Another most enjoyable investigation by Flavia Alba and associates. This story brings more information regarding Flavia’s time in Britain. All new to me as I haven’t actually read the book(s) that cover the period when Falco and Helena found her.

Rome in 90AD is a hotbed of intrigue and skulduggery. Flavia may be settling back into the life of roman wife and matron and learning how to be the caregiver of two small boys but she is soon back in the thick of another murder investigation.

Along with hubby Tiberius, Albia is soon neck deep in figuring out who killed a female "tourist", what links her to a local gang and what she'll do if she comes face to face with the man who caused her so much trauma and pain before she was adopted by Falco and Helena.

There is glorious depiction of life and death in Rome, Like modern times, the crooks have gaudy, over the top funerals, they're bribing the local law enforcement and the feuds with neighbouring gangs are simmering hot. I was ecstatic that Balbina Milvia finally got the day she deserved. I'm not usually so bloodthirsty but that woman needed to cease and desist! The little digs at cruising tourists, and fleabag hoteliers are so witty and the rank ineffectiveness of some of the vigiles/special agents/gangsters will make you smile.

In this Rome, the matrons are the power behind the many gangster thrones. But the Didii females are not to be trifled with! I loved the way Tiberius just goes along with Albia's plans. He's happy being her back up and using his former titles and position to ease the way and sneak into places. It was great to see all my old favourite Falco characters pop in too. It's great when they arrive unceremoniously and cause havoc all round!

Flavia Albia’s past is about to catch up with her.
When a female is dragged out of the river by a dredger in Rome Flavia will keep investigating with dogged determination.
A return of Falco Flavia’s father is a welcome return.
Plenty of characters and gang warfare will make for intense rivalry.
The way every character stands out makes for an exciting story.
Another great addition to this series.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

As my mum would have said, the narrator seems to have been vaccinated with a gramophone needle! Albia really does have severe verbal "looseness" in this tale, even more than in A Comedy of Terrors and, from time to time, I really did lose the plot.

Still an interesting series and a good read to take on holiday, just do not expect anything too brain straining!

Rome A.D. 90. A mobster chief is dead and rival gangs are vying for position. During these events the body of Claudia Deiana, wife to old adversary Gaius Florius Opppicus who is back from Britain, is discovered. Can finding the killer be jeopardised by Flavia seeking revenge on Florius.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable and varied characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

When the body of a Briton is fished out of the Tiber, Flavia Albia feels obliged to investigate. Here starts an adventure around Ancient Rome. A really good read.

The setup head-fakes towards Poirot parody or even Flavia Albia’s last hurrah, but Death on the Tiber is mostly another solid entry in Davis’ series of Roman-gangland stories. It’s an enjoyable and craftsmanlike tale at that, but there are still so many odd and portentous choices — a (slightly alarming?) dedication, Falco and Petronius trotting out for one last ride, some unusually overt satire of detective fiction, gestures at closure — that it’s hard not to read it as hastily-downgraded series finale. Death ultimately keeps the door open for more Albiola adventures, but it’s hard not to be more engaged by its meta-story than the fairly standard gangster machinations. Hopefully there’s more to come, and perhaps a more definite ending.

Stray observations:

• Death foregrounds its women even more ably than most Albia stories. They are victims, yes, but women serve equally well as survivors, enablers and perpetrators of violence. Rome is still a (very) patriarchal setting, but there’s a welcome emphasis on both female agency and moral liability in the story.

• Death is also even more of a legacy-quel than previous Albias — I enjoyed seeing Falco and Petronius brought back into action even as Davis lightly complicates their soi-disant heroism. But there have been just so many call-backs to the old books in the last few Albia novels that I begin to worry for any new readers of the series. Or is it all old hands by now?

• Of course the tourists are going to Egypt, how could they not with this title?

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of Death on the Tiber, the twelfth novel to feature Roman informer Flavia Albia, set in AD 90.

The threat of gang warfare hangs over Rome after the death of an old chief with rivals vying for territory and position. At the same time a woman arrives in Rome, only to be murdered and thrown in the Tiber. When Albia realises that the woman was British and had links to an old enemy of hers the search for the truth about the woman becomes personal.

I enjoyed Death on the Tiber, but it’s not an easy read as it is long and has many characters to keep track of. In that respect I felt that I did a good job as every character has its place and the author is good at gently reminding the reader of that place.

The plot is quite complicated with tit for tat killings and questions about who orchestrated what added to Albia’s quest for justice for both the dead woman and her own past mistreatment. Of course, the usual Roman politics and jockeying for position come into play as well. It is a long, meaty read, if a bit slow, with plenty to occupy the reader that offers a comprehensive overview of events. It is told from Albia’s point of view in the first person and as she has a sharp, sarcastic voice there are a few laughs to be had.

I like this series because it brings Ancient Rome to life. The historical and social detail are portrayed as facts of life to be embraced or overcome in the course of living and investigating. The characters are recognisably people with day to day worries and no different from you or me. This depiction brings the novel and the era to life.

Death on the Tiber is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

It's been a while since I read any of the books in this series, but I soon slipped back into Lindsey Davis' world of ancient Rome. I love the fact that she treats Rome like a real place, with people living their chaotic often grubby lives, and speaking naturally, rather than a place full of senators and noblemen declaiming in the forum, performing as if they were on the set of a Hollywood epic.
In this book, Flavia Albia becomes caught up in some very murky gang warfare as rival criminals go to war in a battle for territory, and she investigates the murder of a fellow Briton. There are a lot of characters in the book, and I have to confess I ended up getting a little confused about who was who. So I'm not sure I completely followed the detail of everything that was happening or why, but it was enough for me to enjoy watching Flavia successfully and bravely negotiating her way in a man's world, and to find out more about her back story. With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Flavia Alba story and I was worried about reading this out of order, having paused at book 8. I needn’t have worried: it was easy enough to pick up and absorb the overall arc of Flavia Alba’s family development. This story interested me because it picked up on parts of Flavian’s backstory from way back when in the Falco stories. It also involved gang warfare in Rome. I enjoyed the flashes of Falco and Helena’s involvement in the family without them actually making an appearance. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This is the latest in Lindsey Davis's historical mystery series, set in AD 90 in Rome, featuring the feisty Private Informer, Flavia Albia, happily married to Tiberius, living in a raather over crowded chaortic home, including the bringing of 2 young orphans. This is the most personal of Flavia's case with the return of the brutal Florius from Britain, responsible for the most traumatic of her memories, wanting revenge, but will she be able to rise above this desire? It all begins with the discovery of a murdered woman in the Tiber, a river with a long association with death and killing. The woman turns out to be Claudia Deiana, who has followed Florius from Britain, having lived with him and had children with him.

In a action packed narrative, a grandiose, a over indulgent funeral with outrageous levels of fawning has been organised for the violent mobster, Old Rabirius, attended by Flavia in the hope of spotting Florius, who she believes might possibly be residing with his wife, Balbina Milva, whose been running the criminal empire in his long absence, hiding from arrest for tax evasion. After the funeral, a crime warlord's conclave is meant to result in a period of quiet as demarcation, leadership, and territorial disputes are settled, with the gang's regrouped to continue their nefarious activities, oiled by corrupt public officials. However, this does not pan out with bitter rivalries played out amidst vicious internal feuds and battles.

You might think this is a male only affair, but you would be wrong, there are strong criminal women, and other independent women like Flavia flourish, whose husband sighs but does not prevent her presence at dangerous scenarios, and relatives, such as Maia and Marcia, show bold, strong women proliferate in the family. Amidst the bleak darkness of numerous deaths, including by ostrich, Flavia seeks Florius and the truth of what happened to Claudia. The gripping storytelling is alleviated with the trademark humour and comic touches, making the protagonist and this series such an irresistible read. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Once again Lindsey Davis has provided us with a history lesson wrapped up in a murder mystery. I love the detailed representation of Rome, it feels so real.

The story references Flavia’s early life and how she came to be adopted by Marcus and Helena. While the story stands alone in its own right for me it certainly had extra depth having read The Jupiter Myth, another enjoyable book in the Falco series.

This is a more personal story than usual in this series with no real client wanting an answer to a crime but Flavia needing to exorcise demons from her youth.

Flavia Alba is back and yet again I am transported to the seedy underworld of Ancient Rome. This book pulls strands together from previous stories including references to the Falco series and as a result, I felt it was less of a stand-alone novel. However, it was as enjoyable as ever with dry wit scattered throughout as well as some heartfelt moments. I would recommend this latest installment from Lindsey Davis

I usually enjoy the Flavia series set in Ancient Rome, but this book was very different.
There was a long list of cast members, and having to refer back to ascertain the family links broke the concentration needed . There was too much detail, my notes showed I was confused by the sheer number of troops involved, Cohorts, the second, the Urban, the Praetorians, it became too political and less of a murder mystery.
My notes also showed me that a spreadsheet would have helped in keeping track of the various groups and family loyalties.
But, I might still have enjoyed this novel , excepting for one thing, missing pages! I know it’s an uncorrected proof copy, but I read to 100% of the book, and the story was unfinished! I pressed the next button and went back to 93%. I then read from that page onwards, and still no ending in sight, a murder mystery indeed!
I would still like to find out the ending! The ball is in your court.
This is my feedback on the pages available to me. In fairness to all concerned, I will not be posting to Goodreads or Amazon UK at this time.
I give a one star read for reasons already stated.

Flavia Albion is back and this time she investigates the murder of a Roman mobster, which in its turn brings back unhappy memories from her past. Now happily married to Tiberius Faustus, she already has her hands full with a large household and life as an important man’s wife. But her nature just won’t let her sit back at home when she could be out investigating.

This author has done such research and written many books set in this era, that it does feel real and authentic. The descriptions depict day to day life so vividly you could imagine you were there. It’s nice to see that Flavias’ father, Falco still plays a part, even if not as the main character any more, with his wife Helena Justina barely mentioned. However Flavia and Tiberius are both really good characters too. I did find this book a bit confusing at times, mainly as there are so many characters to sort out, but fortunately there’s a handy guide of who’s who at the front, even down to Piddle and Willikins, the chickens. An interesting read, although not quite the ending I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.