A capitol death /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In Rome, ruled by the erratic Emperor Domitian, Flavia Albia is dragged into the worst sort of investigation--a politically charged murder--in Lindsey Davis's next historical mystery, A Capitol Death .

A man falls to his death from the Tarpeian Rock, which overlooks the Forum in the Capitoline Hill in Ancient Rome. While it looks like a suicide, one witness swears that she saw it happen and that he was pushed. Normally, this would attract very little official notice but this man happened to be in charge of organizing the Imperial Triumphs demanded by the emperor.

The Emperor Domitian, autocratic and erratic, has decided that he deserves two Triumphs for his so-called military victories. The Triumphs are both controversial and difficult to stage because of the not-so-victorious circumstances that left them without treasure or captives to be paraded through the streets. Normally, the investigation would be under the auspices of her new(ish) husband but, worried about his stamina following a long recovery, private informer Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, steps in.

What a mistake that turns out to be. The deceased proves to have been none-too-popular, with far too many others with much to gain from his death. With the date of the Triumphs fast approaching, Flavia Albia must unravel a truly complex case of murder before danger shows up on her own doorstep.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

An inauspicious death on the eve of Emperor Domitian's planned return to Rome in 89 C.E. sets the stage for Davis's superior seventh outing for informer Flavia Alba (after 2018's Pandora's Boy). The powers that be fear that the capricious Domitian will lash out, violently, after the possibly unnatural death of Gabinus, a worker helping to prepare for the imperial triumph to celebrate the emperor's recent military victory in the east. Gabinus apparently jumped to his death from the top of the Tarpeian Rock. But the initial consensus that he was a suicide is shattered by a witness who insists that a second person was near Gabinus at the time. When the question of what actually happened falls to Roman official Tiberius Manlius Faustus, he passes the inquiry on to his wife, Flavia, who finds no shortage of people who wished the dead man ill. Davis does her usual brilliant job of integrating the history of the period, warts and all (Domitian's ostensible victory was actually the result of his paying off the enemy's leaders), with a fast-paced and fair whodunit. This entry reinforces her place at the top of the historical mystery pack. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Davis offers another installment in the adventures of sassy private ""informer"" Flavia Albia (after Pandora's Boy, 2018), this one set in 89 CE Rome amid frantic preparations for two celebrations to honor Domitian's military victories. Harkening back to the origins of Rome, begun as a city founded by twins Romulus and Remus, sons of the war god Aries, this adventure follows another pair of brothers who are involved in the death (suicide or murder?) of the man in charge of organizing the festivities, which include the emperor's conveyance through the streets in a golden chariot. It's up to Flavia to sort out who did what, but it's the delicious details that are the real appeal here. Only Davis could somehow ace the insertion of the anachronistic expression pimping his ride into a narrative about the splendors of ancient times. Best of all, to the envy of the men in her life, the intrepid Flavia gets to do a sort of test drive in the lavish chariot. Vivat Flavia!--Jane Murphy Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

In ancient Rome, politics makes strange bedfellowsand lethal enemies in Davis' (Pandora's Boy, 2018, etc.) latest.It's the year 89. Emperor Domitian, a former general, is big on ceremony, particularly when it honors him. Seasoned investigator (and droll narrator) Flavia Albia enters his service with eyes wide open. To celebrate the return of the emperor from his military campaigns, not one but two celebrations known as Triumphs are planned, but the project manager, the hapless Gabinus, slows their progress when he plunges inconveniently from the Tarpeian Rock. His death might have been ruled a suicide if there hadn't been a witness. So Flavia is nudged into discreetly finding out whether Gabinus was pushed. The timing is far from ideal, for Flavia should be tending her husband, Manlius Faustus, who's been struggling to run his construction company ever since he was struck by lightning. Elderly witness Valeria Dillia insists that she saw a tussle but is hazy on other details and doesn't want to testify under oath. Her tentative, perhaps unreliable evidence forces Flavia to delve uncomfortably deeper, questioning, among others, the renowned augur Larth and Gabinus' meek deputy, Egnatius. A strange additional theory of the crime involves the Sacred Geese of Juno, whose aggression may have pushed Gabinus off the Rock, because you never know. Flavia's investigation moves slowly. As she uncovers surprising connections, she finds herself uncomfortably shadowed by unsavory individuals with sinister agendas.The abundant charm of the heroine and the heavily detailed historical background will hook readers and keep them hooked. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

LINDSEY DAVIS is the author of the New York Times bestselling series of historical mysteries featuring Marcus Didius Falco, which started with The Silver Pigs, and the mysteries featuring Falco's daughter, Flavia Albia, which started with The Ides of April . She has also authored a few acclaimed historical novels, including The Course of Honour . She lives in Birmingham, UK.