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Fatal Legacy 2023
Fatal Legacy is a historical crime novel written by British author Lindsey Davis, marking the eleventh entry in her Flavia Albia series. Published in the UK on 6 April 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton () and in the United States on 18 July 2023 by Minotaur Books (), the book unfolds in Rome during AD 90. Its narrative explores various elements of Roman society including an unpaid bar bill, a missing will and codicil, a rabbit farm, and an orchard containing walnuts, apricots, and cherries. The story also features freed slaves, suspicious deaths, and feuding families with complex genealogies.
Before its release, the author noted: "The joke of this plot is that it is impossible to summarise." The events occur primarily on the Aventine and Caelian hills and within the Forum Romanum. The first UK hardback edition displays a pair of shears alongside a mosaic depicting a rabbit. In contrast, the initial American edition portrays a woman holding a large dagger behind her back, along with an armored Roman soldier inside a building.
Critics responded positively to the novel. Margaret Cannon from The Globe and Mail described it as "as light as air and as witty and amusing as Davis’s finest Falco books of yore." Publishers Weekly observed that while the book is "more low-key than past entries, but no less gripping," Kirkus Reviews labeled it "dark mystery encased in a rich portrait of ancient Rome." The Historical Novel Society also provided a favorable assessment.
Details
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- ISBN
- 9781529354737
- Series
- Flavia Albia
