Ode to a Banker, Lindsey Davis
Ode to a Banker, Lindsey Davis
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Ode to a Banker
A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery

Author: Lindsey Davis

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Unabridged: 11 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/31/2016

Synopsis

Lindsey Davis is the internationally bestselling author who “makes Rome live” (Washington Post Book World). Funny, astute, and hard-boiled, her series detective, Marcus Didius Falco, now ventures into a new arena, the publishing world of AD 74, to prove that ars longa, vita brevis—and murder is timeless.Can a tough detective possess the soul of a poet? After a public reading brings him rousing applause, Falco receives an offer to have his work published. But his ego takes a beating when the banker Chrysippus demands payment for putting the verse on papyrus. Hell hath no fury like an author scorned, and when Chrysippus turns up murdered—in the library, no less—it’s poetic justice. Appointed the official investigator, Falco’s soon up to his stylus in outraged writers and shifty bankers. Now it’s time to employ his real talents: deducing the killer from an assembly of suspects.This classic whodunit is Lindsey Davis’ most satisfying mystery yet.

About Lindsey Davis

Lindsey Davis is an English novelist of historical fiction and best known for her award-winning historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire, the acclaimed Marcus Didius Falco series and the Flavia Albia series. Her novels have won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award and in 2011 the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for lifetime achievement. Born and raised in Birmingham, England, she read English at Oxford and worked for the civil service for thirteen years before becoming a writer.

About Simon Prebble

Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff on March 08, 2019

Another good entry into the Marcus Didius Falco series. In this entry Falco investigates the death of a book publisher as well as some bankers. The lovely Helena continues to act as his second in command and helps resolve the case. This series is a lot of fun, highly recommended.......more

Goodreads review by Clemens on October 10, 2021

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!** Read this book in 2013, and its the 12th volume of the wonderful Marcus Didius Falco series. In this mystery Falco will enter the world of poetics and banking. When the rich Greek banker, Aurelius Chrysippus, is found murdered Falco is commissioned by his best friend, Petr......more

Goodreads review by Assaph on December 13, 2017

In another mystery relating to the art world, Falco explores the trade in scrolls and plays. Expect less plot twists that usual, though Felix get emotional as it's his poetry on the line. We get a behind-the-scenes look at the sweatshops of scribes copying scrolls, gruesome murders (naturally), and a......more

Goodreads review by Malcolm on December 09, 2013

Falco’s on form in this outing, grappling with financiers, patrons of the arts and writers – the first two being the same chap. Davis reminds me that contempt for banker predates the collapse of 2008 as she brings her sharp wit to bear on an, at times, decidedly anachronistic tale of a wise cracking......more

Goodreads review by Simon on December 24, 2016

Originally published on my blog here in August 2001. Recent novels in Davis' Falco series have tended to select a particular area of Roman life on which to concentrate; One Virgin Too Many, for example, has several plot strands concerned with religious ritual. In this novel, it is the literary establ......more

Quotes

“A witty satire of publishing and banking with striking contemporary resonance…hot, noisy, smelly, and full of unforgettable characters.” Guardian (London)

“Davis juggles the crises and the numerous characters beautifully…and has us riveted.” Winston-Salem Journal

“A good mystery and, as such, the reader doesn’t suspect the perpetrator until all is gradually revealed, and then everything makes perfect sense…In the end, we leave Marcus Didius Falco with a wine flagon and a good scroll to read. Given the society in which he lives, he probably won’t be idle for long, much to his fans’ delight.” Publishers Weekly

“Marcus Didius Falco, everyone’s favorite ancient Roman gumshoe, is back in another cheeky mystery…As usual, Davis flings out a host of memorably unappetizing characters, raucous family encounters, and a sharp little mystery, wrapped up with a nice, unexpected twist at the end…As much fun as the rest of the series.” Library Journal

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