The spirit of adventure calls Falco on a new spying mission to the untamed East in search of the Emperor Vespasian . He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong. A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel ride to Syria. Here they join a traveling theatre group, which keeps losing members in nonaccidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions-then as the killer hovers, Falco tries to write a play...

The Roman detective, Marcus Didius Falco, goes to Syria in search of an abducted woman who was a water organist in a circus. A perfect cover to do some spying for the emperor. By the author of The Iron Hand of Mars.

Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco's oldest friend, has finally nailed one of Rome's top criminals. Under Roman law, citizens are not imprisoned but are allowed "time to depart" into exile outside the Empire. One dark and gloomy dawn, Petro and Falco put the evil Balbinus aboard a ship. But soon after, an outbreak of robbery and murder suggests a new criminal ring has moved into Balbinus's territory. Petro and Falco must descend into the underworld of Vespasian's Rome to investigate.

A MURDERED LEGIONARY - AND THERE IS ONE PRIME SUSPECT AD 72: Marcus Didius Falco returns home from a six-month mission to the German legions. But trouble is in store for him: his apartment has been wrecked by squatters and an ex-legionary friend of his colourfully heroic brother Festus is demanding money, allegedly owed him as the result of one of Festus's wild schemes. Worse still, the only client Falco can get is his mother - who wants him to clear the family name. Then just as Falco thinks things can only get better, fate takes a turn for the worse. . . The legionary is found viciously stabbed to death with Falco the prime suspect. Now he has only three days to prove he is not a murderer, to trace the real suspect, amass evidence and win a fortune. . . *************************************************************************************** 'Several cheers for Lindsey Davis. . . Great fun' The Times 'Fast-moving, funny and full of atmosphere' Mail on Sunday 'Highly readable, funny and colourful' TLS 'An intriguing Roman mystery, with quite a few twists and turns' ***** Reader review 'Another excellent Falco book that is difficult to put down' ***** Reader review 'Well written, humorous, interesting and a good read' ***** Reader review 'Brilliant. Very funny too!' ***** Reader review Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will love this captivating, colourful and unputdownable historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Guaranteed to have you turning the pages, this will easily transport you back in time to Ancient Rome...

The Silver Pigs is Lindsey Davis' classic novel, which introduced readers around the world to Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer with a knack for trouble, a tendency for bad luck, and a frequently inconvenient drive for justice. When Marcus Didius Falco, a Roman "informer" who has a nose for trouble that's sharper than most, encounters Sosia Camillina in the Forum, he senses immediately all is not right with the pretty girl. She confesses to him that she is fleeing for her life, and Falco makes the rash decision to rescue her—a decision he will come to regret. For Sosia bears a heavy burden: as heavy as a pile of stolen Imperial ingots, in fact. Matters just get more complicated when Falco meets Helena Justina, a Senator's daughter who is connected to the very same traitors he has sworn to expose. Soon Falco finds himself swept from the perilous back alleys of Ancient Rome to the silver mines of distant Britain—and up against a cabal of traitors with blood on their hands and no compunction whatsoever to do away with a snooping plebe like Falco....

"Grips you by the throat from beginning to end."—Cleveland Plain Dealer ALONE WITH HER NEW HUSBAND on a tiny Pacific atoll, a young woman, combing the beach, finds an odd aluminum container washed up out of the lagoon, and beside it on the sand something glitters: a gold tooth in a scorched human skull. The investigation that follows uncovers an extraordinarily complex and puzzling true-crime story. Only Vincent Bugliosi, who recounted his successful prosecution of mass murderer Charles Manson in the bestseller Helter Skelter, was able to draw together the hundreds of conflicting details of the mystery and reconstruct what really happened when four people found hell in a tropical paradise. And the Sea Will Tell reconstructs the events and subsequent trial of a riveting true murder mystery, and probes into the dark heart of a serpentine scenario of death.

Another engrossing historical mystery bringing Ancient Rome to life in all its gruesome glory from the pen of multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will not be disappointed... ____________________________________ 'Uniquely entertaining' - Time Out 'Bizarre, funny and satisfying!' - Irish Times 'As always, Davis wears her research lightly, bringing Ancient Rome to vivid life in a series of delicious vignettes' - Val McDermid 'Exciting and gripping' - ***** Reader review 'I love this book. What an amazing author and what an amazing series!!' - ***** Reader review 'Another excellent Falco book that is impossible to put down' - ***** Reader review 'Well written, humourous, interesting and a great read!' - ***** Reader review _________________________________ A SERIAL KILLER STALKS THE GAMES 'The fountain was not working. Nothing unusual in that...' Marcus Didius Falco and his laddish friend Petronius find their local fountain has been blocked - by a gruesomely severed human hand. Soon other body parts are being found in the aqueducts and sewers. Public panic overcomes official indifference, and the Aventine partners are commissioned to investigate. Women are being abducted during festivals, with the next Games only days away. As the heat rises in the Circus Maximus, they face a race against time and a strong test of their friendship. They know the sadistic killer lurks somewhere on the festive streets of Rome - preparing to strike again...