart his business tracking down information, assisting in lawsuits, and generally taking advantage of the state of Roman society. Falco gets involved in a case almost by accident--a lawsuit followed by a botched suicide leads to multiple accusations of murder. And all of a sudden, the dead man's son is looking to Falco as his only defender. To get the young man off the charge of murdering his own father, Falco needs a better alternative and one is readily at hand. His client's mother hated the dead man, is busy accusing her son, and has motive, opportunity, and knowledge of poisons. Falco becomes emeshed in a murder case that he brings against the woman. But if he's wrong, or fails to prove his case, he doesn't just lose. The injured parties will come after him and his meager assets. And his opponents are two of the sharpest lawyers first century Rome has to offer. Author Lindsey Davis combines action, history, and courtroom tactics into a compelling and fascinating story. Falco is a bit of a film-noir type hard-edged private eye but he's forced to take the stand in this case and also to decide where his ethics lie. Davis's depictions of 1st Century Imperial Rome are crystal-clear and accurate (as far as my History minor lets me remember) but her research never intrudes into the story. THE ACCUSERS is a welcome addition to a fine series. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Law and Order meets I, Claudius,
By
This review is from: The Accusers (Hardcover)
One might think that the 15th installment of a historical crime franchise might be getting tired. Not so for Lindsey Davis and The Accusers. While others in the genre (most notable Ellis Peters) simply re-hash the same plots over and over again, Davis finds new ground with each novel. In fact, she frequently switches around, playing with sub-genre conventions. So, The Accusers, though the 15th in the Falco series, is the first in-depth look at the Roman legal system; like "Law and Order" meets "I, Claudius". This novel is much more enjoyable than the last several in the series, perhaps because we are out of barbaric Spain and Britian, and back home in Rome. On the surface, one might think the main pleasures are for the Classical or Roman history enthusiasts. However, the main joys in the Falco series is the witty, playful dialog between Falco and his wife, Helena. So much so, that much of the book has the feel of a classic Audrey Hepburn film than a stodgy detective story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
YEAH ANOTHER FALCO!,
By perryakai (winchester, va United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Accusers (Hardcover)
AS USUAL MS. DAVIS COMBINES REALITY AND HUMOR TO MAKE HER BOY FALCO THE LOVEABLE SLIMY INFORMER/DETECTIVE HE IS. WITH CHARACTERISTIC HUMOR/FACTS/SARCASM/SURREALISM SHE WRITES ANOTHER AWESOME PLOT TO ADD TO ANOTHER AWESOME SERIES. KUDOS TO LINDSEY. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. EVERY FALCO IS A TREAT. I DO HOPE SHE IS THINKING OF DOING A POSSIBLE SERIES ON HER BOY PETRONIUS LONGIUS. AT LEAST HAVE HIM MARRY FALCO'S SISTER AND BRING HIS DAUGHTER BACK TO ROME. NOW THAT WOULD BE A COOL PLOT. HOWEVER, I GATHERED FROM INFERENCES THROUGHOUT THIS ONE, THAT SHE WAS TOYING WITH HER NEXT PLOT AND GIVING US A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT COULD BE. I GUESS I CAN SAY I FELT REALLY SORRY FOR THAT NEGRO WHATEVER DUDE. I HOPE SHE WRITES MORE ON HIM.
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