Sons of Sparta (Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Series #6)

by Jeffrey Siger

Overview

"Siger paints travelogue-worthy pictures of a breathtakingly beautiful—if politically corrupt—Greece." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review

Did the warriors of ancient Sparta simply vanish without a trace along with their city, or did they find sanctuary at the tip of the mountainous Peloponnese? That stark, unforgiving region's roots today run deep with a history of pirates, highwaymen, and neighbors ferociously repelling any foreigner foolishly bent on occupying this part of Greece. Less well-recorded are the Mani's families' strict code of honor and their history of endless vendettas with neighbors and with their own relatives. No wonder their farms look like fortresses.

When Special Crimes Division Detective Yiannis Kouros is summoned from Athens to the Mani by his uncle, Kouros fears his loyalty to his boss, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, is about be to be tested by family pressure on the detective to act in some new vendetta, for this uncle once headed the Mani's most significant criminal enterprise. Instead, Kouros learns the family is about to become rich through the sale of its property—until the uncle is killed, and thus the deal. Acting swiftly to head off a new cycle of violence, Kouros satisfactorily solves the murder. Or so it seems until, back in Athens, Kaldis' probe into deeply entrenched government corruption leads straight back to the Mani. Both cops now confront a host of unexpected twists, unanticipated players, unanswered questions—and people yet to die.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464203169
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Series:	Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Series , #6
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	14 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jeffrey Siger was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, practiced law at a major Wall Street law firm, and later established his own New York City law firm where he continued as one of its name partners until giving it all up to write full-time among the people, life, and politics of his beloved Mykonos. The Mykonos Mob is the tenth novel in his internationally best-selling and award nominated Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series, following up on An Aegean April, Santorini Caesars, Devil in Delphi, Sons of Sparta, Mykonos After Midnight, Target: Tinos, Prey on Patmos, Assassins of Athens, and Murder in Mykonos.

The New York Times described Jeffrey Siger's novels as "thoughtful police procedurals set in picturesque but not untroubled Greek locales," and named him as Greece's thriller writer of record. The Greek Press called his work "prophetic," Eurocrime described him as a "very gifted American author…on a par with other American authors such as Joseph Wambaugh or Ed McBain," and the City of San Francisco awarded him its Certificate of Honor citing that his "acclaimed books have not only explored modern Greek society and its ancient roots but have inspired political change in Greece." He now lives in Greece.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/11/2014
For Chief Insp. Andreas Kaldis, interacting with known crime boss Orestes is just another day at the office in Siger’s perfectly plotted sixth mystery set in Greece (after 2013’s Mykonos After Midnight). But for Special Crimes Division detective Yianni Kouros things get a little too personal when a beloved relative, Uncle, drives his car off a cliff on the road to Cape Tenaro. This fatal “accident” appears directly or indirectly connected to Orestes. Even though Uncle had “retired” from running his own crime syndicate for a decade, he was knee-deep in a land deal that’s beginning to smell fishier than a net full of sunbaked sea bass. Of course, Uncle’s demise puts the kibosh on that deal, and the intrepid detectives must figure out who benefits from the old man’s death before Kouros’s cousins revive ancient family feuds. Siger’s paints travelogue-worthy pictures of a breathtakingly beautiful—if politically corrupt—Greece. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Filled with local color, action, and humor, this story will give readers a taste of modern Greek culture and its ancient roots."

Booklist

2014-10-09
A rugged region of Greece harbors rough and vengeful crime syndicates. Is veteran Inspector Kaldis tough enough to break them? Detective Yianni Kouros is summoned by his uncle to the remote region of Mani in Southern Greece, where lawlessness is common and family bonds are tight. Uncle, who formerly ran a small criminal empire, is about to sell his land to a developer in light of a recent tourist boom that threatens to change the nature of the area drastically. Shortly after absorbing this remarkable news, Kouros gets a call in Athens from his cousin Mangas reporting that Uncle has died after his car ran off the road. Kouros is immediately worried that it's the start of a bloody clan war. "Time to speak to the chief"—that is, his boss, Andreas Kaldis. Not one to mince words or avoid confrontation, Kaldis, who heads the country's Special Crime Division, immediately confronts Orestes, Mani's criminal alpha dog, who makes a point of snubbing him. At Uncle's funeral, Kouros is shocked to see his grieving cousin Calliope challenge her brothers to seek vengeance via a bristling poem she delivers at her father's grave. Tassos Stamatos, chief homicide investigator for the Cyclades islands, recommends that Andreas steer clear of Orestes, but that's hardly his style; when he learns that Uncle was poisoned, his course is set. Kouros, meanwhile, seeks to befriend Uncle's mates in the local tavern and elsewhere. Both lawmen are surprised by the identity of the killer. Kaldis' sixth case (Mykonos After Midnight, 2013, etc.) offers a lively, gritty plot, an abundance of local color and two righteous heroes.

Kirkus Reviews