The Graveyard of the Hesperides by Lindsey Davis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoy Lindsey Davis’ books and find myself rereading (or rather listening) to them frequently. I always find something I missed when I go through them again.

Flavia Albia is a favorite character among favorites. She has come a long way, in every way possible, since Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina adopted her and brought her to Rome.

This particular book is both intriguing and unsettling. The wedding preparations are amusing – the wedding itself is beautifully written so you can find yourself wandering amongst the participants if you are not careful.

The mystery is not straightforward at all and the investigation gathers information on all sorts of topics that could be very uncomfortable for some readers. The solution is … I started to say ‘striking’ changed my mind and thought ‘shocking’ and decided to leave it hanging. You’ll understand the inadvertent puns when you read the book.

Let’s just say ‘surprising’ and ‘unexpected’, shall we?

One of the things I appreciate about Davis’ writing is the way her characters grow and evolve. Sometimes without the reader realizing it. When that is mixed with her delightful locations and interesting mysteries, her books are a pure pleasure to read or listen to. Even the uncomfortable parts.



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