It’s hard to describe the stories by Lindsey Davis featuring her detective hero, Marcus Didius Falco. He’s a “gumshoe” type detective, (picture a mix of Lt. Columbo and Mike Hammer,) living in ancient Rome. Nemesis is the 20th installment of the Falco series of stories, and Davis is faithful to the storyline in each successive one. We can watch him evolve from a slum neighborhood informer scratching out a miserable existence to a respected family man taking on cases from all walks of Roman life up to and including the Imperial palace. Nemesis gives us a new look at Falco as he is hit with family tragedies and sudden wealth at the same time. The story is named for the Roman goddess of divine retribution. It was said that, "when a man receives more from Fortune than he should, Nemesis will come along and right the balance." And we see Nemesis doing her work in Falco’s life throughout the book.
The book contains Lindsey Davis's usual mix of ironic humor, glimpses of the society and politics of first century Rome, and an intriguing detective story, but this book has a darker undertone to the story. Falco and his friend, Petro, become aware of a sinister crime and when they begin to investigate they stumble on evidence of a serial killer who appears to be protected by someone in the Imperial court. They have to take the law into their own hands to try to uncover the killer at great personal risk.
This book can be read on its own, although to really appreciate it you need to read the other books in sequence – a monumental task considering the number of stories – but well worth the effort. Lindsey Davis has a rare writing ability, she writes historical fiction without digging through mounds of boring minutia.
I can’t wait to see what happens to Falco next.
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