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

by Jeffrey Siger, Poisoned Pen Press Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki

Overview

Did the warriors of ancient Sparta simply vanish without a trace along with their city, or did they find sanctuary in the Mani region 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 him 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 so too the deal.

Acting swiftly to head off a new cycle of violence, Kouros satisfactorily solves the murder-or so it seems. Back in Athens, Kaldis' probe into deeply entrenched government corruption leads straight back to the Mani. Both detectives now confront a host of unexpected twists, unanticipated players, unanswered questions-and people yet to die.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

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

Kirkus Reviews

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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169547184
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Series:	Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Series , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

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