The Messenger of Athens (Mysteries of/Greek Detective 1)
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Product Description
Joanna Briscoe
'Atmospheric and compelling'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Review
'In this fascinating thriller, the remote Greek island of Thiminos seems untouched and untroubled by modern life - until the battered body of a young woman is found at the foot of a cliff' Woman's Own 'Absorbing and beautifully written and reveals the savage, superstitious reality behind the pretty facade that is all that most of us know of any Greek island' Literary Review 'This powerfully atmospheric mystery embraces Mediterranean passion, mythic meddling and patriarchal persecution. First-time novelist Anne Zouroudi proves a natural at the dark arts of writing Euro-crime' Independent 'A really good summer read' Choice
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Why is a young woman lying dead at the bottom of a moutainside, and why have the local police declined to investigate? And how is the mystery linked to the local way of life?
This isn't a typical crime novel: it's as much an examination of the social and cultural factors influencing the crime as a whodunit, and the pace is quite leisurely (although it never drags its feet). It's set on a small Greek island, in winter, when everyone is struggling to make ends meet, and I can vouch for its authenticity, from my acquaintance with the remote Greek community where I read this. (Wish I was still there.) It's unusually well-written, rich with description, and full of excellent characters and dialogue. The resolution satisfies, and the enigma of the in-coming investigator's origins is quite intriguing! Anne Zouroudi is a talented writer, and her book deserves to do an awful lot better than I suspect it will (not helped by the fact that her surname begins with a Z; have a look, next time you're in a bookshop, and watch where people tend to peruse the shelves). Thoroughly recommended, but maybe not for those who like their crime lightning-paced and full of action.
This isn't a typical crime novel: it's as much an examination of the social and cultural factors influencing the crime as a whodunit, and the pace is quite leisurely (although it never drags its feet). It's set on a small Greek island, in winter, when everyone is struggling to make ends meet, and I can vouch for its authenticity, from my acquaintance with the remote Greek community where I read this. (Wish I was still there.) It's unusually well-written, rich with description, and full of excellent characters and dialogue. The resolution satisfies, and the enigma of the in-coming investigator's origins is quite intriguing! Anne Zouroudi is a talented writer, and her book deserves to do an awful lot better than I suspect it will (not helped by the fact that her surname begins with a Z; have a look, next time you're in a bookshop, and watch where people tend to peruse the shelves). Thoroughly recommended, but maybe not for those who like their crime lightning-paced and full of action.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this on holiday in 5 hours and found it "unputdownable" if I may be excused the clichee. Not a dull word. Not a wasted word. Lots of atmosphere and a fast paced plot. Zouroudi writes beautifully and develops her own flavour of the Greek islands (the book compares favourably with Captain Corelli's Mandolin and The Island (by Victoria Hislop). The story moves remorselessly to an unpredictable but very satisfying and poetic ending. I look forward eagerly to her next book. Strongly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The cover of my copy of the book carries the Independent's review quotation 'Powerfully Atmospheric' and the book lives up to this. This is an antidote to the romantic notion of a sunny Greek island peopled by generous hospitable people. This is a claustraphobic island, lashed by wind and storms, and peopled by a collection of nasty individuals living a medieval lifestyle. Perhaps it is accurate on all counts but for me the writing style did not overcome the burden of the caste of unsympathetic characters. I felt they all deserved each other but I deserved a more gripping read in return for putting up with them for 274 pages.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Loose ends all neatly tied together
On a small Greek island steeped in tradition and social ritual, a woman is found dead. The local police are happy to brush the incident aside as suicide or accident, but the sudden... Read more
Published 4 hours ago by neverendings
Zouroudi's 'Messenger' delivers an exciting tale!
In the modern crime fiction genre, setting a mystery in Greece is not a commonplace occurrence. In Anne Zouroudi's "The Messenger of Athens" we find--and do not object--that this... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Billy J. Hobbs
Fabulous reading!!!
Was totally hooked with the mysterious detective and have been on to buy the next two books in the series, fabulous writing by Anne Zouroudi and would recommend to anyone who likes... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Levesy
Excellent read
I had this author recommended to me by a Dutch friend whilst I was in Greece, on returning home I gave this book a try and found it an excellent read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by rolfie
A good read
Quite a different crime novel to that I usually read but once I got into it I found it really good. I intend to read more of the Greek Detective series.
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. Hilda M. Halliday
Not quite.......
I very much enjoyed reading The Lady of Sorrows ~ it vividly brought back memories of our holidays on Greek islands. Read more
Published 9 months ago by stillarobin
Well Worth Reading
The characters are fascinating and the plot keeps you guessing. This author always brings the places she writes about in Greece come to life. Read more
Published 12 months ago by The Moo
Good idea but too slow-paced.
It's fairly obvious from a few pages in that the author is giving us a play on words, with "the MYSTERIES of the Greek detective" referring to both mysteries as in the murder... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr K Williams
Beautifully written
Though at first I found it a little hard to get into (though that might have been the author's fault) by the end I was loving it. Read more
Published 18 months ago by C. Poulson
Descriptive and delightful
The first in the series - I read it whilst sitting in a Taverna overlooking the sea and drinking Retsina. Read more
Published 20 months ago by jjramfan
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