Silver Pigs (urspr publ 1989; utgåvan 1989)

plot against a governor

I read one of the Marcus Didius Falco books a long time ago, I believe it was this one. It's a fun book. ( )

I picked this for the title to fill a Bingo square. Fortunately it was the first in the series, so I didn;t have that to worry about. It is the adventures of an informer in Imperial Rome just as Vespasian takes the throne. He gets involved in a fraud that results in murder by being in the wrong place just as a young lady is running to avoid being kidnapped. There then begins a long and, at times unlilkely tale about silver fraud in stretching from the mines of Britain to the heart of the Empire. It all gets somewhat involved and Falco at times is not the brightest of investigators. Mind you it's intriguing enough. ( )

The Silver Pigs is the first book in the Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis. Falco is an “informer” which is the 70 A. D. version of a private detective. One morning he's practically run over by a young girl, fleeing a group of scary looking pursuers. He rescues her and takes her to hide out in his apartment. She confesses they are after her because there's something hidden in her bank box and she's the only one who has the combination. When Falco opens up the box, he discovers an iron pig, which is a valuable bar of silver. Falco follows the trail of silver from Rome to the deadly silver mines of Britannia. Along the way, he connects the silver to a list of names that reveals a secret worth killing to protect.

I really enjoy this time period in history. I thought the story had plenty of humor and intrigue. I liked Falco who seemed like a regular sort of guy who has a huge family that are constantly criticizing him. He has street smarts and is quite honorable. I learned some interesting things about ancient Rome and the mining business. Overall it was a good book but not a great book. Often that's the case with a first in series book so I'm going to give Falco another chance to wow me in Shadows in Bronze.

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http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1415190/#3324151 ( )