Synopsis (from
the publisher):
When the body of a boy from one of Greece’s most prominent
families turns up in a dumpster in one of Athens’ worst
neighborhoods, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis of the Greek
Police’s Special Crimes Division is certain there’s a
message in the murder. But who sent it and why? Andreas’
politically incorrect search for answers takes him deep into the
sordid, criminal side of Athens nightlife and on to the glittering
world of Athens society where age-old frictions between old money and
new breed jealousy, murder, revenge, revolutionaries, and some very
dangerous truths.
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Assassins of Athens
An Andreas
Kaldis Mystery
Jeffrey
Siger
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-689-1 (1590586891)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-689-1 (9781590586891)
Publication Date: January 2010
List Price: $24.95
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Review: Andreas
Kaldis, Chief Inspector of the Special Crimes Division, returns to
Athens from his "exile" on Mykonos to investigate the murder of a
teenage boy in Assassins of Athens,
the second mystery in this series by Jeffrey Siger.
Though originally found with no identification on him and found in a
squalid area of Athens, the dead boy is Sotiris Kostopoulos, the son of
one of Greece's most wealthy and prominent families. The boy's father,
Zanni Kostopoulos, owns "The Athenian", possibly the most respected and
influential newspaper in the country. But his acquisition of the paper
from the Linardos family, which owned it previously, was at the time
not without controversy and a little "leverage". Was Sotiris' murder
some sort of corporate strategy, forcing the Kostopoulos family to flee
the country, and leaving the powerful newspaper available to be
acquired by someone else?
Kaldis has far more questions than answers. Someone was obviously hired
to kill Sotiris, but that someone was also obviously far removed --
organizationally -- from the person who ordered the hit. No one wants
to talk to the police, and Kaldis' search takes him through the
forbidding streets of Athens and ultimately back to Mykonos where he
reaches out to Sotiris' father to help him find the men who humiliate,
disfigure, and kill for profit.
The rapid pacing of Assassins of
Athens sets the tone for this thrilling mystery. The author
provides a stunning contrast between the breathtaking vistas of Greece
and its islands that serve as the backdrop for the thriving tourist
trade, and the boarded up buildings, grimy bars, and dope dens that
house an equally thriving criminal trade. There is even a bit of Greek
history interspersed here and there that adds an element of tragedy to
the story. At the center of it all, however, is Inspector Kaldis, who
provides both an anchor to and a balance within the story. He's a
strong character that readers will readily take to.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Assassins of Athens and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Assassins of Athens? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Murder in Mykonos
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-581-X (159058581X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-581-8 (9781590585818)
Assassins of Athens
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2010
ISBN-10: 1-59058-689-1 (1590586891)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-689-1 (9781590586891)
Omnimystery keywords for Assassins of Athens ...
Location(s) referenced: Athens, Mykonos, Greece.
