Nemesis

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the high summer of 77 AD, Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco is beset by personal problems. A middle-aged couple who supplied statues to his father have disappeared. They had an old feud with a bunch of notorious freedmen, the Claudii, who terrorize the neighborhood. When a mutilated corpse turns up, Falco and his friend Petronius investigate. But just as they are making progress, the Chief Spy, Anacrites, snatches the case away. He makes false overtures of friendship, but fails to cover up the fact that the Claudii have acquired corrupt protection at the highest level. Falco and Petronius dig deeper while the shocking truth creeps closer and closer to home.

©2010 BBC Audiobooks America (P)2010 Lindsay Davis

Everyman's Rome

I love Falco. Such a wisecracking everyman in a Roman Tunic. I am fascinated by the life of Rome woven through the books without hitting you over the head with the research. The plots are interesting, the writing is wonderful, and Christian Rodska is the perfect Falco. This was the first I bought and I am completely hooked.

The Best Falco Yet

After having read all the Falco novels, I must say that Nemesis is the best yet. It takes a slightly darker turn, and although sated, wanting more. Loose ends are tied, and one in particular. This pleased me enormously.
As to the narration -- just as Simon Vance IS Ruso in Ruth Downie's novels, Christian Rodska IS Falco to me. I enjoyed the radio plays led by Andrew Lesser, but the single voice unabridged books read by Mr. Rodska are much more fulfilling!

A fitting end to a wonderful series

What did you like best about this story?

The characters and their relationships are so rich and textured. For someone who has been reading the series since the beginning, they are old friends whose actions have nuance and moral ambiguity

Any additional comments?

This is not the place for new readers of Falco, or even ones who have read only a couple of the books. This is a valediction to a series and will resonate best for those who have been fellow travelers over the years.

If you've been following Falco et al......

I found this to be the best so far, so many questions about characters are answered. There is a fantastic ending in the last two minuets, that I will not spoil for anyone who has followed Falco, Helena and the crew. I promise you this was the best, I really hope that Lindsy Davis creates more, to follow this. I'm so hooked.

Wonderful

I adore Marcus Dudius Falco. The entire cast of characters, even the bad guys, is well developed and very entertaining. The plot was a bit more convoluted than usual but as always, Ms Davis played fair with the clues. The best kind of mystery, IMHO, is the one that you enjoy listening to as it unfolds, even if some parts are not surprising. It isn't just the destination but the journey! The usual Falco humor is there too. I wasn't too sure about Christian Rodska as the narrator in the first Falco book I bought but now I can't imagine anyone else playing the assorted parts, especially Falco. This book does have an interesting surprise at the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series to see what happens!

Nice finish to the series

Even though this particular murder/mystery was not as interesting as most of the Falco novels--it was a nice tie up and had a fun ending. I have read the entire series with only a few done via audible. The narration by Christian Rodska was excellent! He really reads the parts well with great feeling and one can easily tell each character apart. I prefer his narration over Simon Prebble in this particular series. Christian Rodska was very "into" the parts. You could tell that he was enjoying the read and thus I was enjoying the listen!

Nemisis

The worst thing about this story is that it is the last Falco adventure. Lindsey Davis did an excellent job tieing up the loose ends that will propel Falco into his new phase of life. The baton is set up to be passed to his adopted daughter who will now become the family Informer. To say I will miss Falco is an unerstatement. His character offered us great adventure and allowed us a glimpse of Roman life with all its ups and downs. Through it all he persevered and many times gave us pause to consider the many twists and curves confronting him. I really hope that someday, someone will bring him to life in a mini series or movie. Falco is a hero and nowadays a hero we all can relate to.