Book description
The spirit of adventure callls Marcus Didius Falco on a new spying
mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up
extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches
for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites
paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong.
A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean
Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to
Syria. They join a traveling theatre group, which keeps losing members
in non-accidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are
almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions - then as the killer
hovers, Falco tries to write a play...
Lindsey Davis has written over twenty historical novels, beginning
with The Course of Honour. Her bestselling mystery series
features laid-back First Century detective Marcus Didius Falco and his
partner Helena Justina, plus friends, relations, pets and bitter enemy
the Chief Spy.
After an English degree at Oxford University, Lindsey joined the
Civil Service but became a professional author in 1989. Her books are
translated into many languages and have been dramatized on BBC Radio
4. Her many prizes include the Premio Colosseo, awarded by the
Mayor of Rome 'for enhancing the image of Rome', the Sherlock award
for Falco as Best Comic Detective and the Crimewriters' Association
Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. She was born in
Birmingham but now lives in Greenwich, London.
Her most recent books are Master and God followed by The
Ides of April.
