Review: The Accusers

In the latest in Davis' long-running Falco series, Marcus Didius Falco has just returned from his trip to Britain and is looking to reestablish himself in Rome. He gets involved in a corruption trial, but quickly finds it to be a lot more complicated than it seemed at first, when a suicide and murder are thrown into the equation. By going up against powerful lawyers, has Falco bitten off more than he can chew?

As ever, Davis has written a witty and interesting book, and it is a pleasure to see Falco back in the streets of Rome, on supposedly safer ground, but is in perhaps more danger than he was in Britain. The return to Rome also allows Davis to reintroduce some members of Falco's family, such as his mother.

However, there is such an enormous cast of characters in this novel, with so many plot twists, that it actually becomes quite difficult to follow the plot and remember who is who. Davis thoughtfully includes a family tree and a list of characters, but it breaks the flow of the narrative to have to turn to this to look something up. Adding complexity to a novel is a good thing, but simple plots and a reduced amount of characters can work just as well.

It is interesting to see the machinations of the Roman judicial system in full flow and the author spends a lot of time explaining how the law works. A notable example would be that of judicial suicide - where a convicted criminal commits suicide to save the family having to pay compensation for their crimes. These legal details add to the richness that Davis' descriptions of Rome provide, as does the superb rhetorical speech that Falco gives before the Murder's Court.

Overall, anyone who has enjoyed the Falco novels before will not be disappointed by 'The Accusers'. It is an interesting tale that will hook you from the start, even if it can become difficult to follow at times.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: The Accusers