Ghosts of our Ancestors
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Lemuria: an annual event when householders in Ancient Rome drive the spirits of the dead from their homes by shouting 'Ghosts of our fathers and ancestors be gone!' and clanging metal pots with sticks and utensils.
Flavia Albia and her husband Tiberius Manlius have lived in their house for less than a year and Albia has her doubts whether the ceremony is necessary. That is, until some distant relatives, the Bassi, arrive from Britain.
At first it appears they are only interested in scrounging some of her family's newfound wealth, but they bring with them ghosts of their own. The shocking murder of one of the Emperor's counter-intelligence officers in a barroom brawl involving cousin Publius reveals a hidden motive for the visit.
When it is revealed that the victim is the son of a man who allegedly poisoned the Bassi's father decades before, Flavia must ask: is the death revenge or an accident?
With only days to clear Publius's name before his execution, truly there are ghosts to be exorcised now . . .
Lindsey Davis
Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is best known for her novels set in Ancient Rome, including the much-loved Marcus Didius Falco series, although she has also written about the English Civil War, including A Cruel Fate, a book for the Quick Reads literacy initiative. Her examination of the paranoid reign of the roman emperor Domitian began with Master and God, a standalone novel set in that dark period, leading to her new series about Flavia Albia.
Her books are translated and five radio dramas are regularly rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4X. Her many awards include the Premio Colosseo (from the city of Rome) and the Crime Writers' Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. Most recently she was awarded the Ivanhoe Prize for lifetime achievement in historical fiction, given by the Spanish City of Ubeda.
She has been the Chair of the UK Crimewriters' Association, Honorary President of the UK Classical Association, President of the Birmingham and Midlands Institute and is a Fellow of the UK Society of Authors.
www.lindseydavis.co.uk
Lindsey Davis - The Crime Writers' Association (thecwa.co.uk)
More by Lindsey Davis
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