Jeffrey Siger

Kaldis finally runs up against (sort of) a villain that will get away from him. With this installment of the Kaldis mysteries we have a murder that needs solving on Mykonos--which of course brings us our friend Tassos Stamatos, chief of homicide investigations for the Cyclades. The mysterious Teacher weaves a web of murder and deceit over decadent Mykonos, alone in Greece in the middle of the financial crisis but feeling the pressures from the outside like never before. Kaldis and company can only get on the edges of the bigger threat in this one before settling for the smaller fish. This installment promises to bring forth a recurring challenge as Teacher's network of criminal activity continues to intrude into the purview and life of Greece's most honest, principled, and relentless cop.… (meer)

The first Kaldis mystery without significant time devoted to the antagonists until the very end (post-solution). Target: Tinos brings us to a less known island, similarly religious and mystical in the vein of Prey on Patmos. Again, the Kaldis team is together (Maggie, Yianni, and Tassos) to help the Chief Inspector solve the tricky homicides while getting to the church on time to get married. This one benefits from being tough to solve until the two-thirds of the way through point while offering interesting insights on Tinos, a mystery of sorts all on its own. The only complaint is that we now have three in a row where the antagonists' motives are Blofeldian in scope--if only in terms of international or universal ambition. Whatever the quibbles, an enjoyable case!… (meer)

Promoted from Mykonos to Athens, Andreas Kaldis is introduced to two new essential characters in the Kaldis universe--Maggie, the wizened girl Friday; and Lila, the widowed lover of Chief Inspector Kaldis. This second installment finds our hero confronting a murder connected to the modern application of an ancient Athenian ritual. A commentary on Greek society, politics, and modern Athenian life, you won't be kept guessing too much in this one, except for how exactly Kaldis will get vengeance. Happy to see a reconciliation with Tassos--too good a character from Murder in Mykonos to leave behind.… (meer)

We have the gang back together to solve a bizarre and brutal murder of a beloved Orthodox monk on the island of revelations--Patmos--heading into Easter. While Kaldis is trying to ruin his perfect life relationship with a rich, beautiful, and very pregnant Lila, his gang of regulars, Kouros, Tassos, and Maggie are aiding him from all sides in hunting down the criminal. As is customary with a Kaldis mystery, a substantial portion of the narration comes from the murderer's perspective. A pleasant trip to another Greek locale as if one were actually there.… (meer)