Opens with an unexpected shock - two in fact - and finishes with another which I hadn't anticipated. Understandable solution for MDF and Petronius, but nevertheless uncomfortable - perhaps because from a reader's point of view Lindsey Davis succeeded in creating a villain with a few redeeming sympathetic qualities.
But a good read, lacking the predictability of previous books and you feel MDF has finally grown fully into his head of family role, rather than joking about it.
As a newcomer to Falco I've been fortunate enough to be able to sit and read the whole lot in one go, and now as I return from ancient Rome to the modern day I feel a little lost. I really do hope there will be more Falco books in the future, but if they don't happen this would be as good a finale as any.