Target

Starred review from April 2, 2012
Set on the Aegean pilgrimage island of Tinos, Siger’s superb fourth procedural featuring Chief Insp. Andreas Kaldis (after 2011’s Prey on Patmos) cleverly integrates the ancient with the modern. When Andreas looks into the mysterious immolation of two gypsies on Telos, apparently a hate crime against immigrants, he faces formidable pressures from his fiery fiancée, Lila, whom he’s to marry in six days on nearby Mykonos—and from his wily boss, Spiros Renatis, who abruptly orders him to close the investigation. While the Greek government can’t afford bad publicity during the country’s current financial crisis, Andreas, aided by his feisty chief assistant, Yianni Kouros, and his friend Tassos Stamatos, chief homicide investigator for the Cyclades, pursues this eerie case, which soon involves ruthless Albanian mobsters, the history of Greek independence from Turkey, and a Tinos-based esoteric cult. A likable, compassionate lead; appealing Greek atmosphere; and a well-crafted plot help make this a winner.

May 15, 2012
What worries Chief Inspector Kaldis more, his inability to solve an incendiary murder or his impending nuptials? In the middle of the night, a van has been set on fire with two bodies inside. Nearby is a charred Greek flag, and a message chained to the steering wheel declares, "Revenge or Death," ominously close to the Greek national motto, "Freedom or Death." It's a strange sight, especially on the quietly beautiful Greek island of Tinos as viewed from a helicopter by Andreas Kaldis, head of Greece's Special Crimes Division. The victims, whose identities are first established by their jewelry and subsequently confirmed via DNA, are a pair of tsigani--gypsies, who in Greece prefer to be called Rom. Modern technology has made the Rom, who have a well-earned reputation for criminality, more traceable. But that's the extent of the investigators' luck. Theories of the crime abound. Andreas, with his sidekicks Yianni, Kouros and Tassos, considers whether there's been a skirmish between criminal families or a hate crime. An outspoken Greek hotelier named Eleni even speculates that it's an attack on the church. But the team gains little traction in the investigation. Regular, baffling distractions come via Andreas' pending wedding to his longtime ladylove Lila, who requires his involvement in selecting her wedding dress...and other embarrassments. The case languishes, but Andreas' stoic persistence and more murders keep it alive. A late-summer festival on Tinos provides a backdrop for cracking the complex case. The fourth case for a sleuth who doesn't suffer fools gladly (Prey on Patmos, 2011, etc.) pairs a crisp style with a complex portrait of contemporary Greece to bolster another solid whodunit.

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May 1, 2012

Andreas Kaldis, head of Greece's Special Crimes Division, is scheduled to be married--but with two charred corpses and a possible Gypsy clan war to deal with, he may not make it to the altar. Threats abound, from Andreas's politically motivated boss who wants things cleaned up neatly for the international press to a mysterious criminal force known only as the Shepherd. In his fourth series outing (after Prey on Patmos), the tough but engaging Andreas investigates a brutal plan that just may include the heist of one of Greece's most cherished religious icons, the Megalochari. Fast-paced, this thriller also serves as a kind of modern travelog and mini-history lesson on Greece rolled into one. VERDICT An interesting and highly entertaining police procedural for those who wish to read their way around the globe and especially for those inclined to move away from some of the "chilly" Scandinavian thrillers and into warmer climes. [See Prepub Alert, 3/21/12.]--Sally Harrison, Ocean Cty. Lib., Waretown, NJ

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Siger's latest Inspector Kaldis Mystery throbs with the pulse of Greek culture. Kaldis, head of the Athens Special Crimes Division, faces two challenges in this adventure: making sense of two dead and burned bodies that his superiors want to write off as internal Gypsy politics, and getting ready for his own rapidly approaching high-society wedding. Lucky for him, the clues to the Gypsy killings lead to Tinos, just one island over from the location of the wedding, widely regarded as the social event of the season. Kaldis' stubborn refusal to overlook evidence and run roughshod over political correctness endangers not only himself and his coworkers but also his family, making him more than willing to bend the rules to catch the killers and do anything to keep his loved ones safe. Make sure to suggest this engaging series to fans of Leighton Gage's Mario Silva series (A Vine in the Blood, 2011), set in Brazil but very similar in terms of mood and feel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)