The Ides of April

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Lucy Brown

Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina. From her mother, she learned how to blend in at all levels of society; from her father, she learned the tricks of their mutual professional trade. But her wits and (frequently) sharp tongue are hers alone.

Now, working as a private informer in Rome during the reign of Domitian, Flavia has taken over her father’s old ramshackle digs at Fountain Court in the Surbura district, where she plies her trade with energy, determination, and the usual Falco luck. Recently hired to help investigate a fatal accident, she finds herself stuck with a truly awful person for a client and facing a well-heeled, well-connected opponent.

That is, until her client unexpectedly dies under what might be called “suspicious circumstances.” While this is not a huge loss for society, it is a loss for Flavia Albia’s pocket. Even worse, it’s just one of a series of similar deaths for which she now finds herself under suspicion. Before things go from abysmal to worse, Flavia must sort out what is happening, and who is responsible.

©2013 Lindsey Davis (P)2013 AudioGO

Best narrator

Wish all my audible books were narrated by this woman, very expressive , wonderful. Makes you feel like you're there.

She’s wonderful

I was afraid of Flavia Alba because I loved Falco so much. She’s every bit her own person and every bit as wonderful. I’m glad I finally succumbed

Not Falco, but so what…

I don’t find too many authors with voices (written voice, not physically reading) I really enjoy, but Davis could probably write a dictionary and I’d enjoy it. Although it name checked Falco and the others from earlier books a few times this was fresh and new. Well done, keep up the good work.

Domitian and Aedile

The Ides of April was a bit underwhelming coming right off of reading the Falco series. The mystery was pretty basic and Lindsey Davis seems to be a bit too caught up in romantic/sexual encounters for Flavia. Still, if you like Falco, you'll probably like Flavia and I have hopes the future books will be a bit less simplistic and Flavia will show a bit more intelligence.

One trigger warning: The ancient Romans were a cruel and brutal people and their cruelty definitely extended to both wild and domesticated animals. I think Lindsey Davis occasionally went over the top in her detailed descriptions of animal cruelties in some of the Falco books. The Ides of April is another one of those. There were a few sections I had to FF due to graphic description of animal torture.

Lucy Brown is OK as the narrator. I found her over-enunciated, aristocratic British accent sort of pulled me out of a story set in ancient Rome with a main protagonist who is definitely not upper class. I can probably get used to that in future books, but I'm never going to be OK with her mispronunciation of AEDILE and DOMITIAN. Both words used frequently and mispronounced every time. Why do the narrators not check this and why do the audio producers let those glaring errors stand?

I'm not sure, but I suspect that Flavia will be more appreciated by those who have read some of the Falco books first.

Nice start to the new series

I am amazed at some of the reviews slamming this. I thought much of the criticism I justifies. I think the personality was good and not at all whining or just looking for sex as someone intimated. I am sure she will continue to develop as a character. I do also hope to see Marcus Didius make a few quick appearances along the way.