Last Act in Palmyra cover art

Last Act in Palmyra

Falco, Book 6

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Last Act in Palmyra

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

'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. Here they join a travelling theatre group, which keeps losing members in non-accidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions - then as the killer hovers, Falco tries to write a play.

©1996 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible Ltd Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Fiction Espionage Crime

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All stars
Most relevant  
I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story, and the descriptions of the locations a grey deal. I failed to guess the villain! I wasn't convinced about the narrator, and he didn't capture Falco's humorous yet perceptive character as I'd imagined him. This is the first of this series I've had through Audible, and I've read the previous ones, so I suppose I've had plenty of opportunity to form my own opinion. I read reviews first, and had I not already read the books I would have tried the other narrator. So it will be reading for me in future.

Descriptive and entertaining

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This was as great as other falco books
Although I was looking forward to it with trepidation as I love rodska renditions I soon got used to the narrator and found I couldn't put it down - twist may have been a bit obvious but a great ride getting there

A great road story

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great story, her research is good and this makes her settings a full part of the story. good narration.

one of my favourite Falcos

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As usual, Davis takes us to famed ancient sites & weaves us into the lives of those long gone. I always feel like I’ve had a glimpse of life in these times. This story is less complex than some of the Falco mysteries, and I feel it’s easy to spot the culprit quite early. There is enough going on to keep you interested and the collection of characters is as engaging as usual. I thought the narrator did a great job with the exception of Thalia. He made her sound like a Billingsgate fish wife, not the alluring, exotic lady I visualise when reading the physical books. All in all, an excellent addition to the Falco canon.

Immersive

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The story was interesting, it dragged a bit in the middle but overall I enjoyed the tale. The characters were diverse enough to be interesting in them selves. The narrator, oh dear almost dead pan in his delivery, although there was the odd attempt to inject some emotion.

Narrator poor.

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but I have to agree with a lot of the other reviews on here that Gordon Griffin, who I'm sure is more than adequate as a reader, does not suit Falco. For me, his voice sounds too mature, and too 'actor-ish' to suit the cheeky wideboy version of Marcus Didius that I've come to love (mainly due to Anton Lesser's definitive performance in the radio 4 dramatization ... So, sorry Gordon, but I'll not be hunting down the next chapters of this series unless I can be sure they're NOT being read by Mr. Griffin.

Great story ...

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Once again Marcus Didius Falco has to find a murderer with the help of his wonderful lady Helena Justina only this time they are chasing around the deserts of the Middle East instead of Rome.and he ends up with another job too. One of my favourite places, Petra figures prominently but they journey all over the area with a travelling theatre group ending,as the title says, in Palmyra where the different strands of the story come together, parts were almost a forgone conclusion but with a couple of clever twists not quite expected but all neatly finished..

A Hard Act to Follow

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I have enjoyed every minute of Falco and Helena’s journey. I look forward to the next one.

Great Story

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I found this disappointing after earlier entries in the series. The story is thin and bulked out with so many asides that it reads like a Roman travel guide to the Middle East. The tone deaf narration doesn't help.

Weak story

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The narration was dismal. Such a disappointment. I couldn't believe how boring the narration has made this.

Disappointing

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