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The Graveyard of the Hesperides

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The Graveyard of the Hesperides

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Sarah Feathers
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About this listen

 From renowned author Lindsey Davis, creator of the much-loved character, Marcus Didius Falco and his friends and family, comes the fourth novel in her all-new series set in ancient Rome.

Life is sweet for Flavia Albia and her soon-to-be husband Faustus. But his new job as a building contractor runs into a problem: At the Garden of the Hesperides a barmaid went missing years before; now the workmen start unearthing her bones.

Albia takes on the task of finding out what happened. Five more skeletons are discovered. Despite the fact that nobody seems to know or care who died, violent attempts are made to stop her enquiries.

Soon Albia is exploring the world of Roman streetlife, where bars are brothels, workers lead brutal lives, foreigners are muscling in on the gambling syndicates, and extortion is commonplace. What's more there's little time to solve the mystery before the wedding day when Albia is expected to show Rome that her affair with Manlius is a much more than a casual fling. The gods, however, have other ideas...

(P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton©2016 Lindsey Davis Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Crime Rome

Critic reviews

Davis's books crackle with wit and knowledge. She has the happy knack of making the reader feel entirely immersed in Rome.
This excellent Roman mystery, enriched by Davis's characteristic wit and thorough understanding of the period, takes a darker turn as Flavia delves into Rome's poorest streets, rife with prostitution, exploitation, thuggery and murder.
This is probably the best of the (Falco) stories so far, by turns brutal and brilliant, but always clever and witty with some sparkling dialogue and genuinely comic moments, offset by shrewd social comment and a surprisingly touching love story. It's set against a totally believable and colourful background, and rattles along at breakneck pace to a spectacular climax.
All stars
Most relevant
I couldn't really concentrate on or enjoy this because I found Sarah Feathers' voice so grating. Sorry, Sarah! When I wasn't gnashing my teeth, the story seemed OK ...

No to the New Narrator

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In an audio book the narrator can make or break even the best book, out of the narrators chosen so far Lucy Brown has been the best, though she still sounds a bit too posh for Flavia in my mind. The story brings Flavia's love life and mixes it with murder, these book are getting better and the Flavia / Falco world are developing nicely, please settle on a narrator.

We have narator issues (again)

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I like the books for the details of Roman life bu5 they are not as good as Falco

Not FALCO

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I love this series, but this story is almost impossible to listen to. The narrator is terrible. She can't read a sentence without leaving an inappropriate pause halfway through, and veers between a boring monotone and some attempt to emote that ends up being alternately squeaky and incomprehensibly mumbled. Such a pity, because the story itself is great and an important instalment in the overall arc, which honestly is the only reason I managed to make it through the thing even once. Please, publishers, record this again with a decent narrator.

Please record again.

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Would you listen to The Graveyard of the Hesperides again? Why?

No - I would get the book to avoid the narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Not convinced she was actually aware that she was telling a story.
Inability to read a sentence without pausing half way through, with undramatic effect.
Poor ability to do different character voices.
Sounding incredibly bored and as if she is falling asleep.
Slowing down through passages.

Any additional comments?

Please please please don't let her narrate any other books!

Beware the narrator

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