Ode to a Banker

Amazon.com

As usual, Davis brings first century Rome to glorious life, and subtly drives home the striking parallels between ancient and contemporary business, politics, and family life. In the 12th book of in this increasingly popular series, she makes the most of every opportunity for satire and spins a lively yarn guaranteed to make the reader laugh out loud and clamor for more. Fortunately, there's a solid backlist to entertain readers encountering Falco for the first time (One Virgin Too Many, Two for the Lions). --Jane Adams

Book Description

Marcus Didius Falco, Lindsey Davis's clever private informer, passes a hot Roman summer tracking down the killer of a Greek banker andpublisher. Was the killer one of Aurelius Chrysippus's stable of writers, dissatisfied with the patron's lack of enthusiasm for his latest opus or resentful about the humiliating terms of his contract? Or was Chrysippus's bloody death connected to financial shenanigans at the Aurelian Bank? Commissioned to investigate the murder by his friend Petronius Longus, Falco finds himself in the middle of a case with clues that may lie in the fragments of a manuscript found at the murder scene--or maybe in the banking records someone seems willing to kill to keep secret. At the same time, Falco's sorting out a thorny family matter concerning his mother and his sister, both of whom seem inordinately fond of an imperial spy Falco has good reason to distrust. And if that's not enough, he's also being taken to the cleaners by the contractors his wife Helena Justina has engaged to renovate their new home. As usual, Davis brings first century Rome to glorious life, and subtly drives home the striking parallels between ancient and contemporary business, politics, and family life. In the 12th book of in this increasingly popular series, she makes the most of every opportunity for satire and spins a lively yarn guaranteed to make the reader laugh out loud and clamor for more. Fortunately, there's a solid backlist to entertain readers encountering Falco for the first time (One Virgin Too Many, Two for the Lions). --Jane Adams

Customer Reviews:

Falco The Poet.......2006-10-04

This is the twelfth novel in the mystery series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, an informer and sleuth in Rome at the time of Vespasian. A series of books that have become hugely popular, so much so that the author is now at the forefront of historical mystery writers. It was probably a stroke of genius on her part to have novels that are extremely well researched and contain all the elements that would be and should be found in the Roman world of circa AD70, but to have a lead character who has the vocabulary of a present day New York cop.

This book sees Falco delving into the world of literary jealousies and everything that goes with them. Writers block, jealousy and fraud is just scratching the surface. He discovers that there are a series of puzzling links to the Aurelian Bank and finds out the business is owned by Chrysippus.

Chrysippus is a man that Falco knows only too well, because a little private recital of Falco's poetry had recently been gate crashed by Aurelius Chrysippus, a scriptorium owner and some of his literary friends and the following day Chrysippus offers to publish Falco's poems.

When the body of the scriptorium owner is found Petro, long time friend of Falco and the Vigil's enquiry officer, commissions Falco to investigate the murder, while at the same time trying not to pull his leg too hard regarding his poetic prowess.

A Bit of a Disappointment..........2004-06-28

I remember when I first discovered this series. I couldn't get enough of Falco! This was about two years ago. I bought this book and it has sat on my shelf for quite awhile; getting lost in the mounds of books I need to read. This weekend I decided to pull it out and re-visit ancient Rome. This book was a bit of a disappointment. I began to get bored at some point and question why I had liked this series. The plot just meandered around. It seemed unreal to me that Falco just "forgot" to check up on some basic facts and alibis. Falco and Lindsey Davis both seemed really tired. I am not giving up on the series...I hope to read more...I just hope that they are a little livelier. Hopefully this will be the only Dud in the bunch. I gave this three stars because I do love Falco and the gang so much, and hope does spring eternal...

Falco's Literary Adventure.......2004-04-21

Ode to a Banker begins with Falco reading his poetry at a public reading. He's flattered when Chrysippus, a wealthy banker and scriptorium owner, offers him the chance to publish, but outright refuses when he learns he would have to pay Chrysippus for it. He's commissioned for the investigation when Chrysippus turns up murdered in the library. There is an abundance of suspects-lots of people thought Chrysippus was as creepy as Falco did, including a bunch of bitter authors and a twisted family, all with motives of course. There is a twist when someone else turns up dead, but the plot of the actual mystery unfolds pretty slowly until the end when Falco gathers all the suspects and interrogates them. Until then the plot is driven mainly by Falco's crazy extended family and their bizarre relationships and escapades.

This book explores the Roman world of the scriptorium and the Greek banking industry. The characters are interesting, and there are certainly a lot of them. The mystery develops slowly, or perhaps minimally until the end, but the story is enjoyable throughout the book. Overall, an enjoyable read but a slow plot.

Falco at home.......2004-03-06

The series of Falco books is constructed from three parts. Ostensibly exotic and intricate mystery stories-murders investigated by Falco, an imperial freelance agent of Vespasian's early Roman empire (AD 69-79)-they also serve as tours of the various (mostly western) provinces, and as "behind the scene" introductions and evocations of Roman versions of things such as: mining (SILVER), travel, art business, retail, city policing, the games and animal hunts (LIONS), stagecraft (PALMYRA), construction, apartment and family life, the status of women, water supply (FOUNTAINS), and now publishing and banking (but neither politics nor the army). Unlike the Ciceronian books of the Late Republic written by Steven Saylor, Davis' stories don't seem to hew close to actual ancient Roman law cases, but formulate what might have been typical middle class crimes that seem of reasonable cause to a modern reader. The dialogue can be English slangy modern without a tang of old Latin, but there's no need for footnotes or glossary either. (If you miss them then you can find a lot of pertinant background information in the glossaries of Colleen McCullough's Caesar books.) Davis seems to capture the roistering, tireless, scheming, and fouled essence of ancient Roman city life.

The wise-cracking, sceptical Falco and his so smart Helena are Davis's own splendid "modern" creations. Their repartee is usually spritely and intelligent-not because Davis is being politically correct but because they are partners in an alliance of man and woman unusual for Rome, yet serving to move the plot forward when a case is at impass. Davis (and Falco) are cynics in all things, but classically so, entertaining rather than mean. No one ages fast in this series; for example, this 12th book covers only one month in summer, AD 74, and Falco is only a prime 33 despite his many adventures.

Although I've said the Falco stories that stay close to Rome are the best ones, this sticks TOO close to downtown. ODE features a tight coterie of bankers, publishers, and authors (including Falco as a poet!). The claustrophobic atmosphere, the innumerable puzzling suspects, the dogged police interrogations, and the climactic confrontation in the concluding chapters a la Poirot reminds me strongly of an inelegant Agatha Christie closed-room mystery, not at all my favorite sort. Each recent volume includes more and more of Falco's domestic relations, disputes, and family love interests-a theme that almost eclipses the mystery here and is continued in the next volume, A BODY IN THE BATHHOUSE.

This Series is Seriously Slipping.......2004-01-26

When the Marcus Didius Falco series began, over a decade and eleven books ago, I was immediately hooked. The combination of detail about the Roman Empire, combined with the wisecracks of the much put upon informer (detective) hero enthralled me-for a while. After five or six books I discovered Steven Saylor's Roman mystery series, and the charm of Davis's potboiler plots and tongue-in-cheek jokes wore thin. I thought I'd pick this latest offering up to see if my taste for them had changed, and the unequivocal answer is no.

Falco is much the same as I last saw him, still married to the luminous and whip smart Helena, still bedeviled by an outrageous extended family, still cronies with his old army buddy Petronious, and still warily jousting with the imperial spymaster Anacrities. For the plot Davis relies upon that most tired of devices, a story linked to the world of publishing-complete with anachronistic satirization of subsidy publishing, ghostwriting, and the like. Ah yes, the publishing insider jokes just keep coming when Greek publisher and banker Aurelius Chrysippus is murdered and Petronious enlists Falco to unmask the killer.

The story is much more constrained than most of the series, with Davis creating an atmosphere that's part a game of Clue and part Ms. Marple cozy. The action never leaves Rome, and kicks off with Chrysippus found dead in the library with a scroll shoved up his nose (no sign of Col. Mustard though). As with any good little village or country house murder tale, there are a bevy of suspects for Falco to work though: new young wife, ex-wife, son, various writers, bank customers-each with their own possible reason for disliking the dead man. It's a very rote affair, with Falco plodding after each lead, checking each alibi, etc.

Oh wait, no he doesn't... A fact that leaps out at even the most casual reader, virtually placing a neon sign over the killer's head. Yes, Falco's got a lot of personal issues on his plate, but then again, he always does, so that hardly seems like a good reason for him to botch the basics of Detecting 101. So, while Falco creates the classic scene of bringing all the suspects together for a grand denouement, calling in surprise witnesses, and employing trickery to force a wholly unlikely confession, it all seems kind of pointless to the reader who saw the writing on the wall halfway through. The book has a few good scenes here and there (including one very good fight scene), but there's certainly not a lot of creativity in evidence, and the attempts at satire fall flat. It pains me to say so, but like so many series that start strong, Davis seems to be floundering and may need to think about starting something new.

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Ode to a Banker
Lindsey Davis
Manufacturer: ARROW (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Davis, Lindsey | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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Ode to a Banker - A witty exploration of Roman publishing and banking available for the first time in mass market paperback.

In the long, hot Roman summer of 74 AD, Marcus Didius Falco, private informer and spare-time poet, gives a reading for his family and friends. As usual, things get out of hand. Lindsey Davis’ twelfth Falco novel takes us from the jealousies of authorship and the mire of patronage, to the darker financial world, where default can have fatal consequences …

4 Titles By Lindsey David Marcus Didius Falco Series (Hardcovers)(9-12) : 9. Three Hands in the Fountain 10. Two for the Lions 11. One Virgin Too Many 12. Ode to a Banker

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The Secret Books of Paradys: The Book of the Damned, The Book of the Beast, The Book of the Dead, The Book of the Mad
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The Secret Books of Paradys I, II, III, & IV (2 Volume Set)The book of the Damned, The Book of the Beast, The Book of the Dead, The Book of the Mad
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Book Description

Resentment. Fear. Self-pity. Intolerance. Anger. This cast of character defects will undermine the best-laid plans for recovery from addiction. It's not uncommon for individuals in recovery to hang on to negative, self-defeating behaviours after they've given up their addiction. These are the "rocks" that can sink recovery - or, at the least, block further progress. With more than 100,000 copies sold, "Drop the Rock" is the definitive guide to removing character defects that can prevent gratifying, long-standing recovery. Based on the Twelve Step program, particularly the principles behind Steps Six and Seven, "Drop the Rock" combines personal stories, practical advice, and powerful insights to help readers move forward in recovery. The second edition features additional stories, a reference section, and information about starting a "Drop the Rock" sudy group.

Customer Reviews:

WOW is right.......2007-10-04

The author calls 6 & 7 the forgotten steps. I worked the 12 steps with a sponsor and am working through them again. I picked up this book along with a real desire for real change in my life. I've been merrily going along my sober way but this book had me digging deep to bring those shortcomings to light. This is a must have for anyone working the 12 steps with an honest desire for change.

Spiritaulity on the Graduate Level .......2007-07-27

Bill Wilson referred to AA as a 'Spiritual Kindergarten'. If that is so, then the material in 'Drop The Rock' is for those of us at the Masters or Doctoral level.

This book is NOT for the newcomer. Nor is it for those who are blissfully filling their days by 'not drinking and going to meetings'. 'Drop The Rock' is clearly targeted at those who have been sober for some time, but find there are still persistent annoying life problems that resist the all the work one has put into fixing these flaws.

This book is short, concise and to the point. The authors have left out much of the new-agey recovery jargon and slogans that weighs down most meetings. Instead, they approach Steps 6&7 from a practical and logical perspective which demystifies the two steps on which so much of our future happiness hangs.

It is an excellent book. One which you could build a meeting or study group around. However, the book is not for everyone. 'Drop The Rock' is only for those who know the intense hunger of desiring real change in life.

.

Wow.......2007-05-23

Wow! I have been in the program for almost 24 years and this is one of the best books on the 6th and 7th steps I have ever read. i am buying 10 copies to have for all of my friends in the program who after many years still suffer from hanging on to our character defects. i recommend it to anyone in the program. its about taking action!

Very good sobriety.......2007-04-01

For those who need it, and unforunately there are a great many of us, this is a fine book for the "midpoint" of the 12 steps. It is a good place to stop, the first time thru or on a revisit, and re evaluate what you are doing. This book focuses on the reality on that many recovering alcoholics have begun to do the steps by number and by rote at this stage. They have given up drinking, and little else. The book focuses on the need, and the techniques, for dropping the other character flaws which weighted down our spiritual backpaack. A fine and needed book.

Good Supplement.......2007-01-10

The book elaborates on these Steps and makes them a easier to understand from a newcomer's point of view.

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A Good, Possibly the Best Southern Cookbook

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Customer Reviews:

A Good, Possibly the Best Southern Cookbook.......2005-06-25

When I first pick up a cookbook on Southern foods, I immediately look in the index for Grits. The first entry under grits in this book is called Hot Brown with Fried Cheese Grits. Now you're not only talking grits, but fried as well. How can you get more Southern than that? And the more I looked at this recipe the sooner I had to try it. It was wonderful. The recipe called for it to be used as a bread replacement in an open faced turkey sandwich. Unfortunately the fried cheese grits by themselves were all eaten before the turkey could get put on them. Oh well, I'll just do another batch.

I'm actually from the Atchafalaya (Pronounced chaf-a-lie - I know, I know, but that's the truth.) Basin, so Crawfish Etouffee was a big thing when I was a kid. Now most crawfish are being imported from China rather than the Atchafalaya swamps. They of course aren't as good, how could they possibly be, but they'll do. Just remember to do as the book says and don't boil them too much.

The editors comment that there seems to be no regional or even generally agreed upon recipe for fried oysters. So the editors whipped up a bunch of different ones and say that the one in the book is the best they found. It certainly has some different stuff in it. I haven't tried it yet, tomorrow night. The thing I'd add is use small size oysters rather than the giant ones you can get now a days. They get crisp rather than having the soft insides like the larger ones.

That's enough writing. I tried a few other recipes, most worked out very, very well. (One we didn't like, but I think that one was my fault, I changed a couple of things.) This is a good Southern cookbook, possibly even the best.

Book Description

This true story of Texas millionaire Tom Slick’s quest for the Abominable Snowman and other cryptids—creatures unknown to science—reveals a life made for the movies. Fascinating stories of Slick's early brushes with adventure such as his stepfather’s abduction by George “Machine Gun” Kelly in 1933 and his creation of a research facility near Loch Ness are followed by his later expeditions into Nepal and the Pacific Northwest in search of the yeti and its counterpart, the Sasquatch. The story of Slick’s amazing, fanatic, and driven search for the stuff of legends takes readers on a whirlwind journey from the dense temperate rainforests of Washington State to the icy peaks of the Himalayas—and shows that sometimes cryptids leave the halls of the imagination and are found and captured, as proved by the giant panda and the Komodo dragon, leaving readers to wonder what more there is to be discovered.

Customer Reviews:

True life encounters in Cryptozoology.......2004-08-30

Very good book, there is a lot of information and facts in this book,if you are intersted in detail, this book has a lot to offer in the science world.

Welllll, it's ok.......2004-04-30

I just expected a little more than this. I've read some of Coleman's other books and this one just isn't up to snuff. It's certainly readable and should be added to someone's library if they are interested in yeti, bigfoot, or cryptozoology in general. The book is titled for Tom Slick but Bernard Heuvelman gets ample coverage in this also. I wish there was more on Slick's activities regarding the sasquatch. The coverage of the yeti expeditions was the same basic coverage you can get in nearly any book on the subject. I know Coleman is a capable writer and researcher, and I was expecting better than this.

I've read and enjoyed other biographies much more than this. I also mention the numerous minor typos throughout the book, simple little things that should have been checked and caught in the editing process (there are quite a number of times there is a 'hut' or 'he' when it was supposed to be 'but' and 'be') but those are disregardable (by no means is my grammer or spelling perfect). There were also several occassions while reading this biography of Tom Slick in which I forgot the book was about Slick because of sideline stories or wandering off topic that didn't seem directly (or indirectly) involving Slick.

Mr. Coleman, best wishes but you are better than this.

interesting on all fronts.......2003-07-12

The book starts off with the background to Tom Slick's family, which in itself was entertaining ,and then on to Tom's expeditions. The book, although a true story, reads like an adventure novel. I'm only sad Tom Slick is no longer with us as I think he is a great loss to the scientific community ,with his zest for investigating the usual. The ending of the book and the stories of involvement with the CIA gave great food for thought and I won't spoil anyone's enjoyment of the book by going into more detail.I would recommend this book to anyone, whether a cryptozoologist or not, as it entertains as well as informs. I emailed the author to say how much I enjoyed the book and was delighted to receive a reply.This is a book that deserves to be read.

Named in The Anomalist Book Awards 2002.......2003-02-19

Recommended as one of the outstanding cryptozoology books of the year by The Anomalist Book Awards & Book List 2002.

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American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design
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Beginners Take Care

excellence in photography and headings to find info

Tangible philosophy

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Customer Reviews:

Beginners Take Care.......2000-10-11

Gill Hale has done a nice job of introducing Feng Shui concepts, but I feel this book is perilously lacking in depth. OK for those who want to dabble because it's trendy, but not much else. Photos are good; basic design advice is sound. BUT as a Feng Shui landscape design consultant with several years experience I have grave reservations about anyone relying on this book for serious Feng Shui. Hale's grasp of many FS concepts seems superficial at best, and possibly harmful if not well understood when applied. For serious readers I strongly suggest instead Lillian Too's 'Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui for Gardens', very readable, lots of good photos & diagrams.

excellence in photography and headings to find info.......2000-04-19

I really like the color photos. She is very clear and informative as well as encouraging.It made me feel like staying home just to garden!

Tangible philosophy.......2000-04-12

I have had a necklace for years with the I Ching symbols, but I never knew their meanings. In this 228 page beautiful book, feng shui is explained beautifully and simply. For the first time I understand the elements and their relationship with energy, astrology and healing. Simply the best book I have read for novices like me who have admired the tranquillity and peace of oriental gardens but were unable to capture the techniques required to plan such a simple yet complex space.

The Feng Shui Garden: Design Your Garden for Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Average customer rating:

The Feng Shui Garden: Design Your Garden for Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Gill Hale
Manufacturer: Storey Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

The Feng Shui Garden (Design Your Garden for Health, Wealth and happiness)
Gill Hale
Manufacturer: Storey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

The Vita Augustini of Possidius has long stood in the shadow of the Confessions, in comparison to which it was considered the unremarkable work of a mediocre author. Only in the last decade have scholars begun to appreciate its value as an historical and hagiographical text. The present study extends the lines of reappraisal by making the entire literary genre 'the episcopal biography' the subject of its investigation. It offers detailed analysis of the episcopal biography from late antiquity through the ninth century, together with its most important model, the hellenistic 'Lives' of philosophers. Thus the author achieves not only a scholarly reassessment of the Vita Augustini, but a reevaluation of one of the most important literary subgenres of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

Customer Reviews:

Like candy.......2003-06-09

I'm glad I found this book. I have only begun to explore the fascinating world of design; but so much of what I see in Design disgusts me that I wonder if anyone agrees with my aesthetic preferences. My tastes are not perfectly reflected in this book, but it is so full of common sense and practical advice that it's a pleasure to read. The problems are real, the solutions are real, and there's no arty pretentiousness.

The books speaks to a pre personal-computer magazine art director, but even as a novice thoroughly committed to the computer revolution I found the book helpful and stimulating.

The concepts advanced in this book are solidly basic. There's nothing revolutionary or shockingly inventive, but it's a real comfort to read through. Like having a piece of your favorite candy.

Very interesting and enjoyable........1998-10-04

A wonderful book targeted at magazine editing, but great background reading for web designers. Somewhat dated, but still relevant in many areas.

Book Description

The illicit adventures of an American on foreign soil.

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His place in the history of both Chile and Peru is one of considerable importance. The economic and political developments in those countries in the period 1855-1880, during most of which Meiggs was quite prominent in one or both, were of the first importance in their later history. The fact that the War of the Pacific, of greatest significance to both countries, was begun shortly after Meigg's death, cannot fail to suggest that his activities are worthy of some study.

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