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  • Poseidon’s Gold

  • Falco, Book 5
  • By: Lindsey Davis
  • Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
  • Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (267 ratings)
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Poseidon’s Gold cover art

Poseidon’s Gold

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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Summary

'Your brother seemed to know what he was doing.'

Rome, AD 72. Falco returns home from a six-month mission to the German legions. But trouble is in store for him: his apartment has been wrecked by squatters and an ex-legionary friend of his colourfully heroic brother Festus is demanding money, allegedly owed him as the result of one of Festus's wild schemes.

Worse still, the only client Falco can get is his mother - who wants him to clear the family name. Then just as Falco thinks things can only get better, fate takes a turn for the worse. The legionary is found viciously stabbed to death, with Falco the prime suspect.

Now he has only three days to prove he is not a murderer, to trace the real suspect, amass evidence and win a fortune.

©1993 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible Ltd

What listeners say about Poseidon’s Gold

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Two Gods in One

Thoroughly enjoyed the light hearted dramas of Marcus Didius Falco, if you want to forget the problems of today travel back to Rome, there were wine bars, double dealing hucksters, the nouveau riche collecting art, family squabbles, true love. In fact comfort yourself there is nothing new under the sun, Falco, instead of being an agent for the Emperor today would be working for MI5 or CID or even a politician but he would not notice the difference except the modes of transport. A light hearted story leaving you with a smile at the end.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Give the man a chance!

Any additional comments?

These books are "easy on the ear" Gorden may not be the "best" Falco but this does not detract from the well written narrative.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, occasionally let down by narration

The exploration of Falco's relationships with his brother and his father make this one of the most interesting so far in the series. Unfortunately the general tone of the narrator, and some of his emphases and inflections, are often jarring and pull me out of the story as i try to work out why.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

over-long

It's in need of a good edit. Cutting out two or three hours would have made it more listenable. I'm disappointed because I enjoy the concept and would like to get through the series, but I don't think I've got enough time left in me to do that.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The Main Shortfall -

- Of these Falco books is that they're circular, in that the end restores the status quo. In that way, after this one and an Emperor's promise, Falco is refused permission to ascend to the middle ranks of Flavian Rome. And still has Helena Justinian, his amour-propre. The story, such as it is, bumbles along from one minor situation to the next, with the only development in situational terms being that he's now on full speaking terms with his formerly estranged father. And he seems to be incapable of referring to Daddy as anything except the gratingly-repetitious "my father". Now I have - or rather had - one of those, and would never have referred to him in that parroting fashion, sentence by sentence. Yet Falco does just that, and it grates.
The girlfriend remains, after several books in which she figures, as a simple outline of scrummy Romano-skirt. Her character remains more or less as it was previously, unfleshed-out. As does Falco, although his was a more fleshy outline from the off, it's hardly developed over time. Return to the status-quo seems to be the driving element here, where Falco will remain a scruffy tunic'd and sandal'd gumshoe - of sorts.
These stories are loosely assembled low-key trails through sketched scenery set in Rome, which is its main appeal. As it allows us to fool ourselves that we're pushing our way through the streets of Roman markets, slums, bath-houses, brothels, palaces. And that a lowly and seedy figure like Falco seemingly can have extended conversations of a virtually man to man nature with Vespasian and Titus, the Son Of Emperor, seems a bit of a stretch. It's sometimes like they're old school mates, albeit one from money and the other from servant-class status.
I can't say I feel any great need to read any more of these lightweight throwaway tales, indeed they seem to merge into a big mass of Falconess, albeit with one in Germanica rather than in Rome. I wouldn't quite say that "read one, you've read 'em all" is a viable statement, but if I heard it said, I'd know what was meant.
Falco is absolutely NO John Rebus, and Ms. Davis is certainly no Ian Rankin, gender mismatch complications aside)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Comfortable, Enjoyable and Totally Absorbing Read

I rate this novel firth Falco (in sequence). It moves along letting you think you know how things will end but still provides surprises. There is always credibility. The characters have well sketched substance and the plot is intriguing – I even enjoyed looking a few things up. Davis has the knack of pleasing readers and she delivers novels that you can happily live with and look forward to picking up. My dilemma now is whether to jump into Falco six or have a break to read something else. The narration is fluid though I the voice is older than the character narrating. There are some miss-steps that an audiobook producer ought to have picked up e.g. ‘potsherds’ here become ‘pots herds’. The narrator still carries the story however so prospective listeners should not decline to listen.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Suffer from insommnia? Try this book

Some years ago the BBC did a drama series of some of the Falco books which were a distinct improvement on the originals if this one is anything to go by. The plot is a good one but the snail-like pace at which it progresses makes it drag and the essential difficulty is that Falco and other protagonists take up too much time in excessive dialogue which develops neither the story nor the chatacters. I gave up about two thirds of the way through.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator

Narrator was very unconvincing as Falco, missed his wit and cunning intonation. Therefore a very disappointing listen

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not very believable.

Not up to previous standards. I found certain sections completely unbelievable. Falco comes a cross as an idiot. Generally very tedious and I found myself shouting at the radio "for gods sake get to the point!"
The narration was also poor and sometimes very annoying.
All in all, I didn't enjoy it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Family intrigue and deceit in Rome

Another interesting adventure for Falco, taking me to the streets, tavernas and homes of Rome. I am fully invested in Falco, his friends and family now, and interested in all his efforts to solve mysteries, make a living, and keep the girl. There is enough background to transport me to Ancient Rome, and enough disgusting details to keep me amused and wanting more. I am used to the narrator, but there were a number of occasions when I was conscious that I would have given sentences a different inflection.

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