Time to Depart [Paperback]

The much loved, bestselling Falco series reissued with new jacket artwork --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

I still can't believe I've put the bastard away for good!' Petro muttered. Petro Longus, captain of the Aventine watch, and Falco's oldest friend, has finally nailed one of Rome's top criminals. But under Roman law citizens cannot be imprisoned; instead they are allowed 'time to depart' from the Empire to go into permanent exile. One dark and gloomy dawn, Falco and Petro put the evil Balbinus aboard ship at the port of Ostia, thinking what it is the last they will ever hear of him. But soon the corpses start appearing: one of Petro's men who went with Balbinus is washed ashore dead and the informer who finally nailed the criminal is killed soon afterwards. It is obvious that Balbinus has returned and that once more he is running his criminal organisation. Petro and Falco must descend into the underworld of Vespasian's Rome to get their man.

I still can't believe I've put the bastard away for good!' Petro muttered. Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco's oldest friend, has finally nailed one of Rome's top criminals. Under Roman law citizens are not imprisoned but are allowed 'time to depart' into exile outside the Empire. One dark and gloomy dawn Petro and Falco put the evil Balbinus aboard ship.
But soon after, an outbreak of robbery and murder suggest a new criminal ring has moved into Balbinus' territory. Petro and Falco must descend into the underworld of Vespasian's Rome to investigate...
'Non-stop action, excitement and astonishments - a real cracker' The Good Book Guide

'Absolutely smashing' Daily Telegraph

'Davis's writing zings with fun' Daily Mail

Lindsey Davis's first Falco novel, The Silver Pigs, was published in 1989. Since then, her novel Two For the Lions won the inaugural Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in 1998, and in 1999 she received the Sherlock Award for Best Comic Detective for her creation, Marcus Didius Falco. Lindsey's last ten novels have all been Sunday Times hardback bestsellers. She was born in Birmingham but now lives in Greenwich.