Reading order · 14 books · 2013 to 2026 · Set in Rome
Flavia Albia Books in Order
Flavia Albia, adopted by Falco and Helena from the streets of Roman London, is now a widow working as an informer in Rome under the emperor Domitian.
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Series facts
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 2013 to 2026
- First book
- The Ides of April
- Latest
- Murder in Purple and Gold (2026)
- Setting
- Set in Rome
The reading order
Every Flavia Albia book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
14 books · Set in Rome
- 1The Ides of April2013With Flavia AlbiaIn AD 89, Flavia Albia, a young widow working as an informer, investigates a series of sudden deaths across Rome.Buy on Amazon
- 2Enemies at Home2014With Flavia AlbiaA married couple are murdered in their home, and their slaves flee to a temple for sanctuary, accused of the crime.Buy on Amazon
- 3Deadly Election2015With Flavia AlbiaA body is found in a trunk at an auction house, in the middle of an election campaign.Buy on Amazon
- 4Graveyard of the Hesperides2016With Flavia AlbiaHuman bones are found during the renovation of a run-down bar.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Third Nero2017With Flavia AlbiaA pretender claiming to be the emperor Nero is said to be on his way to Rome.Buy on Amazon
- 6Pandora’s Boy2018With Flavia AlbiaFlavia Albia investigates the death of a teenager, and a rumoured love potion.Buy on Amazon
- 7A Capitol Death2019With Flavia AlbiaA man falls to his death from the Tarpeian Rock, the ancient execution site on the Capitol.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Grove of the Caesars2020With Flavia AlbiaAlbia looks into a book fraud in Julius Caesar’s gardens and uncovers a killer who has preyed on women there for years.Buy on Amazon
- 9A Comedy of Terrors2021With Flavia AlbiaDuring the Saturnalia of AD 89, poisonings and a gang war erupt in Rome, and Albia acts when her husband Tiberius becomes a target.Buy on Amazon
- 10Desperate Undertaking2022With Flavia AlbiaSomeone is staging elaborate murders in some of Rome’s most beautiful buildings, and Albia must stop the killer with only a dying man’s warning to go on.Buy on Amazon
- 11Fatal Legacy2023With Flavia AlbiaA simple debt-collection job for Albia’s aunt turns up both old and new murders.Buy on Amazon
- 12Death on the Tiber2024With Flavia AlbiaA fellow Briton is found dead in the Tiber, and Albia’s search for the killer leads her to an old adversary.Buy on Amazon
- 13There Will Be Bodies2025With Flavia AlbiaRestoring a villa on the Bay of Naples a decade after Vesuvius, Albia and her husband find remains laid out in the ash and must learn whether the owner was murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 14Murder in Purple and Gold2026With Flavia AlbiaAlbia finds a young charioteer murdered near the Circus Maximus and is hired to clear a rival racer hunted by a lynch mob.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Ides of April. It can be read without knowing the Falco books.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Flavia Albia | Marcus Didius Falco | Helena Justina | Manlius Faustus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Ides of April | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 2 Enemies at Home | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 3 Deadly Election | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 4 Graveyard of the Hesperides | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 5 The Third Nero | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 6 Pandora’s Boy | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 7 A Capitol Death | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 8 The Grove of the Caesars | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 9 A Comedy of Terrors | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 10 Desperate Undertaking | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 11 Fatal Legacy | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 12 Death on the Tiber | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 13 There Will Be Bodies | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 14 Murder in Purple and Gold | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Flavia Albia books
4 characters from Lindsey Davis’s chart, with the number of Flavia Albia books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Flavia AlbiaBritish-born orphan adopted by Falco and Helena, later an informer | 14 | The Ides of April 2013 |
| Marcus Didius FalcoInformer and imperial agent in first-century Rome | 14 | The Ides of April 2013 |
| Helena JustinaSenator’s daughter who becomes Falco’s partner and wife | 14 | The Ides of April 2013 |
| Manlius FaustusAedile and Albia’s partner, later husband | 14 | The Ides of April 2013 |
Crossovers with Lindsey Davis’s other series
- Marcus Didius Falco: Flavia Albia also appears in 7 of its books