Published by Arrow Books / Random House, 1991, 318 pages.

Rome, AD 71. Marcus Didius Falco, a private investigator who sometimes works for the Emperor Vespasian, is in jail, mostly because he has earned the enmity of the Chief Spy Anacrites. Falco had been sent to Campania by the emperor to clear up Anacrites’s mess, something the spy has never forgiven him for.

But Falco isn’t in jail for long: as usual, the women in his life come to the rescue. His mother pays to get him out (something he is not allowed to forget in a hurry), and his “superior girlfriend” Helena Justina pays the landlord three months’ rent for his seedy apartment, taking care of another of his worries. (Falco acknowledges Helena’s superiority not just because she is a senator’s daughter but also because she is smart and independent and more than a match for him.)

Soon Falco has a new case. His employers are the Hortensii—three freedmen (slaves who have bought their freedom) who share a lavish home in an upmarket part of town. Two of them are married, and it is their wives who approach Falco. The women suspect that Severina Zotica, the woman whom the third freedman Hortensius Novus is engaged to is dangerous, and want Falco to look into her past.

Severina has a history. All the three men she was married to are dead, and with each death, she grew a little richer. Suspicions were raised, but the authorities could not find any evidence of foul play, and so Severina walked free. Now she is about to marry Novus, who is a wealthy man—what does she have in store for him?

Falco finds there is more to the case than he initially realizes. He thinks that Severina might well be guilty of murder and Novus is probably in danger. But when Novus dies before they are married, it disproves his theory. Why would Severina kill Novus before she can inherit his wealth? Who benefits most from his death?

Meanwhile, Falco has decided to move out of his smelly, noisy and cramped apartment to a larger one in a better area. His plan is to persuade Helena to move in with him. But even that is not as straightforward as it seems.

Throw in a foul-mouthed parrot who can’t stand men, greedy and unscrupulous landlords, and Thalia, a contortionist with a snake, and Falco has more on his hands than he bargained for.

This is the third book in the Falco series and thoroughly enjoyable. Lindsey Davis brings Rome alive: it is a bustling city, full of people on the make, much like most modern-day cities. But her Rome is very much of its time, and this comes through in her detailed descriptions: for example, the bathhouses, the food, and the social hierarchies.

Davis writes with a light touch and plenty of humour. I am not a big fan of snakes, but even I chuckled at the scene where Thalia’s enormous snake, which she wears draped around her neck, is curious enough about Falco to examine his face closely, much to Falco’s great discomfort.

I love this series and have all the Falco books. They are light, funny and informative, and Davis tells a good story. The characters are engaging—especially Helena Justina and Falco. I chose this one to write about because it was the first one I read, the one that got me hooked and introduced me to one of my favourite crime series.

Read the Talking About Interview with Lindsey Davis.

Read my review of Enemies at Home, the second in the Lindsey Davis’s Flavia Albia series, which picks up the story after the last Falco book.