Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

ist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...

and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award.

Life and career

Davis was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

and after taking a degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

(

Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more form ...

), she became a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

for 13 years. When a

romantic novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

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 ''Woman's Realm'' was a British weekly women's magazine first published in 1958. One of the editors-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility f ...

''. 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 008" 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." Davis suffered from the eye condition

keratoconus Keratoconus (KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, double vision, nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and light sensitivity leading to poor quality-of-life. ...

from childhood, and in adulthood had a

corneal transplant Corneal transplantation, also known as corneal grafting, is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by donated corneal tissue (the graft). When the entire cornea is replaced it is known as penetrating keratoplasty a ...

, 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 Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpo ...

Writing

Davis's interest in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

led to her writing an historical novel about

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Emp ...

and his lover

Antonia Caenis Antonia Caenis or Cenide, (died 74 AD) a former slave and secretary of Antonia Minor (mother of the emperor Claudius), was Roman emperor Vespasian's '' contubernalis''. Life It could be thought that she had family in Istria, now in Croatia, bas ...

(''

The Course of Honour ''The Course of Honour'' is a historical novel by Lindsey Davis, set in ancient Rome and concerning the emperor Vespasian and his lover Caenis. It was the first novel Davis wrote which was set in ancient Rome, but was not published until 199 ...

''), for which she could not find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

", 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 whodunnit The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the ...

s. A further 19 Falco novels have followed, as well as ''The Course of Honour'', which was published in 1997. She published '' Falco: The Official Companion'' in June 2010. '' Rebels and Traitors'', set in the period of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

, was published in September 2009. ''

Master and God ''Master and God'' is a historical novel by British writer Lindsey Davis, the author of the Falco series. It was first published in the UK on 15 March 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton and in the United States on 5 June 2012 by St Martin's Press. ...

'', published in March 2012, is set in ancient Rome and concerns the emperor

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

. In 2012, Davis and her publishers,

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publishe ...

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, ''(Copy of publishers' press release)'' and its sequel, '' Enemies at Home'', was published in 2014, 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 The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth '' rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the so ...

in the book ''The Ides of April'' and culminating with the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. ...

in the book ''

A Capitol Death ''A Capitol Death'' is a historical novel by British writer Lindsey Davis, the seventh in her Flavia Albia series. It was published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton on 4 April 2019 () . The cover of the UK hardback 1st edition shows a sea shel ...

''. 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's contribution to the genre. 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 The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

Published works

Marcus Didius Falco

# '' The Silver Pigs'' (1989) # ''

Shadows in Bronze ''Shadows in Bronze'' is a 1990 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the second book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Rome, southern Italy, and the Bay of Neapolis during AD 71, just after the year of the four e ...

'' (1990) # '' Venus in Copper'' (1991) # '' The Iron Hand of Mars'' (1992) # '' Poseidon's Gold'' (1993) # '' Last Act in Palmyra'' (1994) # '' Time to Depart'' (1995) # '' A Dying Light in Corduba'' (1996) # ''

Three Hands in the Fountain ''Three Hands in the Fountain'' is a 1997 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the ninth book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Rome between August and October, AD 73, the novel stars Marcus Didius Falco, informe ...

'' (1997) # '' Two for the Lions'' (1998) # '' One Virgin Too Many'' (1999) # '' Ode to a Banker'' (2000) # '' A Body in the Bath House'' (2001) # ''

The Jupiter Myth ''The Jupiter Myth'' is a 2002 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the 14th book in the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Londinium, Britannia in August AD 75, the novel stars Marcus Didius Falco, informer and imperial ...

'' (2002) # '' The Accusers'' (2003) # '' Scandal Takes a Holiday'' (2004) # '' See Delphi and Die'' (2005) # ''

Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple ...

'' (2007) # ''

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

'' (2009) # ''

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The ...

'' (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'' Associated publication * '' Falco: The Official Companion'' (2010)

Flavia Albia

Novels # '' The Ides of April'' (2013, Hodder & Stoughton, ) # '' Enemies at Home'' (2014, Hodder & Stoughton () # '' Deadly Election'' (2015, ) # '' The Graveyard of the Hesperides'' (2016, Hodder & Stoughton, ) # '' The Third Nero'' (2017, Hodder & Stoughton, ) #'' Pandora's Boy'' (2018, Hodder & Stoughton, ) #''

'' (2019, Hodder & Stoughton, ) #'' The Grove of the Caesars'' (2020, Hodder & Stoughton, ) #'' A Comedy of Terrors'' (2021) () #'' Desperate Undertaking'' (7 April 2022, Hodder & Stoughton, ) #''Fatal Legacy'', 2023 Novellas * ''The Spook Who Spoke Again'' (2015, ebook and audio only, ) * ''Vesuvius by Night'' (2017, ebook and audio only, ) * ''Invitation to Die'' (2019, ebook and audio only, )

Other novels

* ''

'' (1997) * '' Rebels and Traitors'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''A Cruel Fate'' (3 February 2014, ), (a QuickRead set in the English Civil War)

Short Stories

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

Awards and nominations

* Short listed 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 The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...

(CWA): Dagger in the Library for being an author "whose work has given most pleasure" in 1995. * Winner of the first

Ellis Peters Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her '' nom de plume'' Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her trans ...

Historical Dagger awarded by the

in 1999 for '' Two for the Lions''. * Winner of the Sherlock Award for the Best Comic Detective in 2000 for Didius Falco. * Awarded the 2010 Premio Colosseo, awarded by the city of Rome to someone who ''"has enhanced the image of Rome in the world"'' * Winner of the 2011 Cartier Diamond Dagger from the

* Winner in 2013 of the first Barcelona Historical Novel Prize (''Premi Internacional de Novella Històrica Barcino'')

References

External links

The official website of Lindsey Davis

Hodder & Stoughton Publisher's newslettersLindsey 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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Lindsey 1949 births 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers English crime fiction writers English mystery writers English women novelists Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford English historical novelists Writers of historical mysteries Living people Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Women mystery writers Women historical novelists Cartier Diamond Dagger winners Presidents of the Classical Association