Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 3/6/2012 + 2559 more book reviews

This is the second book in this series and, as with the first, I found it hard to get involved in it through the first 75 or so pages. But after that, I was glued to what was happening to the exclusion of other books I was reading.

During the mystery we learn more about the characters of Falco and his girl Helena, especially as it appears they have split. Fortunately, his love life resolves itself, but not before some severe heartbreak. There is a more complicated plot in this book than in the first novel.

Part of the plot revolves around the arrival of the "corn fleet" from Egypt, although the author sometimes uses "grain fleet." I thought this was an historical error, as corn originates in MesoAmerica and was certainly not found in the Old World in the first century A.D. Then, thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that until the 19th century, the English used "corn" to describe any cereal crop. However, I doubt that first century Romans were using "corn" to describe the grain they received from Egypt, even if Falco did serve in Britain while in the Roman army. As such, it still constitutes an error on the part of the author---a very minor error in a very good novel.

I hope the third novel tells us what Falco did with his race track winnings.

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