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Poseidon's Gold
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 5 (Dramatised)
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser, Anna Madeley, Trevor Peacock
- Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction
Non-member price: $18.24
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I was just a freelance hero doing his best in a hard world.' The spirit of adventure calls Falco on a new spying mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong. A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria.
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I was the new boy, so they saddled me with the worst jobs.' Rome, AD 71. Against his better judgement, Falco secretly disposes of a decayed corpse for the Emperor Vespasian, then heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his best friend Petronius. He conveniently forgets to mention to his companion that this will be no holiday. They have been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas and on fancy yachts.
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Rats are always bigger than you expect.' Falco, ancient Rome's hangdog investigator, hates sharing a cell with a rodent - though being bailed by his old mother is almost as embarrassing. His high-born girlfriend can't decide if she wants him, and Titus Caesar's reward for past services is a wet fish. Hoping for a better life, or at least a better apartment, he takes on new clients. On the elegant slopes of the Pincian Hill, three nouveau riche freedmen with two flashy wives are under siege by a clever redhead.
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"I still can't believe I've put the bastard away for good!" Petro muttered.' Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco's oldest friend, has finally nailed one of Rome's top criminals. Under Roman law, citizens are not imprisoned but are allowed 'time to depart' into exile outside the Empire. One dark and gloomy dawn, Petro and Falco put the evil Balbinus aboard a ship. But soon after, an outbreak of robbery and murder suggests a new criminal ring has moved into Balbinus' territory.
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I was just a freelance hero doing his best in a hard world.' The spirit of adventure calls Falco on a new spying mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong. A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria.
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"I’ve always wanted to see something of the Empire outside Rome." AD 71. Germania Libera: dark, dripping forests inhabited by bloodthirsty barbarians and legendary wild beasts, a furious prophetess who terrorises Rome, and the ghostly spirits of slaughtered Roman legionaries. Enter Falco, an Imperial agent on a special mission: to find the absconding commander of a legion whose loyalty is suspect.
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Engrossing
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I was the new boy, so they saddled me with the worst jobs.' Rome, AD 71. Against his better judgement, Falco secretly disposes of a decayed corpse for the Emperor Vespasian, then heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his best friend Petronius. He conveniently forgets to mention to his companion that this will be no holiday. They have been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas and on fancy yachts.
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Wonderful
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In 1137 the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the remains of Saint Winifred for his Benedictine order. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales, where they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics. Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder. The leading opponent to moving the grave has been shot dead with a mysterious arrow, and some say Winifred herself dealt the blow.
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Rats are always bigger than you expect.' Falco, ancient Rome's hangdog investigator, hates sharing a cell with a rodent - though being bailed by his old mother is almost as embarrassing. His high-born girlfriend can't decide if she wants him, and Titus Caesar's reward for past services is a wet fish. Hoping for a better life, or at least a better apartment, he takes on new clients. On the elegant slopes of the Pincian Hill, three nouveau riche freedmen with two flashy wives are under siege by a clever redhead.
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-
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- By Amazon Customer on 15-02-2019
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One fine day, A.D. 70, Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the run from a couple of street toughs, and after a quick and dirty rescue, P.I. Falco wants to know why.
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"All the problems I know about are family ones." A frightened child approaches Roman informer Falco, pleading for help. Nobody believes Gaia's story that a relation wants to kill her--and neither does he. Beset by his own family troubles, by his new responsibilities as procurator of the sacred poultry, and by the continuing search for a new partner, Falco turns her away. Immediately he regrets it. Gaia has been selected as the new Vestal Virgin, and when she disappears Falco is officially asked to investigate.
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"The first concern of an author is to do down his colleagues." In the long, hot Roman summer of AD 74, Falco, private informer and spare-time poet, gives a reading for his family and friends. Things get out of hand, as usual. The event is taken over by Aurelius Chrysippus, a wealthy Greek banker and patron to a group of struggling writers, who offers to publish Falco's work.
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rollicking good yarn
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It is 73 AD in Ancient Rome and inimitable sleuth Marcus Didius Falco is back with a vengeance. In one night, a man is killed and Rome's Chief of Spies left for dead. Naturally there is no one except Falco to conduct the investigation. Soon he is plunged into the fiercely competitive world of olive oil production. Political intrigue, an exotic Spanish dancer and impending fatherhood, all add to Falco's troubles.
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Three Hands in the Fountain
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 9
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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Marcus Didius Falco and his friend Petronius find their local fountain has been blocked - by a severed human hand. Soon other body parts are being found in the aqueducts & sewers.
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What did he eat last? Whom did he eat, in fact? Lumbered with working alongside reptilian Chief Spy Anacrites, Falco has the perfect plan to make money - he will assist Vespasian in the Emperor's 'Great Census' of AD 73. His potential fee could finally allow him to join the middle ranks and be worthy of long-suffering Helena Justina. Unexpectedly confronted with the murder of a man-eating lion, Falco is distracted from his original task, uncovering a bitter rivalry between the gladiators' trainers.
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- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 15
- By: Lindsey Davis
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- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
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Fresh from his trip to Britain, Falco needs to re-establish his presence in Rome. A minor role in the trial of a senator entangles him in the machinations of Silius Italicus and Paccius Africanus, two real-life lawyers at the top of their trade. These notorious ex-consuls play a dangerous game, where success brings rich pickings but a mistrial or a wrong verdict entails huge financial penalties.
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Falco is Fabulous!
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Scandal Takes a Holiday
- Falco, Book 16
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Jamie Glover
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This was a lonely place for anybody to be brought to die.' In the wealthy town of Ostia, our hero Falco appears to be enjoying a relaxing holiday. But when his girlfriend, Helena, arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette - with the intention of catching up on the latest scandal - Falco is forced to admit to Petronius his real reasons for being there. 'Infamia', the pen name of the scribe who writes the gossip column for the Daily Gazette, has gone missing.
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Wow, what a holiday, I'd stsy at home in Rome.
- By Heather on 12-08-2016
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See Delphi and Die
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 17
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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- Unabridged
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Greece, home of the ancient Olympic Games, is a favourite destination for Seven Sights Travel, a seedy company which provides escorted tours for wealthy travellers. When Marcus Didius Falco and Helena hear that a young girl and a newly-wed woman, both Roman visitors, have been murdered at Olympia, they both step in to investigate.
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Saturnalia
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 18
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Christian Rhodska
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
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It is the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The days are short, the nights are for wild parties. A general has captured a famous enemy of Rome, and brings her home to adorn his Triumph as a ritual sacrifice. But the logistics go wrong.
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Lindsay Davis back to her best
- By Kevin on 28-07-2017
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Alexandria
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 19
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In Roman times, the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World held a deep fascination. Two of them were in Egypt: the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Lighthouse at Alexandria. Marcus Didius Falco's wife Helena Justina is determined to see them before her next confinement. Conveniently, he has an uncle with a house in Alexandria. For this innocent reason (he says) they sail to Egypt. As soon as they arrive in Alexandria, a suspicious death occurs at the famous Great Library.
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Almost there is bittersweet
- By Kevin on 16-11-2017
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A Body in the Bath House
- Marcus Didius Falco, Book 13
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Marcus Didius Falco discovers that rank brings problems, the most gruesome of which is a corpse buried under the tiles of his new bath house. The contractors have fled to Britain where, as the Fates have it, Falco is ordered. A local chief and ally of the Romans is having a Palace built by the Emperor Vespasian. However, the project is running late, and fatal accidents keep happening. Falco, troubleshooting for the Emperor, is without an ally and now next on the list for assassination.
Publisher's Summary
Now, however, Festus is dead, and Falco knows he didn't leave a legacy. When Falco refuses to cough up any money, he and Censorinus end up fighting... and later, the centurion turns up dead. Under suspicion of murder, Falco must confront his past and uncover his brother's secrets before he can clear his name and solve the mystery.
Following on from BBC Radio 4's hugely successful dramatisations of The Silver Pigs, Shadows in Bronze, Venus in Copper and The Iron Hand of Mars, this funny and fast-moving fifth story starring Anton Lesser, Anna Madeley, and Trevor Peacock is a treat for all Falco fans.
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What listeners say about Poseidon's Gold
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- hh
- 24-04-2012
Time traveling fun
Any additional comments?
Imagine Brother Cadfael as conceived by the writers of Numbers, then edited by Charles Dickens. In short, lots of good, earthy plot lines that are embellished by a cornucopia of enduring values: forgiveness, integrity, perseverance. And the production is great fun, too, just like an old time radio play with a full cast and clever sound effects. At just over two hours, it doesn't beg the whole evening either.
1 person found this helpful
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- Eveline Howells
- 14-12-2016
Poisidens Gold
Love this series by Lindsey Davies. Falco Is a Roman style detective who works his way around the Roman empire solving various mysteries for emporaes and ordinary folk . He gets into some twists and turns, but comes out on top for the most part fairly unscathed. He is in love with a seneters daughter Helena ,who seems to be as smitten with the poor Falco as he is with her.
In this episode recorded for the B.B.C. the people come to life and as usual as you would expect from the B.B.C. the quality is perfect.
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- Laura
- 05-05-2011
Rome brought to life
Once again we have another brilliant dramatisation of a Falco novel by the BBC. A Who-dun-it with a twist, Ancient Romans talking in modern day language allows for a light witty underlay to the story. I paticularly like the interplay between the characters which helps add to the involvement of the listener. The only criticism I had with the audio is the theme music which can be piercing at times.
4 people found this helpful
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- L B Jones
- 13-04-2013
Leaves us wanting more...
This is the 5th instalment of the excellent dramatisation of Lindsey Davis' much loved Falco series. And much to my distress, the last! Rest assured the others seem to be available as narrated audiobooks but once you've fallen in love with a cast's dramatisation then it's not the same (even if it is truer to the original book).
"Poseidon's Gold" was very enjoyable, with a well-written plot which gives further insight into Falco's family, especially his deceased and, perhaps incorrectly, revered brother, and also his estranged father. It feels more of a return to form after the "Iron Hand of Mars", which I felt lacked interest and seemed quite contrived when compared to the other offerings of the series.
While I will miss Lesser and Madeley, I will probably continue the series in the old fashioned way, by reading the books. I need to know what happens to these improbable yet lovable characters.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jobo
- 31-08-2012
Didius Falco
We've listened as a family to the first 5 books in the Falco series, all of them available from BBC audio dramatisations. The characterisation, particularly by Antonio Lesser and Anna Madeley is excellent and the books are an enjoyable listen. I would make sure that you listen to them in order as there would be 'spoilers' for the earlier books if you don't. They were so good, we listened to the first, then downloaded the next four and listened to them all in a week whilst on holiday. I'd thoroughly recommend them and so would my teenage children.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mary Carnegie
- 24-06-2018
Mostly good adaptation
It gets off to a shaky start, when Falco greets us in Italian rather than Latin! (It should be “Salvete, omnes” not “Salve tutti”! I must be getting really ancient if no one at the BBC has studied even a term of Latin. 🤷🏻♀️ It’s well acted though, and although I generally prefer to listen to the original unabridged book, the reader chosen for this one (and some others) hasn’t been able to “be Falco” - Anton Lesser in the BBC adaptations and Christian Rodska in some of the Audiobooks do sound like convincing Aventine plebeians! So I recommend this version. It was hearing Falco on the radio that first drew me into Falco’s world, full of humour and history, peopled by characters both historical and invented, including his vast extended family. The novels take the listener round the Roman Empire during the reigns of the Flavians- Vespasian with Falco and Domitian with Albia - and into diverse aspects of life in the first century. Generally the author’s research has been accurate and she can’t be blamed for the lapse into Italian!
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- Rufus
- 21-11-2017
Poseidon's Gold (BBC dramatisation with Anton Lesser and Anna Madeley). Beg, borrow (but don't steal) this excellent story.
Beg, borrow (but don't steal) this excellent story.
Poseidon's Gold has been a very enjoyable listen. Sadly it's the last in the BBC full cast dramatisation starring Anton Lesser and Anna Madeley. I don't think that there'll be another production that will equal this series.
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- Melissa Wells
- 03-06-2015
awesome
this is a great book well dramatised. Enjoy😁👑 it is hugely enjoyable and well paced. I repeatedly listened and it is still enjoyable.
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- Deb
- 22-04-2014
best falco so far!
If you could sum up Poseidon's Gold in three words, what would they be?
interesting, compelling and enjoyable
Who was your favorite character and why?
I love falco. I like his wisdom, melancholy and ability to know human nature.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
The way its read makes falco feel likable. Hearing the voices just makes it come alive. I much prefer listening to Falco than reading about him at moment. This is my favourite so far.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I enjoyed it especially the bonding with his dad to become the "didius" boys.
Any additional comments?
A book by a brilliant author, well read/acted and well worth every penny spent on it.
Thank you Anton Lesser et al...
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