“Davis does her usual brilliant job of integrating the history of the period, warts and all…with a fast-paced and fair whodunit. This entry reinforces her place at the top of the historical mystery pack.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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- A Capitol Death
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/30/19
Formats: Digital Audy
In Rome, ruled by the erratic Emperor Domitian, Flavia Albia is dragged into the worst sort of investigation―a politically charged murder.
A man falls to his death from the Tarpeian Rock, which overlooks the forum from the Capitoline Hill in ancient Rome. While it looks like a suicide, one witness swears that she saw it happen and that he was pushed. Normally, this would attract very little official notice, but this man happened to be in charge of organizing the imperial triumphs demanded by the emperor.
The Emperor Domitian, autocratic and erratic, has decided that he deserves two triumphs for his so-called military victories. The triumphs are both controversial and difficult to stage because of the not-so-victorious circumstances that left them without treasure or captives to be paraded through the streets. Normally, the investigation would be under the auspices of her new husband, but, worried about his stamina following a long recovery, private informer Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, steps in.
What a mistake that turns out to be. The deceased proves to have been none too popular with far too many others with much to gain from his death. With the date of the triumphs fast approaching, Flavia Albia must unravel a truly complex case of murder before danger shows up on her own doorstep.
- A Capitol Death
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/30/19
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Pandora’s Boy
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/03/18
Formats: Digital Audy
A suspicious death that leads to a murder sends Flavia Albia down a twisted path to expose corruption, betrayal, and gang activity bubbling under the calm exterior of one the best areas of Rome.
First-century Rome is not the quiet, orderly city that it pretends to be. and in this environment a very clever private informer can thrive. Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, is a chip off the old block. She has taken over his father’s old profession, and, like him, she occasionally lets her love of a good puzzle get in the way of her common sense. Such is the case when one such puzzle is brought to her by the very hostile ex-wife of Albia’s new husband.
It seems that over on the Quirinal Hill, a naïve young girl, one Clodia Volumnia, has died, and there’s a suggestion that she was poisoned by a love potion. The local witch, Pandora, would have been the one to supply such a potion. Looking into the matter, Albia soon learns that Pandora carries on a trade in herbal beauty products while keeping hidden her much more dangerous connections.
Albia soon discovers the young girl was a handful, and her so-called friends were not as friendly as they should have been. The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal hides the smells of loose morality, casual betrayal, and even gangland conflict. When a friend of her own is murdered, things become serious, and Albia is determined to expose as much of this local sickness as she can—beginning with the truth about the death of little Clodia.
- Pandora’s Boy
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/03/18
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Deadly Election
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/14/15
Formats: Digital Audy
In the first century AD, during Domitian’s reign, Flavia Albia is ready for a short break from her family. So, in July, she returns to Rome, leaving them at their place on the coast. Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, who is now retired as private informer, has taken up her father’s former profession, and it’s time to get back to work. The first order of business, however, is the corpse found in a chest sent as part of a large lot to be sold by the Falco family auction house. As the senior family representative in Rome, it falls upon Albia to find out who, why, and by whom.
At the same time, her potential suitor, Faustus, comes looking for help with his friend Sextus’ political campaign. Between the auction business and Roman politics, it’s not quite clear which is more underhanded. Both, however, are tied together by the mysterious body in the chest, and if Albia isn’t able to solve that mystery, it won’t be the only body to drop.
- Deadly Election
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Read by Jane Collingwood
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Release Date: 7/14/15
Formats: Digital Audy