En esta ocasión el escenario de las correrías de Marco Didio Falco es la playa de Ostia, donde se retira con el propósito de hacer algunas visitas familiares y reposar, y el caso al que se enfrenta es la misteriosa desaparición de Infamia, un afamado comentarista de los amoríos y desventuras de los principales ciudadanos romanos. Por supuesto, es evidente que son muchos los que se benefician de esta oportuna desaparición, pero las indagaciones pronto ponen a Falco tras la pista de un enigmático pirata, y, al mismo tiempo, le ponen en contacto con un joven auriga, una muchacha de románticas ideas y toda una espléndida galería de secundarios, como es habitual en Lindsey Davis. El retrato de una sociedad, la creación de intriga y los desternillantes pasajes humorísticos convierten esta entrega en una de las más logradas de la serie.

Falco travels to the Rome's port Ostia with all his family to find the gossip scribe Infamia also known as Diocles. It doesn't take long before he discovers a ring of pirates preying on the wealthy merchants and corrupt builders. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this one... Falco on a vacation? Think again...he is after a disappeared scandal column writer and manages to see most of his family (especially his father) involved in his adventures. A must read once again! ( )

Ancient Rome's organized crime syndicates have never been more dangerous or more conning than in this latest adventure featuring First Century sleuth Marcus Didius Falco.

Another excellent entry in the Marcus Didius Falco mystery series. The focus this time is on Ostia, the seaport for Rome which is located up the Tiber from the Mediterranean coast. Pompeii famously cleared the seas of pirates but the reality is a little different as Falco discovers in his search for a gossip columnist for the official newspaper of Rome. As always, Davis unobtrusively drenches her tales with street level lore about life among the ancient Romans. An invaluable resource for those who already know the emperors were frequently nuts as well as homicidal and the other aristocrats were as disconnected from normal life. And a great mystery story to boot. ( )