Ayo Onatade is an avid reader of crime and mystery fiction. She has been writing reviews, interviews and articles on the subject for the last 12 years; with an eclectic taste from historical to hardboiled, short stories and noir films
The Grove of the Caesars is the latest instalment in the Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis. We see our indomitable heroine left on her own to deal not only with the household, but also the family business when her husband is suddenly called away on a family emergency.
Not content with dealing with these matters in her own resolute way, Flavia soon finds herself investigating the murder of a prominent citizen’s wife and the disappearance of two slaves (foisted upon her by the family of Emperor Domitian). With the Vigiles unable to track down the murderer, it falls upon Flavia to investigate - but not before being pressured into action by a member of the Seventh Cohort of Vigiles. But the questions posed to the reader are [a] “will Flavia herself be safe or become the next victim?” and [b] “what bearing is the mystery of the missing slaves?”
The Grove of the Caesars is an extraordinary addition to a standout historical crime series. Flavia Albia is clearly a woman who knows her own mind, but she’s picked up a number of tricks of the trade from her adoptive father, Marcus Didius Falco. In this case we are dealing with a plot of forged scrolls, intertwined with murder. Typically, in a Lindsey Davis novel, there is a great sense of place mixed in equal measure with vivid characterisation. Her descriptions of ancient Rome are brought to life with literary brush-strokes that are deft, and immersive; with detail that is never intrusive in the author’s ability to weave an exciting narrative.
Gripping and witty, The Grove of the Caesars is so engrossing that the reader does not require a bookmark.
In a word, masterful.
