Assassins of Athens by Jeffrey Siger, a Mysterious Review.

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.

Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of Assassins of Athens for this review.

Murder in Mykonos
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2009
ISBN-13: 9781590585818; ISBN-10: 159058581X

Assassins of Athens

An Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger