Three Hands in the Fountain

Three Hands in the Fountain is a crime novel by Lindsey Davis. Set in Rome between August and October, AD 73, Three Hands in the Fountain stars Marcus Didius Falco, Informer and Imperial Agent. It is the ninth in her Falco series. The title is an allusion to the song Three Coins in the Fountain, as well as a reference to the macabre discovery which triggers Falco's investigation. Falco arrives home in Rome with Helena Justina and Julia Junilla Laeitana, his new baby daughter, and barely have time to settle in before being subjected to a welcome-home party. Falco and Petronius sneak out for a... drink in a nearby street next to a fountain, which is not working. When a worker turns up to clean it, it is revealed that a severed hand had blocked the aqueduct. Falco and Petro start to investigate, but their case is stolen by Anacrites. Petro puts up a sign proclaiming that awards are to be given on the discovery of any body parts. Falco talks to his brother-in-law and is told that severed body parts have been discovered in the rivers and aqueducts for several years, usually after festivals.
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