Davis, Lindsey. A Capitol Death. Flavia Albia Mystery No. 7. Hodder & Stoughton, 2019.
Lindsey Davis is one of my favorite historical novelists. Since 1989, she has mined first-century Rome to flesh out two series of whodunits. Since 2013, she has written books featuring Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of her first protagonist, Marcus Didius Falco. Davis has been careful to age her characters realistically as she moves them through the century. A Capitol Death takes place during the reign of Domitian in 83 A.D. As the city is planning a Triumph to celebrate the emperor’s putative victories in Germany, a man hated by almost everyone is pushed off Capitol Hill, threatening to pollute the Triumph and anger the tyrant. Flavia Albia is assigned to investigate. Suspects abound. Readable and informative. 4 stars. ( )

The transport manager for Domitian's Double Triumph has fallen to his death from a cliff on the Capitoline Hill. The aediles are approached, Flavia Albia's husband Tiberius Manlius Faustus among them, which is why Albia is investigating in an official capacity. Albia finds out very quickly that the man, Gabinus, was hated all round and, after a witness comes forward, that the fall off the Tarpeian Rock was not accidental.

In another difficult case Albia has to deal with families, the sacred geese of Rome and a community of murex fishermen (murex being the shellfish that give off the highly valued imperial purple dye).

I always enjoy the Flavia Albia mysteries for the impeccable historical research that goes into them and because Lindsey Davis still finds a different angle for her mysteries even after writing almost thirty of them set in the Didius Falco/Flavia Albia universe. This one is another case in point.

As another reviewer remarked, the tone is noticeably darker than in other Flavia Albia novels, and Albia's sarcastic comments provide some much-needed levity in places. Because the people she interviews are not very forthcoming with information – or the truth – it takes our intrepid investigator some time to come up with the solution, at which point the reader realises that the answer had been staring them in the face all along, if they'd been clever enough to see it. ( )

Gave this later volume in the series a shot, but disappointed. I had read the 1st in the series, was underwhelmed, and thought I'd try again with a later one. Too sarcastic, irreverent, and snarky for my taste. Doesn't hold a candle to the Didius Falco series. Flavia solves two murders. I did enjoy the explanation of the murex fishermen and the purple dye made therefrom. I'll avoid any others in this series in future. ( )

In this, the seventh Flavia Albia mystery, A Capitol Death, Albia's husband, Tiberius Manlius Faustus, is better, but far from fully recovered from the lightning strike that got him during their wedding in book four, The Graveyard of the Hesperides. He still has to fulfill his magisterial duties as a plebeian aedile. It's November 89 A.D. and Emperor Domitian is claiming a Double Triumph for his exploits against the Chatti and the Dacian (which deserve a Triumph even less than getting a participation triumph. Albia's investigation is going to take her (and thus, the readers) behind the scenes at what needs to be done to bring the Triumph off. It's pretty entertaining, especially the shifts needed to substitute for what Domitian can't supply in the way of loot and captives.

Gabinus was the transportation manager for the Double Triumph, but fell, jumped, or was pushed off the Tarpeian Rock. Albia's description of what happened after the witness reported it made me chuckle. The problem eventually got dumped on the aediles. It should have gone to the aedile who managed the Capitol (including the Tarpeian Rock), but he got Tiberius Manlius Faustus to agree to deal with it. Tiberius left it to Albia. At least she's authorized to snoop.

NOTES:

Chapter IV: We get some history about the temples, etc. on the Capitol, as well as what's involved in cleaning the Tullianum/Lautumiae prison.

Chapter V:

a. Falco was the procurator of Juno's sacred geese from book to book.15, The Accusers.

b. Albia's adoptive father, Marcus Didius Falco, his elder brother (died before the start of book one, Silver Pigs), their brother-in-law, her Uncle Lucius Petronius Longus; and at least one of Helena's brothers, Albia's Uncle Camillus Justinus, served in the legions.

Chapter VI: Albia tells us her maternal uncles, the senators', opinion of state divination.

Chapter VII: The Alexandrian doctor with whom Helena corresponds is probably See Falco book 19, Alexandria.

Chapter VIII: Flavia Albia hates being called 'Flavia".

Chapter X:

a. See Albia book for the former client whose house Faustus (Albia calls him 'Tiberius') bought.

b. Their cook, Fornix, was acquired in Albia book six, Pandora's boy,.

c. Barley, or 'Not-My-Dog,' as Albia calls her before she gives up, chose Albia in Pandora's boy,.

d. Albia met Gratus in her book , . Graecina was temporary housekeeper in Albia book 5, The Third Nero.

Chapter XIII: Falco has a cameo here.

Chapter XVII:

a. Albia tells us a little about the Empress Domitia Longina.

b. Albia's father is a fan of the Blues Circus team. She learns here that Faustus favors the Golds because they're new.

Chapter XX: Albia was traveling in Greece with her parents in Falco book 17, See Delphi and Die.

Chapter XXI & XXII: Albia and Feliculus, the elderly goose-boy, talk about Falco.

Chapter XXIV: Falco and family, including Posthumus' ferret, Ferret, come to Albia's to dine. This is where Albia explains why one should not go into the same profession as one's parents.

Chapter XXVI: Albia repeats some things Falco taught her.

Chapter XXVII: Albia met Scorpus in her book, .

Chapter XXVIII:

a. Julius Karus appeared previously in The Third Nero and Albia book six, Pandora's Boy.

b. Look here for Albia's comments about the goddess Juno Moneta.

Chapter XXXI: Albia tells us what everyone warned her parents about when they adopted her.

Chapter XXXVI: Albia talks about an outing her family has once when they were staying at Falco's maritime villa.

Chapter XXXV: I believe that Albia & Faustus' stay at the mansio at Fidenae, which they call 'the Cow with No Tail,' happened in her book 3, Deadly Election..

Chapter XXXVI: Here were learn how purple dye is made.

Chapter XXXIX: Albia realizes she has turned into her mother.

Chapter L: Albia compares Callipina to her paternal grandmother.

Chapter LII: Albia tells us the advice Falco gave her about interviewing children.

Chapter LIII: We learn Lemni's birth name.

Chapter LIV:

a. Albia gets a ride in what was originally her grandfather Didius Favonius/Geminus' litter.

b. Albia mentions that her late first husband, Lentullus, had been a legionary until wounds forced him out.

Chapter LVII: Albia's family has owned the Stargazer since her grandfather's time.

This is another enjoyable investigation set in ancient Rome. The climax was tense (took you long enough to figure out the best place to run, Albia!) and the comments about life, buildings, and everything were fun. I would recommend this book to fans of the Falco series as well as this series -- or historical mystery fans in general.

Cat lovers: we're still out of luck.

Dog lovers: we have Barley and Drax to enjoy.

Ferret lovers: there's a cameo appearance by Albia's brother's pet, Ferret.

Donkey lovers: the Didius family donkeys, Castor and Pollux, get to be stubborn. ( )

Returning from the Dacian Wars, Domitian is celebrating a triumph. During the preparations, a man is hurled off the Tarpeian Rock. Quite apart from the potential sacrilege, the man was an Imperial bureaucrat in charge of transport arrangements. Tiberius Manlius is given the task of investigating; as he has no time to investigate what with Triumphal preparations, he passes the task to his wife, Flavia Albia.

The usual fact finding follows, along with wry social commentary and less slapstick than usual. (I always look forward to that in the books.)

Recommended, although somewhat darker in tone than previous outings.