Three Hands in the Fountain Audiobook By Lindsey Davis cover art

Three Hands in the Fountain

A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery

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Three Hands in the Fountain

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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Marcus Didius Falco and his laddish friend Petronius find their local fountain has been blocked - by a gruesomely severed human hand. Soon other body parts are being found in the aqueducts and sewers.

Public panic overcomes official indifference, and the Aventine partners are commissioned to investigate. Women are being abducted during festivals, and the next Games are only days away. As the heat rises in the Circus Maximus, they face a race against time and a strong test of their friendship. And they know that the sadistic killer lurks somewhere on the festive streets of Rome - preparing to strike again.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your ears: listen to more Marcus Didius Falco mysteries.©1996 Lindsey Davis (P)2009 BBC Audio Historical Mystery Fiction

Critic reviews

"As readers follow the sometimes hilarious antics of Falco and Petronius (who are talented sleuths despite moments of buffoonery), they'll feel as if they've been transported back to the first century A.D., so realistic are the historical details in Davis' book, the tenth in this celebrated series. Filled with scintillating suspense, laugh-out-loud humor, devilishly clever plotting, and a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters, number 10 is among the best." ( Booklist)
Twisty Mystery • Fascinating Historical Milieu • Talented Voice Acting • Compelling Characters • Tight Plotting
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This is a delightful book and a delightful series, for anyone who likes the Ancient Rome setting for mystery novels. Christian Rodska is an amazing narrator. He can make many different regional accents so I don't have any trouble telling the characters apart. Lindsay Davis writes about Marcus Didius Falco, P.I. (Public Informer), who is married to the daughter of a senator. Davis' descriptions are entertaining and informative, and the portrayals of family life in Ancient Rome are unique in the genre.

3 Hands in the Fountain

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I've been reading (listening) my way through the M. Didius series and this is far and away the best one so far. I'm a sucker for serial killer thrillers and Davis wrote this one to perfection; I was on tenterhooks at the conclusion. My Roman scholarly history ended with high school Latin, but one can assume the historical accuracy of Roman knowledge of abnormal psychology and their ability to hunt down a serial killer is overstated for entertainment purposes.
This is the first book that's not narrated by Simon Pebble and I'm so disappointed this is the only one!! Mr Pebble does a fine job, but I loved the different voices and accents used here. Falco is a poor man running in both aristocratic and uneducated circles; I found the coarser accents really brought the setting to life.
Suspend your disbelief and get ready to learn about the water supply of ancient Rome!

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Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Christian Rodska?

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I will say, despite being “the wrong guy”, he did an extraordinary job!
Very pleased and I enjoyed the story well.

Unexpected narrator

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This is the seventh Falco novel I've listened to and although I've enjoyed them all immensely, this one was by far my favorite! It had the best plot of the ones I've listend to and Rodska positively nails Falco's wicked wit. An absolute delight from start to finish! (I don't even bother with the ones that aren't narrated by Rodska because who else could possibly be Falco? Maybe I'll just read those instead.)

Wicked wit

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Very good performance, but at times it was hard to keep the characters straight because of the unfamiliary names

The name of the game

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Falco, his wife and family are amazing. the characters have grown since the start and the development has been getting better. There is humor and brutality, but the mysteries, always keep me intrigued. I enjoy historical novels and this series very much.

Each book in the series gets better

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this time we learn about the water supply in Davis' riveting style. complete with serial killer and the Roman Games. Excellent!

Another Great Falco Teaching Moment

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LIght hearted detective fare with a twist. These books are a great, well researched glimpse into the day to day life of a Rome which we usually view only through political or military glasses. The plotting is very tight and the characters grow on you as you move from book to book. Recommended for anyone who loves being set down in a fascinating historical milieu and knocking around for a while while unraveling a juicy murder mystery.

The narration by Christian Rodke is consistently excellent and adds a good deal to the charm of these books.

Falco is reliably enjoyable listening

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Great book. Well written and thought out. Our favorite characters continue to grow and change. I feel like I have been to ancient Rome.

Excellent twists.

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