Lindsey Davis Explained

Lindsey Davis
Birth Place:	Birmingham, England
Nationality:	British
Occupation:	novelist
Period:	1989 – present
Genre:	Historical whodunnit
Notableworks:	Marcus Didius Falco, Flavia Albia

Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award.

Life and career

Davis was born in Birmingham and after taking a degree in English literature at Oxford University (Lady Margaret Hall),^[1] she became a civil servant for 13 years. When a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, she decided to become a writer, at first writing romantic serials for the UK women's magazine Woman's Realm. One of these, The Bride from Bithynia, was published in her 2023 collection Voices of Rome.^[2]

Her dedication of the book Rebels and Traitors (2009) reads: "For Richard / dearest and closest of friends / your favourite book / in memory", and the author's website relates: "I am still getting used to life without my dear Richard. For those of you who haven't seen this before, he died in October [2008]."^[3] The author says in her publisher's newsletter: "The greatest recommendation I can give is that Richard, its first reader, thought it wonderful. He devoured chunks, demanding ‘Bring more story!’ even when he was in hospital. One of the last things I was ever able to tell him was that Rebels and Traitors was to be published by Random House, so I would be working with dear friends for his favourite book."^[4]

Davis suffered from the eye condition keratoconus from childhood, and in adulthood had a corneal transplant, about which she has said: "A stranger's generosity freed me from years of pain and anxiety" and urges her readers to carry a donor card.^{[5] [6]}

Writing

Davis's interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she could not find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs (1989), set in the same time period, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further 19 Falco novels have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was published in 1997. She published in June 2010.

Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009.

Master and God, published in March 2012, is set in ancient Rome and concerns the emperor Domitian.

In 2012, Davis and her publishers, Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and St. Martin's Press in the US, announced that she was writing a new series of books centred on Flavia Albia, Falco's British-born adopted daughter and "an established female investigator". The first title, The Ides of April was published on 11 April 2013 in the UK,^[7] and its sequel, Enemies at Home, was published in 2014,^[8] followed by annual additions. In an interview in 2019 Davis discussed her plan to write an Albia novel set on each of the seven hills of Rome, starting with the Aventine Hill in the book The Ides of April and culminating with the Capitoline Hill in the book A Capitol Death. She has since published three more Albia books,, set in particular locations just outside the wall of Rome.

Davis has won many literary awards, including, in 2011, the Cartier Diamond Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association given to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime contribution to the genre.^[9] She was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998, and is a life member of the Council of the Society of Authors.^[10]

Published works

Marcus Didius Falco

1. The Silver Pigs (1989)
2. Shadows in Bronze (1990)
3. Venus in Copper (1991)
4. The Iron Hand of Mars (1992)
5. Poseidon's Gold (1993)
6. Last Act in Palmyra (1994)
7. Time to Depart (1995)
8. A Dying Light in Corduba (1996)
9. Three Hands in the Fountain (1997)
10. Two for the Lions (1998)
11. One Virgin Too Many (1999)
12. Ode to a Banker (2000)
13. A Body in the Bath House (2001)
14. The Jupiter Myth (2002)
15. The Accusers (2003)
16. Scandal Takes a Holiday (2004)
17. See Delphi and Die (2005)
18. Saturnalia (2007)
19. Alexandria (2009)
20. Nemesis (2010)

Omnibus editions

• Falco on His Metal (1999)
  • Venus in Copper
  • The Iron Hand of Mars
  • Poseidon's Gold
• Falco on the Loose (2003)
  • Last Act in Palmyra
  • Time to Depart
  • A Dying Light in Corduba

Flavia Albia

1. The Ides of April (2013, Hodder & Stoughton,)
2. Enemies at Home (2014, Hodder & Stoughton
3. Deadly Election (2015,)
4. The Graveyard of the Hesperides (2016, Hodder & Stoughton,)
5. The Third Nero (2017, Hodder & Stoughton,)
6. Pandora's Boy (2018, Hodder & Stoughton,)
7. A Capitol Death (2019, Hodder & Stoughton,)^[11]
8. The Grove of the Caesars (2020, Hodder & Stoughton,)
9. A Comedy of Terrors (2021) ^[12]
10. Desperate Undertaking (2022, Hodder & Stoughton,)
11. Fatal Legacy (2023, Hodder & Stoughton,)
12. Death on the Tiber (2024, Hodder & Stoughton,)

Other works set in Ancient Rome

Novels

• The Course of Honour (1997)
• Master and God (2012)

Novellas

• The Spook Who Spoke Again (2015, ebook and audio only,)^[13]
• Vesuvius by Night (2017, ebook and audio only,)^[14]
• Invitation to Die (2019, ebook and audio only,)

Novella collection

• Voices of Rome: Four Stories of Ancient Rome (2023, Hodder & Stoughton:) comprising The Bride from Bithynia, The Spook Who Spoke Again, Vesuvius by Night, and Invitation to Die

Companion

• (2010)

• Rebels and Traitors (2009)
• A Cruel Fate (3 February 2014,),^[15] (a QuickRead set in the English Civil War)^[16]

Short story

• "'Going Anywhere Nice?'" (2005), published in The Detection Collection, edited by Simon Brett.

Awards and nominations

• Shortlisted for the Georgette Heyer Prize for two unpublished works (pre-Falco).
• Winner of the Author's Club Prize for "Best First Novel" in 1989 for The Silver Pigs.
• Winner of the Crime Writers' Association (CWA): Dagger in the Library for being an author "whose work has given most pleasure" in 1995. Web site: The Dagger in the Library . CWA . 17 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120514063945/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/library.html . 14 May 2012 .
• Winner of the first Ellis Peters Historical Dagger awarded by the Crime Writers' Association in 1999 for Two for the Lions.Web site: The Ellis Peters Historical Award . 17 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131107114654/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/historical.html . 7 November 2013 .
• Winner of the Sherlock Award for the Best Comic Detective in 2000 for Didius Falco.^[17]
• Awarded the 2010 Premio Colosseo, awarded by the city of Rome to someone who "has enhanced the image of Rome in the world"^[18]
  • Winner of the 2011 Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association Winner in 2013 of the first Barcelona Historical Novel Prize (Premi Internacional de Novella Històrica Barcino)^[19]

External links

• The official website of Lindsey Davis
• Interview with Lindsey Davis
• RandomHouse Publisher's newsletters
• Hodder & Stoughton Publisher's newsletters
• Lindsey Davis speaks to the Dorothy Dunnett Society 1h27m video of 2018 talk and Q&A session
• Lindsey Davis talks about The Grove of the Caesars, 28 March 2020 50 minute video: Davis talks about her life and writing

Notes and References

1. Web site: LMH, Oxford - Prominent Alumni. 20 May 2015.
2. Book: Davis . Lindsey . Voices of Rome . 2023 . Hodder & Stoughton . 9781399721332 . 10-11 . Introduction.
3. Web site: Lindsey's page . The Official Lindsey Davis Website . 2009-09-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090429084212/http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/lindseyspage.htm . 2009-04-29 .
4. Web site: The Lindsey Davis Newsletter, no. 9. January 2009. Random House Publishing. 2009-03-31. 19 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519201552/http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/lindsey_davis/issue9/Lindsey%20Newsletter.pdf. dead.
5. News: Davis. Lindsey. Five-minute memoir: Lindsey Davis on life with her brand new eye. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/fiveminute-memoir-lindsey-davis-on-life-with-her-brand-new-eye-7618940.html . 14 June 2022 . subscription . live. 17 August 2012. The Independent. 7 April 2012.
6. Web site: Lindsey's Page: Organ Donor Card Appeal . The Official Website of Lindsey Davis . 17 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120911103325/http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/lindseyspage.htm . 11 September 2012 .
7. Web site: Lindsey's page: Next Book . The Official Website of Lindsey Davis . 17 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120911103325/http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/lindseyspage.htm . 11 September 2012 . (Copy of publishers' press release)
8. Web site: Enemies at Home. Lindsey Davis official website. 1 August 2013.
9. News: Allen. Katie. Davis to be awarded Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. 26 January 2011. The Bookseller. 25 January 2011.
10. Web site: About: Council and President: Lindsey Davis . www.societyofauthors.org . The Society of Authors . 29 November 2021.
11. Web site: Lindsey Davis interview: A Capitol Death and the Flavia Albia series . Hodder & Stoughton . 10 April 2019 . 2 April 2019.
12. Web site: A Comedy of Terrors. Hodder & Stoughton. 9 October 2020.
13. Web site: The Spook Who Spoke Again. Lindsey Davis. 22 May 2015.
14. Web site: Vesuvius by Night. Lindsey Davis. 15 February 2017.
15. Web site: Lindsey Davis - A Cruel Fate. Hodder and Stoughton. 1 August 2013.
16. Web site: A Cruel Fate. 1 August 2013. Lindsey Davis official website.
17. Web site: Sherlock Awards . Sherlock Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20061019112130/http://www.sherlockholmes.com/media/awards-winners.htm . 19 October 2006 . 2004.
18. Web site: Management Committee. Society of Authors. 3 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100920224818/http://www.societyofauthors.org/management-committee. 20 September 2010. dead.
19. News: Lindsey Davis recoge el Premio de Novela Histórica Barcino . El Pais . 13 November 2013 . 1 May 2014 . Paula . Montana Tor.