Books
Falco books in order
Looking for Lindsey Davis’s Falco books in order? Look no further!
Private informer Marcus Didius Falco is the closest thing that 1st-century Rome has to a detective. He doesn’t have the benefit of modern technology, but his ability to get to the bottom of a mystery shows that nothing is quite as effective as a knack for investigation and a thirst for justice.
These historical whodunnits are incredibly captivating and well researched, catapulting readers right into the world of Ancient Rome. You’ll come to the series for the well constructed mysteries, but stay for the brilliant Falco and a cast of other intriguing characters.
Here are all of Lindsey Davis’s Falco books in order!
Lindsey Davis’s Falco books in order:
The Silver Pigs by Lindsay Davis
When Falco rescues a young girl from two men who are chasing her, he inadvertently throws himself into a dangerous game involving stolen imperial ingots, a dark political plot and, most hazardous of all, a senator’s daughter connected to the traitors Falco has sworn to expose.
With enemies this powerful, Falco will need all his smarts to prevail…
Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis
Against his better judgement, Falco secretly disposes of a corpse for Emperor Vespasian. He heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his best friend Petronius, hoping to forget what he did for the ruler, as well as his failed romance with the brilliant Helena Justina.
But this is no holiday – they have been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas. And when Falco finds out Helena is connected to the plot, things only get more worrying for the private informer…
Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis
On the elegant slopes of Pincian Hill, three freedmen and their wives are under siege by a clever redhead. Severina Zotica has a foul-mouthed parrot, an odd connection with a snake dancer – and a very suspicious past.
As Falco pursues this flame-haired fortune-hunter, he finds himself beset by violent rent-racketeers, poisoners and women without consciences who have dangerous designs on him…
The Iron Hands of Mars by Lindsey Davis
Marcus Didius Falco is on a special mission: to find the absconding commander of a legion whose loyalty is suspect. Easier said than done, thinks Falco, as he makes his way down the Rhenus, trying to forget that back in sunny Rome his girlfriend Helena Justina is being hotly pursued by Titus Caesar.
His mood isn’t improved when he discovers his only allies are a ragtag group who aren’t exactly equipped to tame the Celtic hordes. But a job is a job, and Falco will do all he can to return to Rome victorious.
Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis
Marcus Didius Falco returns home from a six-month mission to the German legions to find his apartment wrecked by squatters, and an ex-legionary friend of his colourfully heroic brother Festus demanding money as the result of one of Festus’s wild schemes. To top it all off, the only client Falco can get is his mother – who wants him to clear the family name.
Just as Falco thinks things can’t get worse, the ex-legionary is found stabbed to death – with Falco the prime suspect. With only three days to prove he’s not the murderer, he’ll need to be at his best to figure out who the real killer is.
BOOK NOT FOUND! by
The spirit of adventure calls Marcus Didius Falco on a new spying mission to the untamed East. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows almost anything can go wrong.
A dangerous brush with the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria. They join a travelling theatre group, which keeps losing members in suspicious drownings. As the killer hovers in the wings, it’s up to Falco to figure out what’s going on before the deadly final act…
Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis
Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco’s oldest friend, has finally caught Balbinus, one of Rome’s top criminals. Under Roman law citizens are not imprisoned but are allowed ‘time to depart’ into exile outside the Empire.
Soon after Falco and Petronius put the evil mastermind on a ship, an outbreak of robbery and murder suggest a new criminal ring has moved into Balbinus’ territory. The friends need to descend into Rome’s underworld to investigate, but soon find things aren’t as straightforward as they seem…
A Dying Light in Corduba by Lindsey Davis
A man is killed and Rome’s Chief of Spies left for dead. This leaves no one except Falco to conduct the investigation.
He uncovers a conspiracy involving liquid gold, deadly poisons and some of Rome’s most prosperous businessmen. But will he be able to uncover the truth with such rich and powerful enemies?
Three Hands in the Fountain by Lindsey Davis
9. Three Hands in the Fountain
Falco and best friend Petro find their local fountain has been blocked – by a gruesomely severed human hand. Soon other body parts are being found in aqueducts and sewers throughout Rome.
As worry slathers the city, they face a race against time and a strong test of their friendship. They know the sadistic killer lurks somewhere on the streets of Rome, preparing to strike again, and it’s up to them to stop him.
Two For the Lions by Lindsey Davis
Lumbered with working alongside the Chief Spy Anacrites, Falco has the perfect plan to make money – he will assist Vespasian in the Emperor’s ‘Great Census’ of AD73. The fee could finally allow him to be worthy of the long-suffering Helena Justina.
Unexpectedly confronted with the murder of a man-eating lion, Falco is distracted from his original task, uncovering a bitter rivalry between the gladiators’ trainers. Then a star gladiator is found dead, and Falco is forced to investigate. The trail leads from Rome to the blood-soaked sand of the arena in North Africa. But what will he find when he heads into the lion’s den?
One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis
A frightened child named Gaia approaches Falco, claiming that a relation wants to kill her. Preoccupied with his own troubles, he turns her away.
As it turns out, Gaia has been selected as the new Vestal Virgin. And when she disappears, Falco is officially asked to investigate. Finding her is a race against time, ending in Falco’s most terrifying exploit yet…
Ode to a Banker by Lindsey Davis
12. Ode to a Banker
Falco gives a poetry reading for his family and friends, hoping his words can help him to gain some wealth. The event is taken over by Aurelius Chrysippus, a wealthy Greek banker and patron to a group of struggling writers, and he offers to publish Falco’s work.
This golden opportunity rapidly palls after Chrysippus is implicated in a gruesome murder, forcing Falco to investigate the man he thought was his ticket to wealth. But who’s really behind the death?
A Body In The Bath House by Lindsey Davis
In far away Britain, King Togidubnus of the Atrebates tribe is planning a huge new residence – but the sensational refurbishment is beset by ‘accidents’. Frugal Emperor Vespasian, paying for all this, wants someone to investigate.
Falco has a new baby, a new house and he hates Britain. But his feud with the Chief Spy has now reached a dangerous level, so he accepts the task. A thousand miles from home, he starts restoring order to the chaotic building site. But someone with murderous intentions is now after him…
The Jupiter Myth by Lindsey Davis
14. The Jupiter Myth
When the renegade henchman of Rome’s vital ally King Togidubnus is stuffed head-first down a well, it leads to a tricky diplomatic situation which Falco must defuse. But then the murders don’t stop.
With his pal Petronius, Falco leads the hunt for the gangsters who are intent on taking over. Danger and death lurk as they follow the trail from the brand new wharves beside the River Thames to the familiar old haunts of organised crime back home in Italy.
The Accusers by Lindsey Davis
15. The Accusers
After returning from Londinium, Falco takes up employment with two lawyers at the top of their trade. For the trial of a senator, they need Falco to make an affidavit confirming the repayment of a loan. Having little interest in this trial, he makes his deposition and then leaves.
The prosecution are successful, but one month later the senator is dead, allegedly by suicide, and his heirs are refusing to pay up. Falco joins the prosecution in seeking to persuade a magistrate to begin a new trial. But if they fail, the financial penalties levelled against the informers who brought the case are potentially enormous, and could ruin Falco for years to come…
Scandal Takes A Holiday by Lindsey Davis
When Falco’s girlfriend Helena arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette, Falco is drawn into a mystery that looks like it will ruin his relaxing holiday in Ostia.
‘Infamia’, the pen name of the scribe who writes the gossip column for the paper, has gone missing. His fellow scribes have employed Falco to find him and bring him back from his lazy, drunken truancy. However, Falco suspects that there is more to his absence than meets the eye…
See Delphi and Die by Lindsey Davis
When Falco’s brother-in-law tells him about a pair of missing newlyweds, the private informer suspects a classic cover-up. With Helena by his side, he joins the tour the couple disappeared on and interviews its owner and the other guests.
At first they don’t get very far. But once they reach Delphi, Falco and Helena begin unravelling the mystery of the bride and groom – and it’s much more sinister a thread than they could have imagined.
Saturnalia by Lindsey Davis
18. Saturnalia
It’s the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, and a general has captured a famous enemy of Rome. He tries to bring her home as a ritual sacrifice, but the logistics go wrong. A young man is horrendously murdered, while the hostage escapes.
Falco is pitted against his old rival, the Chief Spy Anacrites, in a race to find the fugitive before her presence angers the public and makes the government look stupid. But Falco has other priorities too – his brother-in-law Justinus has also vanished. Against the riotous backdrop of the festival season, only Falco seems to notice that there’s something dark stalking the streets of Rome…
Alexandria by Lindsey Davis
19. Alexandria
Falco and Helena attend a dinner party hosted by his wife’s family in Alexandria, Egypt. Also in attendance is Theon, the Serapaeion Chief Librarian. When he’s later found found dead in mysterious circumstances, Falco’s entire family falls under suspicion, and it’s up to him to clear their names.
As he begins his investigation a fire engulfs the famous library, and destroys possibly the only evidence that will prove who killed the librarian. Falco is left with almost nothing to help him unearth the truth, and prove the innocence of his family…
Nemesis by Lindsey Davis
20. Nemesis
When a mutilated corpse turns up near Rome, Falco and Petronius investigate, only for the Chief Spy, Anacrites, to snatch their case away from them just as they are making progress. It soon transpires that the violent Claudii have acquired corrupt protection at the highest level, and Falco and Petronius are told to stay away if they know what’s good for them.
Egged on by slippery bureaucrats with their own agendas, the dogged friends dig deeper while a psychotic killer keeps taking more victims. All the while, the shocking truth edges closer to being revealed…
There you have it – all Lindsey Davis’s Falco books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
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