[BOOK REVIEW] The Cicero Trilogy

mTk

mTk

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I was looking for a series of books recommended by my wife about a detective during ancient Rome when I came upon this collection, by Robert Harris, first. It sounded interesting. I knew nothing really of Cicero other than he was a senator in Rome (circa whatever) so I gave it a shot. As it turned out it was the best read I've had in a decade! I found myself nearly cheering out loud as Cicero would begin one of his speeches assaulting his political opponents, to defend the Republic with high-explosive word artillery, barely able to finish that one fast enough so I could get to the next.

This is not some dry, school text of old, Roman speechifying. Rather it reads as a political, pot-boiling, thriller as good as any I've come across. Historical fiction at its best. A very enthusiastic "mTk Seal of Approval!"

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_6?url=search-alias=digital-text&field-keywords=cicero+trilogy&sprefix=cicero,aps,275&crid=1ZQ27CB8TWAG3
 
Yes, the Cicero trilogy is an excellent read.

Those books about the roman detective is good as well especially if its Marcus Didius Falco.
 
Hmmmmm How good/historically sensible are these books - I've spotted them 2nd hand for a few pennies (plus several pounds for postage :mad:) and am trying to figure out whether to invest a tenner on them.

I've enjoyed his older books, but just as fast fiction -(and I was tolerant of historical anachronisms in those days, which is surreal considering how much of a historical anachronism HE is now!! :()
 
The Falco series is great.

Ellis Peters wrote a series of medieval whodunnits featuring Brother Cadfael as the intrepid sleuth, highly recommended.

If you like food and murder mysteries then have a look at the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Cammileri (translated from Italian). The mysteries will keep you guessing, the food descriptions will make you hungry and the jokes will make you laugh. Whats not to like !

For some gritty scandinavian whoddunnits nobody beats Jo Nesbo with his Harry Hole series.
 
@Hedgehog Yes that's correct.
I really don't have the words to describe how much I am enjoying this series of books.
I got completely hooked on the history of ancient Rome with the Cicero trilogy, and now Ms Davies has brought Rome to life for me. Her books take place about 110 yrs later so it was easy for me to fit right in to the society.
Not to mention the mysteries are darned good! It is great fun to watch how Falco gets from point A to point B, with plenty of side distractions along the way. The life of an informer (detective) is not an easy one.
 
mTk....I am glad to hear you are enjoying the Lindsey Davis series of Falco books. I love these! An old boss turned me on to them a number of years ago. I think I own...though have not read...just about all of them now. I'm currently on Dying Light in Corduba. I'm a huge fan of ancient Rome. These just make for a fun read. She has a newer series too (the Flavia Albia series) which I have not read at all but plan to.

If you like these you might want to check out books by Steven Saylor. He does a similar set of "detective" novels (Roma Sub Rosa series) set in ancient Rome though his are a little earlier, set in the time of Caesor.

It is great to see others getting enjoyment out of these books. I am going to have to look into the Cicero trilogy now!
 
I think I'd go with Harris and the Cicero series as its a trilogy that doesn't take too long to complete.
Falco goes on forever. There is a sequence, of course, but you don't lose terribly lot by reading them out of order. She does reference past material some times so I would suggest doing them in order if practical.
Here's their order FYI: https://www.fictiondb.com/author/lindsey-davis~series~a-marcus-didius-falco-novel~1101.htm
While I really like the books I have discovered that around #7 or so they (many) are not available on Kindle, and that kind of bummed me out as I hadn't read a real book in years. I found I didn't like having to mess with a light when reading in bed at night. LOL
 
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