Readers needing their historical mystery fix will eat up Lindsey Davis’ THE GRAVEYARD OF THE HESPERIDES. Quick-as-a-whip sleuth Flavia Albia navigates corrupt contractors and prostitution empires as only Davis’ characters can. Though she has struggled in the past to make Albia a heroine distinctive from her adoptive father, the roguishly charming detective Marcus Didius Falco, here Davis finally manages to carve out a place for Albia on her own.

When the story opens, it’s a sweltering August in overcrowded Rome, and Albia, whose acerbic tone lacks her father’s joviality but causes the reader’s lips to curl in delight, is embarking on two major projects. Item one: her impending marriage to her beloved, the stoic Tiberius Manlius Faustus. As a former orphan who suffered unimaginable loss and trauma, Albia has been understandably reluctant to trust in past novels, but Davis has created her perfect hero and partner-in-crime in Faustus.

"Once again, Davis has meticulously plotted out her lead character’s growth book by book, and THE GRAVEYARD OF THE HESPERIDES is the culmination of that process."

Albia’s second job? Helping her betrothed renovate a bar called The Garden of the Hesperides. Never having run a contracting business before, Albia is a bit out of her depth…that is, until the construction crew digs up a bunch of old bones. Rumors have swirled around the neighborhood that the Hesperides’s old barmaid, one Rufia, disappeared years back and was buried in the bar’s backyard. But the appearance of more skeletons and whispers of prostitution rackets and gangs make it impossible for Albia to resist investigating further...even if it means that her very life is in danger.

In true Lindsey Davis fashion, Rome also comes to vivid life as a deeply problematic city, one whose troubles are reflected in our own world 2,000 years later. The author’s skill at bringing the Eternal City to life is unparalleled, bringing readers to tears at the fates of secondary characters as she guides them through the dung-ridden streets of the Subura to the local snack shops and bars.

Albia is a truly relatable heroine, one who openly contemplates her difficult past and how it affects her current relationships. Longtime Falco fans will rejoice at Albia’s character development, which has progressed across a dozen books. She’s now fully ready to create the life she’s always dreamed about, and Manlius is just as much of a complement to Albia as Falco’s senatorial bride, Helena Justina, was to him. Once again, Davis has meticulously plotted out her lead character’s growth book by book, and THE GRAVEYARD OF THE HESPERIDES is the culmination of that process. Here’s to Flavia Albia and many more adventures!