Rating: 
Summary: Utterly charming introduction to Didius Falco series
Review: For starters, I'm a big fan of the wise-cracking school of detectives. Stephanie Plum, Alan Gregory, and others always bring a smile to my face. Now I can add Didius Falco. What is different is that his snide remarks are 1,930 years old and concern things like going to that barberic land called Britain where, heaven forbid, it's so cold you have to wear socks.I happen to love fictional history so this is a great match of mystery and history. I learned more about the Roman Empire under Vespesian than I've learned since college. And it wasn't just politics--- the book includes a good sense of everyday life. Did you know that urine was used as bleach? There's also a dandy mystery with complicated webs of politics and greed and murder to be solved. Didius has a few missteps but ultimately has the moxy to unravel the tangled mess. My only quibble is a modest one. I listened to the unabridged tapes. The narration is in first person, past tense which is ok. Unfortunately, the narrator has the voice of a fifty/sixty year old man. This made it a little hard to visualize a 29 year old Falco (particularly in some of the more romantic moments). Bottom line - a series I'm eager to continue reading for the clever mystery plotting, the engaging main characters and the history lessons.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I'd hoped...
Review: Historical mysteries are always fun to read. Part of that fun, is finding ourselves living in that time period. Another part of the fun is looking for any anachronisms or things that are historically out of place. For example, Caesar is in the Senate House and Marcus Aurelius is speaking. Sorry, wrong. Lindsey Davis' The Silver Pigs introduces us to Marcus Didius Falco, an private informer. Davis' books are much morer humourous that Saylor's Gordianus series. While Saylor has Gordianus enmeshed in the history of Rome as the Republic fell and the Empire rose, Davis has Falco going through the mundane daya to day activities in Imperial Rome. In this first out, Falco is sent to Britannia to learn about declining production in silver mines. Here, he meets the beautiful Helena Justina, the soon to be object of his affection. The mystery is well paced and Falco is a quite endearing character. I enjoyed the book a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery and History
Review: I am an unabashed fan of Lindsey Davis ... I love reading books that bring history to fiction. This book is the first in a series about Falco, a "private detective" in ancient Italy, circa AD 60s. The book combines mystery, humor, romance and a very real depiction of how life could have been in Italy. Without giving the story away ... Falco is a "lower class" person, who somehow manages to get the attention of a senator's daughter (nicely) and becomes the informant to the emperor. Without losing his street smarts and wit. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and as you read this book, their conversations and settings will create a very vivid picture in your minds. As I said, I am a fan! PS: Silver Pigs refer to silver ingots that are the property of the emporer ... which of course, get "mislaid"
Rating: 
Summary: OINK OINK
Review: I have to say that I was completely surprised to find out that the phrase silver pigs did not actually have anything to do with something being shaped in the form of a pig. Interestingly enough, it had to do with the refinement process of the silver. I did not enjoy this book as much as others for two reasons. The first reason is that I love to be able to play along. In this book, I spent most of my time either looking at historical information or being bogged down in the stupidity of Marcus Didius Falco, the main character. I had no chance or information that would allow me to figure out the murderer. The second reason that I did not feel the same way about this book as I have about others is that I did not like the character of Falco. I have to admit that he was a funny guy, but I thought he was overrated.
Rating:
Summary: A Pale Shadow of Steven Saylor
Review: I started reading this book several months ago, but found it so bad that I abandoned a third of the way through. I recently decided to give it a second chance, and this time I managed to get to the end, but it wasn't easy. In fact, it was downright painful at times! Part of it was the absence of any historical 'feel' to a this purportedly historical mystery. No, there weren't any obvious anachronisms (e.g. legionnaires wearing sneakers) or anything like that, but neither is there any serious attempt to represent a time and place that are historically and culturally different from our own. This might as well have been set in modern-day New York and Alaska as in Rome and Roman Britain. Adding to this is the cornball, wannabe hard-boiled dialogue that sounds like a parody of 40's pulp detective fiction-- stuff like: "It's time we took you home, baby." That might be extremely funny in a Mel Brooks comedy sketch set in Rome (had he ever decided to do _History of the World, Part II), but in a purportedly serious historical mystery, I'm only inspired to laugh at it-- not with it. As for the plot itself, the actual mystery and the detective work involved in unravelling it, well, it's decent enough once Falco actually gets to Britain. Nothing of particularly dazzling complexity or subtlety, and the plot is in no way dependent upon-- or connected to-- the historical setting. But it does, at least, make internal sense and keep up a high enough level of tension that folks who are only only interested in the 'mystery' part of 'historical mystery' (and who couldn't care less about the 'history' part) will probably find something to enjoy in this. Myself, I didn't enjoy it at all, but maybe my expectations are so high as a result of reading so many authors who actually put the 'historical' in 'historical mystery'-- authors like Ellis Peters, Lynda Robinson, and Steven Saylor. Indeed, for folks who, like me, have read Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series before picking up Davis, I can only say, "Prepare to be disappointed." In terms of recreating a believable, realistic, historical Roman world, Davis is only a pale, pale shadow of Saylor.... at least if this book is any guide.
Rating:
Summary: Be sure to read this one first
Review: It's been well over 10 years since some friends recommended Lindsey Davis's Silver Pigs to me. I have been a fan ever since. I have read Steven Saylor as well and like them both for different reasons. Both Davis and Saylor seem to have a handle on Roman history, topography, and daily life, each with a unique twist. I've had very little time lately to get into the last 3 books in the Falco series, and I must say that some are better than others, but all have fun surprises and suspense as well as humorous episodes with Falco, his family, and Helena and her family. The series is especially fun for those with some Classical background, but stand by themselves for those who just like a good detective read.
Rating:
Summary: A True Roman Mystery
Review: Lindey Davis has a marvelous capacity to make you feel like you are living in Rome of 2000 years ago. She developes her characters with a great flair and gives very human qualities that makes you feel like you have known Didius Falco personally. I began this series a month ago with, Silver Pigs. I have since read the the following four books and have ordered the rest. On the advice of one of the reviewers, I ordered her more recent books with Amazon.Co.UK so I didn't have to wait for them to be published here.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I have ever read
Review: Marcus Didius Falco is wry, satirical, clever and dirt broke. So when he stumbles into trouble and smells potential profit, he's soon more deeply involved than he ever wanted to be in serious trouble. This series-starter is wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Sam Spade in a Toga
Review: Silver Pigs is fast-paced with a cascade of cliff-
hangers to propel you onwards. But this is a
standard detective story, with a protagonist who
could be "Sam Spade" (think Maltese Falcon) dressed up in a toga. Other characters fill
stereotypical roles. If you are interested in
reading a thoughtful detective story, set in an
authentic Roman empire, I would recommend Steven
Saylor's books.
Rating:
Summary: BREATHTAKING SCHOLARSHIP, WIT AND HUMANISM
Review: SILVER PIGS is the first novel in the finest historical mystery series being written today, and why it would be permitted to fall out of print when old Agatha Christie clunkers are on the shelf is beyond my understanding. The series has an off-the-cuff verisimilitude that reminds one of great science fiction, and oh, can Davis write! Very few books make me giggle, then bring tears to my eyes a few pages later, but Davis pulls that off in SILVER PIGS (and in every novel). I especially love her forgiving knowledge of human nature, similar to Ellis Peters' and Sharan Newman's, but Davis ranks well ahead of any of them in her handling of language. I've read, and fortunately own, all the Falco novels available (so far) in paperback, and continue to be amazed by the high quality of each. They make great gifts, and I assure you, the recipients become instant Davis fans.
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