''Nemesis'' is a 2009

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

crime novel by

Lindsey Davis Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and career ...

and the 20th book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...

during AD 77, the novel stars

Marcus Didius Falco Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and caree ...

, informer and imperial agent. In

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Nemesis was the spirit of divine retribution against those who had succumbed to hubris (overweening pride). In the book, Falco is warned by Anacrites, the Imperial Chief Spy, to be wary of Nemesis following Falco's inheritance of his father's sizeable fortune, while the Claudii, the novel's primary antagonists who meet unpleasant endings, are revealed to have fallen foul of their hubris.

Plot summary

The story, set in Latium in 77 AD, opens with the deaths of Falco's newborn son (posthumously named Justinianus) and Marcus Didius Geminus, alias Favonius, Falco's estranged father. Following the funeral, Falco is astounded to discover that his father has left him and the rest of the Didii family a sizeable fortune. There is a problem, before Geminus died, he impregnated Falco's friend Thalia and as a result, he is now forced to adopt Thalia's child when it is born. Frustrated at this turn of events, Falco audits his father's business contacts, debtors and creditors but soon discovers a debt owed which was never paid because the creditor, Julius Modestus, has disappeared. He travels to the towns south of Rome with his adopted daughter Albia (who is unhappy that Falco's brother-in-law Aulus has married someone else) to look for Modestus but can't find him. He pays the debt owed to Modestus' nephew, Sextus Silanus (and to investigate the disappearance of Silanus' uncle) while his friend Lucius Petronius Longus, the captain of the

vigiles The ''Vigiles'' or more properly the ''Vigiles Urbani'' ("watchmen of the City") or ''Cohortes Vigilum'' ("cohorts of the watchmen") were the firefighters and police of ancient Rome. History The ''Triumviri Nocturni'' (meaning ''three men of th ...

in Rome's Twelfth District, finally discovers Modestus, who has been murdered and eviscerated. A clan of Imperial freedmen in the

Pontine Marshes 250px, Lake Fogliano, a coastal lagoon in the Pontine Plain The Pontine Marshes (, also ; it, Agro Pontino , formerly also ''Paludi Pontine''; la, Pomptinus Ager by Titus Livius, ''Pomptina Palus'' (singular) and ''Pomptinae Paludes'' (plu ...

, the Claudii (consisting of four siblings named Nobilis, Probus, Virtus and Pius and their wives and female siblings) are implicated in Modestus' grisly murder but as Falco and Petronius investigate further, they attract the interest of the Imperial Chief Spy, Anacrites who, as usual, takes the case away from them. Another victim emerges, a courier is found murdered and mutilated in the same manner as Modestus, while Anacrites' behaviour begins to become more erratic (and suspect) even as Falco and Petronius (covertly) investigate the murders further, eventually discovering more victims and the murderers, who are none other than the four Claudii brothers. It is thus discovered that Modestus may have been killed by the Claudii for attempting to speak out against them. Falco and Petro' find Pius prowling around Falco's house and abduct him; failing to extract any information from Pius, they send him away to become a slave in a mine. Virtus and Probus are finally apprehended while Nobilis dies by falling upon the swords of Falco and his comrades. After the Claudii are wiped out, they surmise that the Claudii may have had a fifth brother who could be a confederate. The identity of this brother and his connections to Falco, his friends and the imperial government are finally deduced; Falco and Petronius realise that Anacrites has been manipulating them all along. The Didii, Camilli (Falco's in-laws) and Petronii families realise that they know too much and their lives (and possibly even the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known ...

) are perhaps threatened by this missing brother. Forced to make a difficult decision, Falco and Petronius take matters into their hands, conspiring to "send Nemesis to deal with him" once and for all.

Themes

* Rural life in the

region of Italy in the Roman era * Geminus' death, and its effect on Falco and his family fortunes (by way of inheritance) * Anacrites' personal history and backstory * Flavia Albia's emergence as an independent delatrix, anticipated in ''

The Ides of April ''The Ides of April'' is a 2013 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the first book in the Flavia Albia Mysteries (Falco: The New Generation). Set in March and April AD 89, in the Aventine Hill area of Ancient Rome, the novel sta ...

'' (2013)

References

External links

lindseydavis.co.uk
Author's Official Website {{Authority control Marcus Didius Falco novels 2009 British novels 77 Minotaur Books books Century (imprint) books