Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993 TAG: 9311280175
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by HARRIET LITTLE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In Lindsey Davis' newest novel, we again meet "hard- boiled" Marcus Didius Falco in the Rome of September-November, 71, A.D. Falco's first-person, often comic narrative has the detective sent by the emperor to the far-off and decidedly dangerous German frontier both to investigate the disappearance of a general and to offer a peace plan to a tribe rumored to practice horrible religious rites on errant Romans captured there.
Separated from his aristocratic Roman girlfriend who disappears mysteriously, Falco sets off in the company of an over-dressed, razor-wielding barber who may or may not be in the pay of the emperor's antagonistic son. The dangerous journey is filled, of course, with an assortment of strange and interesting places and people. Finally, the last stages of Falco's hazardous mission find him accompanied by an inexperienced tribune, a bitter potter, a battle-weary centurion, a group of slow-witted soldiers and an untrainable dog who bites. Add the odd - and I do mean odd - German tribe, and Falco's journey sizzles with adventure.
Following her other Falco novels, "The Iron Hand of Mars" makes one hope for further adventures - soon.
\ Star Flight.
By Phyllis A. Whitney. Crown. $20.
Readers in the areas of Roanoke the New River Valley especially should enjoy Phyllis Whitney's newest novel. It's set in North Carolina's Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area, and references abound to movie locations for "Dirty Dancing" and "The Last of the Mohicans." They mystery at the heart of the plot centers on film stars Victoria Frazer and Roger Brandt who worked on location there and encountered tragedy in the late 1930s.
Enter, in the present, Victoria's granddaughter, Lauren Castle, drawn to the area to investigate another tragedy - her filmmaker husband's death there. As well, Lauren wants to explore the apparent suicide of her famous grandmother. As Whitney's many admirers have come to expect, Lauren's first-person account is rich in both description and fine characterizations.
Now, if only Whitney would explore Mountain Lake, where most of "Dirty Dancing" was filmed.
\ Houses of Stone.
By Barbara Michaels. Simon & Schuster. $21.
Come on, Barbara Michaels, write a really long book for readers who race through a mere 334 pages because your novels' plots are simply so much addictive pleasure.
In "House of Stone," a young English professor, Karen Holloway, who earlier discovered a previously unknown early American poet, is offered the damaged manuscript of a "Gothic" novel by the same author who wrote under the tantalizing name "Ismene." Realizing that identifying Ismene and publishing her work could be an important step in advancing her academic career, Karen sets off to discover Ismene's real identity. Her search leads her to Tidewater Virginia and involves, as well, friends and unexpected foes also eager to learn the secret identity of Ismene.
As ever, Michaels' characters engage and her puzzles mystify. Now, how about a longer treat?
\ Harriet Little teaches at James River high school.
by CNB