Flavia Albia is really trying to settle into more discrete cases by taking on an investigation into the legal status of the father of a prospective bride. Is he, or is he not, a full citizen? The results of Flavia's investigation are the gist of Fatal Legacy (#1,159), Lindsey Davis' latest mystery set in ancient Rome. Whether or not the marriage will take place depends on it.
As usual, the more Flavia pokes into the matter, the more questions arise, especially about the ownership of a disputed orchard. Everyone in the case seems to be claiming the property. It's even one of the motivations behind the prospective bride and groom's thwarted elopement. Flavia is determined to get to the bottom of things and fulfill her commission despite the obstacles placed in her way. It all hinges on family, and Flavia herself is aided by her own family in the case. Just when you think everything is finally revealed, there's another surprise, right up to the final page. No wonder I love this series!
I know I haven't said anything about cover art in a while, but I do feel compelled to comment on the cover of Fatal Legacy. The publisher has settled on the same trope of an attractive Roman woman clutching a weapon behind her back in the foreground with a scene purportedly from the novel in the background. In this book's case I could not discern any relationship between the artwork and the storyline. There are several Roman soldiers with absurdly modeled breastplates when the only soldier in the book is Flavia's houseguest, a recovering amputee. Oh, and did I mention that Flavia Albia's exposed spinal column sits firmly to the left of her neck? Hmm. Don't the artists bother to even skim the works, or speak to the editors about the plot points? Nothing is more aggravating to a fan of the book than this kind of out-of-sync illustration. I suppose you can always use the old grammar school trick of covering the book with a plain brown wrapper because you don't want to miss this latest installment of Flavia Albia's adventures.
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