A Capitol Death

I have been eagerly awaiting Lindsey Davis' latest addition to her Flavia Albia mystery series.  A Capitol Death (#850) did not disappoint.

The Emperor Domitian is back in town, ready to Triumph over the Dacians and Chattians, and the details had better be right, never mind that there are neither captives nor treasure to parade before the crowds.  As an aedile, Flavia's new husband Tiberius Manlius Faustus is one of the officials charged with putting on a good show.  When a man topples off the Tarpeian Rock at the end of the Triumphal route in the midst of preparations, inquires must be made, so Tiberius delegates the matter (officially!) to Flavia Albia to clear up before the Triumph.

There is no shortage of suspects in Gabinus' death, but when a second murder occurs on the Capitoline Hill, and the body is tossed off the Tarpeian Rock it muddies the waters of the investigation.  Surely the deaths are linked, but how?  Something about the deaths stinks.  Literally.  Will Flavia be able to untangle the mystery in time?

I love Lindsey Davis' combination of snark, engaging characters and mysteries that leave the reader  guessing until the end.  Much as I enjoyed her Marcus Didius Falco series (Marcus is Flavia's adoptive father.) in many ways I like this series even better.  It's told from a female perspective in the male-dominated world of Imperial Rome, with insights into different aspects of Roman life.  Flavia Albia is also an outsider.  Much as her parents want her to appear to be a well-brought up young Roman matron, she can never entirely shed her former life as an orphan living on the mean streets of Londinium, allowing her to think outside the narrow box of Roman society.  It makes for a thoroughly engaging series.  Highly recommended.