I previously read The Silver Pigs and enjoyed it. Now I finished Shadows in Bronze and enjoyed it very much. It has been quite a while since I read the first book and while it might be a good idea to read both books together, because the second picks up right where the first left off, I didn't have any difficulties in getting back into the story. It all comes back whenever something specific of the previous novel is mentioned.

After he had previously discovered and put a stop to a conspiracy against Emperor Vespasian, Falco now has the task to tie up some loose ends. People are dying and mysterious people following other people. In order to contact different senators on the emperor's behalf, Falco even has the task to travel to the seaside, where he meets with ghosts and confident young women (read: Helena Justina).

Lindsey Davis manages to paint a vivid image of ancient Rome in her books. Shadows in Bronze had a great plot and I loved to follow Falco in his adventures and with him it certainly never gets boring. It is actually quite difficult to guess what is going to happen next (although it would probably be a safe bet to say that something will go wrong exactly when our hero thinks that finally he has managed to set everything to rights).
I love the writing style (humour on every page) and I love the characters. I even found the romance woven into the main plote quite sweet (not too much but enough to convey Falco's and Helena Justina's feelings).

This is a wonderful humorous historical mystery.