Following directly from
The Silver Pigs,
Shadows in Bronze
continues the exploits of
Lindsey Davis' Roman detective
Marcus Didius
Falco. After the conclusion of the previous volume, the loose ends are very far
from wrapped up, and Falco soon finds himself neck-deep in trouble once again.
This time, he's tangling with a curious provincial official, an inverted
missing-person case, and a sacrificial goat. Our hero's near-complete inability
to figure out what he's doing with his life remains a source of amusement, and
the stinking corruption of ancient
Rome is as lively as before. We still
don't have the detail on Falco's family which provides a great deal of interest
in later books, but this is nevertheless an exceptionally enjoyable read. Davis
is an expert at weaving history, comedy, suspense, mystery and near-tragedy, and
shows her sure touch at every turn.
Two words to the wise: Firstly, this book, more than any other in the sequence,
is intended as a direct sequel to
its predecessor, and should
be read second. Secondly, there is an apparent
retcon in the plot, and
(without giving anything away by explaining the point) I'd like to reassure
readers that it's not a retcon
per se, since both books were written
before the first was published, and so the change of footing is presumably
completely intended from the start.
Enjoy!
Venus in Copper follows.