Death on Delos

Starred review from May 8, 2017
Corby’s excellent seventh Athenian mystery (after 2016’s The Singer from Memphis) takes Nicolaos, the only private investigator in Athens; his pregnant priestess wife and investigative partner, Diotima; and Athenian statesman Pericles to the island of Delos: the repository of the treasury of the Delian League, a NATO-like mutual defense organization of independent city-states. Diotima’s plans to dedicate holy offerings to Artemis and Apollo are overshadowed by Pericles’s announcement that he intends to take the treasure back to Athens to protect it from the Persians, whose reconquest of Egypt makes them a more serious threat to Delos and other southern islands in the league. The Delians object vigorously, and Pericles’s efforts to overcome their resistance is complicated by a murder, which Nicolaos and Diotima must solve—and quickly. Once again, Corby combines an ingenious whodunit with convincing period detail. This humorous and educational ancient historical series gets better and better with each entry. Agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary.

May 15, 2017
On the sacred isle of Delos, the priestess Diotima, multitasker extraordinaire, must tamp down the turmoil created by brutish politico Pericles, solve a tricky murder, and then give birth.Greece, 545 B.C.E.: Diotima and her attentive husband, arch narrator Nicolaos, have come for a ceremonial dedication of offerings. Not far behind, Athenian general Pericles has brought a large troop of soldiers to the idyllic isle. Pericles carries the report of a possible threat from the Persians, who have recently invaded and seized Egypt. Pericles, in civilian clothes so as not to alarm the natives, makes no secret of his disdain for Nicolaos. Peace-loving Anaxinos, the High Priest in charge of the island, is understandably resistant to Pericles' plan to appropriate Delos' treasury. Convincing the venerable old priest Geros of the wisdom of cooperation seems to be the key to avoiding violence, but his violent murder changes things considerably. When Pericles steps forward and clumsily proposes an Athenian investigator, Anaxinos outflanks him by appointing Diotima, who can start immediately, to undertake the probe. The word "nemesis," written on the wall near the body, provides the first solid clue. The culture clash between cosmopolitan Athens and remote Delos figures prominently in Diotima's handling of potential suspects as she delves deep into the victim's past in order to find someone with a murderous grudge against him. In his brisk seventh mystery set in the world of ancient Greece (The Singer from Memphis, 2016, etc.), Corby highlights the crackling chemistry between the two leads and provides another helpful, amusing list of characters that includes a description of and a quotation from each of them.

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May 1, 2017

This seventh book (after The Singer from Memphis) in Corby's well-received series set in ancient Greece finds the heavily pregnant priestess Diotima and her intrepid private investigator husband, Nico, on the sacred island of Delos, the birthplace of the twin deities Apollo and Artemis. Unfortunately for Diotima, it is illegal to give birth here; likewise dying is forbidden. But murder has tainted the isle, and Athenian forces are on hand to remove the treasury of the Delian League, which angers the local holy population, leaving Diotima and Nico to prevail against raiders, murderers, and thieves. VERDICT The amalgamation of energetic action, amusing characters, and fascinating story lines based on accessible and absorbing historical facts will delight new and old fans alike. Readers who enjoy the ancient world detective series by Lindsey Davis or Steven Saylor may also appreciate this title.--ACT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2017
Corby's seventh in the Athenian Mystery series puts his sixth-century-BCE sleuthing duo of Nicolaos and Diotima on an island hedged round with constraints. The island is Delos, the sacred birthplace of the twins Apollo and Artemis. Dying and giving birth on Delos are illegal. So, when the high priestess of Athens selects the pregnant priestess Diotima to accompany Athens' annual gifts to the gods of Delos, it's problematic. And when Diotima's husband, Nicolaos (investigator for the statesman Pericles), finds the dead body of a high priest on the island, the stress level skyrockets. It doesn't help that the priest has a sacrificial dagger sticking out of his chest. The word Nemesis, the name of the goddess devoted to revenge, is scrawled in blood on the wall next to the victim. Is this revenge completed or just getting started? The murder may or may not be connected to the fact that Pericles has led an Athenian fleet to convey the treasure of Delos back to Athens. However, the people of Delos do connect Nicolaos to the crime, since he found the body. Diotima moves to first-sleuth position this time in a refreshingly original touch. There's so much to admire here: Corby seamlessly works in Greek myths and history; the details of everyday life, like rituals, coins, and food, are part of the fabric of the mystery; and Nicolaos and Diotima's witty, sexy relationship seems like a BCE version of Nick and Nora Charles. Another outstanding entry in a consistently excellent series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)