The Graveyard of the Hesperides

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Sarah Feathers

From renowned author Lindsey Davis, creator of the much-loved character, Marcus Didius Falco and his friends and family, comes the fourth novel in her all-new series set in ancient Rome.

Life is sweet for Flavia Albia and her soon-to-be husband Faustus. But his new job as a building contractor runs into a problem: At the Garden of the Hesperides a barmaid went missing years before; now the workmen start unearthing her bones.

Albia takes on the task of finding out what happened. Five more skeletons are discovered. Despite the fact that nobody seems to know or care who died, violent attempts are made to stop her enquiries.

Soon Albia is exploring the world of Roman streetlife, where bars are brothels, workers lead brutal lives, foreigners are muscling in on the gambling syndicates, and extortion is commonplace. What's more there's little time to solve the mystery before the wedding day when Albia is expected to show Rome that her affair with Manlius is a much more than a casual fling. The gods, however, have other ideas...

(P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton©2016 Lindsey Davis

Critic reviews

Davis's books crackle with wit and knowledge. She has the happy knack of making the reader feel entirely immersed in Rome.

This excellent Roman mystery, enriched by Davis's characteristic wit and thorough understanding of the period, takes a darker turn as Flavia delves into Rome's poorest streets, rife with prostitution, exploitation, thuggery and murder.

This is probably the best of the (Falco) stories so far, by turns brutal and brilliant, but always clever and witty with some sparkling dialogue and genuinely comic moments, offset by shrewd social comment and a surprisingly touching love story. It's set against a totally believable and colourful background, and rattles along at breakneck pace to a spectacular climax.

Worst narrator!

I love this series but seriously struggled to hear what the narrator was saying half of the time! Please don't use her again. I'm sure she has many other genre's that would suit her, but a book packed with ancient Latin references is not advisable.