The Athenian Murders [Paperback]

A brilliantly sketched historical mystery, The Athenian Murders is a marvellous literary conundrum that evokes such other delights as Imberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Arturo Perez-Reverte' s The Dumas Club. The novel revolves around two intertwined riddles and is the first to be translated into English by an award winning Cuban author, now resident in Spain.

In Athens, a pupil of Plato's Academy is found dead and his teacher suspects this was no accident. He asks Heracles, the "Decipherer of Enigmas", to investigate the case and the murky cult that surrounds it. The second plot unfolds in parallel through the footnotes of the translator of the original Greek text and soon leads the reader to suspect the author of the tale has something to hide too. Plot within plot, meaning inside meaning, the story develops in a fascinating manner that will enchant both mystery fans and scholars as reality is shown to be somewhat untrustworthy. This is a delight of intellectual prowess and sheer fun. --Maxim Jakubowski --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A delightfully paranoic read on both ancient and modern planes with enough literary cunning to satisfy fans of Nabokov's PALE FIRE as well as THE NAME OF THE ROSE (INDEPENDENT )

Extremely subtle and intelligent...totally absorbing (EVENING STANDARD )

It works, superbly (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

This is both a riveting historical novel and a subtle, unpretentious investigation of what happens when writers write and readers read. (SUNDAY TIMES )

'Terrific' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'[Somoza's]erudite mix of ancient crime and modern detection transcends the usual confines of the historical whodunnit' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

* Inside an ancient Greek murder story lives a modern day literary murder mystery.

* A brilliant, very entertaining and absolutely original literary mystery, revolving round two intertwined riddles.

THE ATHENIAN MURDERS is a brilliant, very entertaining and absolutely original literary mystery, revolving round two intertwined riddles. In classical Athens, one of the pupils of Plato's Academy is found dead. His idealistic teacher suspects that this wasn't an accident and asks Herakles, known as the 'Decipherer of Enigmas', to investigate the death and ultimately a dark, irrational and subversive cult. The second plot unfolds in parallel through the footnotes of the translator of the text. As he proceeds with his work, he becomes increasingly convinced that the original author has hidden a second meaning, which can be brought to light by interpreting certain repeated words and images. As the main plot and also the translation of the manuscript advances, there are certain sinister coincidences, and it seems that the text is addressing him personally and in an increasingly menacing manner... THE ATHENIAN MURDERS constitutes a highly compelling, entertaining and intelligent game about the different ways we can see and read reality, about our refusal to take things 'as they are' and our need to interpret hidden meanings into everyday life.

Born in Habana in 1959 Somoza is a qalified psychiatrist but has been writing full-time since 1994. His many awards inc. the Cervantes Theatre Prize & the Cafe Gijon Prize & his novel DAFNE DESVANECIDA was shortlisted for 1 of Spain's most prestigious awards- the Nadal Prize.