I found this not quite as beguiling as the previous series entry, but still very enjoyable. Falco is sent to what we now call the Middle East, possibly to get rid of him, of course. Helena accompanies him (a little far-fetched), and they fall in in with a group of traveling players before the real action starts. There are whiffs of Mr. Micawber, and more than a whiff of Hamlet in the play Falco finally decides to write. But the grit of the desert, the dangers of the factions, the bustle of the oases are all quite vivid. Some not-quite-justifiable crises serve to gather all the various vested interests in time to, as Falco would say, sort things out. ( )

So far this is my least favourite of the Falco series. It lacks the pace and excitement of the other books. in this we are dragged through the deserts of Syria, Palestine and Jordan to very little purpose other than to get Falco and Helena out of Rome for a bit. I finished it in the vague hope that it might improve once they reached the next of the ten towns, unfortunately my faith was misplaced. ( )

Hasta ahora el peor de la serie, con un doble encargo Didio y Helena van a Medio Oriente donde terminan viajando con una compañia de teatro ambulante, tratando de ubicar un asesino. Previsible floja ( )

Not the best installment, but Marcus and Helena together are still enjoyable. ( )

Las cosas no marchan bien en Roma para Marco Didio Falco, que debe aceptar una misión en Oriente para ganarse la vida. Junto a su inseparable Helena Justina, se integrarán en una compañía de teatro en la que se han producido varios asesinatos.