Triffids Beard 2 - The Bearded Triffid

Falco, the detective in Vespasian's Rome is back again in Lindsey Davis' new novel A Dying Light in
Corduba. Falco becomes involved in the politics of Olive Oil when he stumbles across a particularly
gruesome murder in the back streets of Rome, a murder in which he could have been a victim, were it
not for an amphora of fish-pickle sauce two slaves were carrying for him at the time. Despite the fact
that Helen is eight months pregnant, they travel to Spain to sort out a price fixing cartel and find the
murderer. As the case is triumphantly concluded, Helen goes into labour...
I found the plot of this one somewhat difficult to follow. There were too many characters with very
similar names and rather too many obscure political and social ramifications. At times, Falco seemed to
be building straw men, at others, tilting at very murky windmills. I'm still not sure who did what to whom,
and why. In that sense, perhaps it is an unsatisfactory book. Falco was as cynical and wise-cracking as
ever, and that was fun. But it is not one of the stronger Falco novels.
For many years I have been promising myself that I'd read the Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters. The
fortunate discovery of four Cadfael omnibus volumes in a second hand bookshop forced my hand and I
have just finished the first of them. It contains the first three Cadfael novels: A Morbid Taste for
Bones, One Corpse too Many and Monk's Hood. Brother Cadfael is a Benedictine monk in twelfth
century England. Over the course of more than twenty novels, Ellis Peters has him solve many murder
mysteries. The strength of the novels lies not so much in the whodunit aspects of the plots as in their
sense of time and place, the skilful invocation of the past. Under her real name (Edith Pargeter), the
writer was an extremely well thought of historical novelist who specialised in this period, so there is no
doubt that she was writing for strength. I felt the first novel was rather weak (though it has a brilliant
title), but after that they really took off and I galloped through the next two. I have another seventeen (I
think) to go and I am rather looking forward to them. No -- I won't review them one by one in this
column. But I may well mention them in passing. Watch this space.
Edith Pargeter died last year. The new Lindsey Davis novel is dedicated to her.
So that was it for the Hogwatch month. As I write these words, I really am on holiday. Oh frabjous day,
calloo, callay. (I put that in to torment the spell checker).
Terry Pratchett Hogfather Gollancz
Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat goes to Hell Tor
Charles Sheffield The Ganymede Club Tor
Tomorrow and Tomorrow Bantam
John Barnes Patton's Spaceships Harper Prism
L. Neil Smith Pallas Tor
Geoffrey Abbott Lords of the Scaffold Headline
Sharyn McCrumb The Rosewood Casket NEL
She Walks These Hills Coronet
Lindsey Davis A Dying Light in Corduba Century
Ellis Peters The First Cadfael Omnibus Warner