The Spook Who Spoke Again

A Flavia Albia Short Story

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Thomas Judd

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Marcus Didius Alexander Postumus is a special boy. He is 12 or perhaps 11. He has two mothers and various possible fathers, so he worries who will take care of him. He is self-confident yet vulnerable, intelligent yet sinister. He knows not many people like him.

When his birth mother, Thalia the snake-dancer, takes him to live with her troupe of exotic performers, Postumus sees it as useful experience even though it involves him mucking out menagerie cages. No one anticipates how much havoc he will wreak. On his first day a tragedy occurs. No one else cares, so Postumus decides he alone must solve this crime and impose retribution on the guilty.

As son and brother to the famous investigators Falco and Albia, he knows murder is punished by execution. Postumus single-mindedly sets out to accomplish this, sidetracked by nothing, not even a rehearsal of Falco's legendary play The Spook Who Spoke....

©2015 Lindsey Davis (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton

Wonderful

Written from the very realistic perspective of a 12 year old boy. Utterly hilarious in parts, very well read by Thomas Judd.
A book that I'll be happy to listen to several times. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Curious tale of the ferret in the Circus

Falco and Helena Justina are saints for raising this extraordinarily energetic and inventive young man. Postumous often made me laugh out loud -alternately too wise and observing for words, and then totally naive. Between Helena Justina's bedtime stories, and Falco just being himself, Postumous has obviously got the jump on every mystery and adventure cliche for the next two centuries.

The narration was perfect, and the story a gem.

And it was great to get a look at Falco from outside eyes!

Thank you, Ms Davis - thank you!

Entertaining listen. Adequate story. Enjoyable narrator.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book, mostly. The storyline weakened as the tale drew to a close. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator - Thomas Judd was perfect. I was reminded of how Falco may have sounded as a precocious young Roman. Or how T.D. Fitzgerald ("The Great Brain" series) would have been portrayed as an early Roman rather than growing up in early Utah. I would have preferred a longer tale with more development. Or a conclusion that seemed less rushed. However, I liked the listen; would purchase it again; would return for a sequel. Furthermore, this short will likely prove to be the seque I needed to begin the Flavian Alba series.

Fun and fitting

An amusing short book from the perspective of an odd and intelligent boy. You have the fun of hearing events unfold from his POV but reinterpreting from your own adult perspective.
The boy's narration and amateur sleuthing reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Well worth the fun at a few bucks, and a nice pivot on the other characters.

Little bit of Fun

Well, now we know. Falco and company lived on. Postumos the abandoned babe is growing up and shows his smarts and not so smarts as he visits his mother at the circus. Fun short ride.