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Last Act in Palmyra (Marcus Didius Falco, #6)

Lindsey Davis

Start date: January 15, 2024

Finish date: February 6, 2024

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: Next in this very popular historical mystery series.
[close] Next in this very popular historical mystery series.

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What Members Thought

Jan 15, 2024 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Although I have been enjoying re-reading this series, I found this one less enjoyable. Falco is still smarting about his lack of opportunity to marry Helena and so, when he is given a rather vague mission by Anacrites the Chief Spy, he heads off with another, private commission, from a snake charmer, to find a missing musician. Helena accompanies Falco to the Middle East where, almost immediately, they discover a dead body in a cistern.

The dead man was the playwright for a theatre troupe and Fa ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing

Falco has been asked by Thalia to try and find one of her employees who has disappeared. Fortunately he can combine the search with a commission from the Emperor Vespasian so he decides to combine business with pleasure and take Helena with him. After finding a dead body at the top of a hill at a shrine, Falco and Helena have to move on hurriedly and a priest, Musa, goes with them. They join forces with a travelling theatre group and Falco acquires the job of tracking down the murderer who was o ...more

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Jan 02, 2024 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Great fun for the humor and travel descriptions, but less satisfying as a mystery.

In this sixth entry, Didius Falco is given a commission for the emperor via his old nemesis, spy chief Anacrites. Helena has forbidden him to take any more such jobs since (view spoiler) Great fun for the humor and travel descriptions, but less satisfying as a mystery.

In this sixth entry, Didius Falco is given a commission for the emperor via his old nemesis, spy chief Anacrites. Helena has forbidden him to take any more such jobs since (view spoiler)still, beggars can’t be choosers, and Falco needs work, so agrees to the Petra mission. I don’t know exactly what it was for, but Petra was in ancient Nabatea and independent of Rome at the time, and a very successful trade center, so Falco implies Vespasian wants information before formulating a plan to absorb the city.

Anyway, old friend and menagerie owner Thalia hears Falco will be heading that way, and asks him to take on a commission for her - find a talented and missing water organ player named Sophrona. Thalia had adopted the orphaned girl and paid for her training, and wants her back; supposedly a visiting Syrian wooed her away.

When Falco and Helena get to Petra, they find a dead body in a sacred pool; Falco pursues the killer (they’d stop to rest hiking up the mountain, heard two men talking before finding the victim) and Helena goes for help. Turns out the victim was a much-despised playwright with a band of traveling actors; the local authority tells Falco and Helena to leave, but they must take Musa, a young priest (and possible spy) with them - I was honestly never sure why, but he was an interesting addition to their travels, and helped Falco and Helena investigate and apprehend the killer in an exciting climax. Falco questions the head of the acting troupe about the victim in Petra, and ends up taking the dead man’s job rewriting plays to fit the situation. All very coincidental and rather flimsy, but entertaining.

What follows is a long, rather rambling trek through the desert to various cities, “the Decapolis”, described in interesting detail by the author. Helena and Falco get to know the troupe members, there’s another murder, the reader gets a lot of interesting information about traveling and theater of the period - it’s entertaining, but the missing organ player definitely is pushed to the back burner until the end. Falco questions everyone repeatedly about the dead playwright, and it seems to go round in circles-when he finally divulges to Helena who he thinks the killer is and the motive, it sounds inadequate and unconvincing. But again, the climax is quite exciting and dramatic.

So, I look forward to the next book, I have a feeling I know what will happen (foreshadowing) - this was a weak mystery but a fun travelogue, especially reading about all the exotic desert locations in cold January! ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 John Frankham rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-detective

The sixth in this well-written, amusing, and informative, series, this time based in Syria.

The GR blurb:

'It's AD 72 Rome, and Emperor Vesparian refuses to elevate sometime sleuth Marcus Didius Falco to the middle rank. Yet hope springs eternal, so when Vespasian's chief spy offers Falco an assignment in the East, he jumps at the chance. But his new assignment soon becomes a nightmare when he finds the corpse of a Roman playwright in a sacred pool. To ferret out the murderer, Falco joins the trav ...more

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Jan 18, 2024 Jill rated it it was ok

Shelves: lindsey-davis

Falco needs work and so sees Anocrites, (the head spy) for Vespasian, who says that he is required to go to Petra. The reason for this was not really explained, and Falco is very reticent about the job. It is however a snake-charmer that persuades Falco to go there, to seek a water pianist who has left her employ, having run off with a young man from there. Falco and Helena decide to go there as a sort of vacation whilst trying to seek the pianist. On there first outing they find the body of a m ...more

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Oct 08, 2018 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rread-2024, mystery-historical, audible-read, rread-2018

Maybe not quite as amusing as the first five but still a fun read with a visit to Petra thrown in. The snake dancer adds an exotic element.

I certainly enjoyed my second read. This time I paid more attention to the descriptions of countries they visited. The snake dancer remains fascinating.

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