Ode To A Banker

Book excerpt: Another delightful excursion into the world of Marcus Didius Falco by multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Bringing Ancient Rome to life with its vivid description and characterisation, this is perfect for fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom. 'Davis's writing zings with fun' -- Daily Mail 'One of the best of the current writers in this field' -- Donna Leon, The Times 'Fantastic! I'm addicted to Falco!' -- ***** Reader review 'Totally brilliant!' -- ***** Reader review 'Wonderful plot - full of suspense, as usual. Brilliant!!!!' -- ***** Reader review 'Subline - can't put these books down!' -- ***** Reader review ******************************************************************************** WRITING FOR MONEY, PUBLISHING DEATH AD74: it's a long, hot summer and Marcus Didius Falco, private informer and spare-time poet, is giving a reading for his family and friends. Things get out of hand - as usual... The event is taken over by Aurelius Chrysippus, a wealthy Greek banker and patron to a group of struggling writers, who offers to publish Falco's work - a golden opportunity that rapidly palls. A visit to the Chrysippus scriptorium implicates him in a gruesome literary murder so when Petronius Longus, the over-worked vigiles enquiry chief, commissions him to investigate, Falco is forced to accept. Lindsey Davis' twelfth novel wittily explores Roman publishing and banking, taking us from the jealousies of authorship and the mire of patronage, to the darker financial world, where default can have fatal consequences...