Lindsey Davis - The Silver Pigs

review by Ro Bennett on show 6th October

This is the first of the books by Lindsey Davis about Marcus Didius Falco, the lovable first century Roman detective. It was written in 1989. I have enjoyed every one of her books without exception. I still have some to read, as there are now twenty in the series, but I save them for when I need to read a book I know I will enjoy.

Falco is a private informer, and in this book, his first case, he rescues 16 year old Sosia from a gang of thugs. He is hired by Sosia’s uncle, a senator, and by the Roman Emperor Vespasian, to look into an illegal trade in silver ingots, (silver pigs). This involves Falco traveling reluctantly to what he regards as a god forsaken, remote corner of the Roman Empire, inhabited by barbarians - Britain.

In Britain he meets Helena Justina, daughter of the Senator who hired him. At first there is mutual animosity between them as she is of a higher class and he is cynically contemptuous of the upper echelons of society. However by the end of the book they have fallen in love and their relationship continues to evolve throughout all the books. Her rank and his lower status of course results in all sorts of complications.


There are an assortment of other characters - friends, relations, pets and even Falco’s bitter enemy the Chief Spy who continue to pop up in the books. These characters are well developed and keep the reader interested and involved with them and their lives as they unfold. The

The Silver Pigs is the introduction to the fascinating world of 70 AD which is so well described that you really feel drawn in to the experience of life in those times. You absorb all these intriguing facts about Roman politics, culture, food, clothing and homes and so on, by a sort of osmosis. It really gives you an understanding of that period in history. Lindsey Davis knows her stuff. She has obviously spent a good deal of time researching the every day life of the Empire and this makes the characters and setting very believable.

There’s a strong plot and the story includes suspense, tragedy and mystery, but it’s also written with humour, so it’s a feel good read. An excellent start to a great series - and absolutely addictive!