Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Taint of Midas (The Greek Detective #2)
by
Anne Zouroudi (Goodreads Author)
Gabrilis Kaloyeros is a bee-keeper on the beautiful Greek island of Arcadia. The ruined Temple of Apollo has been in his care for decades, and he has worked to protect it. But when crooked developers take over the island and the value of the land soars, he is persuaded through unscrupulous means to sign away his interest. Hours later he meets a violent, lonely death.
When d...more
When d...more
Published
(first published January 1st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
306)
There is a definite tinge of Mr. Harley Quin in this book's "the fat man" and this study on greed for money. The author is Greek but lives in England and the book certainly has no difficulty for unilingual English readers. There are Greek phrases, but the obvious ones of greeting, so it doesn't matter if they are familiar or not since you know what the intent is. You can certainly feel the heat of a Greek summer in the writing as the dust gets up your nose, everyone becomes slow, and you really...more
Anne Zouroudi's The Taint of Midas was a wonderful surprise, not only because of the clever protag, Hermes Diaktoros, the rich language and lush Greek setting, but because Midas is just the second of six in the series.
Hermes is presented as a bit odd, eccentric. He's usually not named, but is referred to as "the fat man", though he's light on his feet, and when described at the beach, his torso is strong and muscled. His background and occupation are not explained, but he's remarkably knowledge...more
Hermes is presented as a bit odd, eccentric. He's usually not named, but is referred to as "the fat man", though he's light on his feet, and when described at the beach, his torso is strong and muscled. His background and occupation are not explained, but he's remarkably knowledge...more
I read the following review, and agree with it. However, I postulate that the "fat man" is an allegory for a god messing around w/ the humans...
Life on this Greek island has been disturbed. The head of a dysfunctional family is concerned that the season is too short to allow him to make as much money from his business activities - catering to tourists - as he would like. His solution: build holiday homes that will turn the once-a-year visitors into permanent residents. But he needs the land on w...more
Life on this Greek island has been disturbed. The head of a dysfunctional family is concerned that the season is too short to allow him to make as much money from his business activities - catering to tourists - as he would like. His solution: build holiday homes that will turn the once-a-year visitors into permanent residents. But he needs the land on w...more
THE TAINT OF MIDAS by Anne Zouroudi
A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
07/11 - Little, Brown & Company – Hardcover, 306 pages
Does right always win over wrong?
The return of Hermes Diaktoros, aka The Fat Man is again a quiet, understated event that has him working with the police on a case but this time it is personal. His elderly friend was the victim of a hit and run, left injured to die alone. Hermes is going to do right by his friend and make sure that whoever did this will see justice one way or a...more
A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
07/11 - Little, Brown & Company – Hardcover, 306 pages
Does right always win over wrong?
The return of Hermes Diaktoros, aka The Fat Man is again a quiet, understated event that has him working with the police on a case but this time it is personal. His elderly friend was the victim of a hit and run, left injured to die alone. Hermes is going to do right by his friend and make sure that whoever did this will see justice one way or a...more
Book Review by Linda S. Brown
4/4/2011
The Taint of Midas
Anne Zouroudi
Reagan Arthur /July 20, 2011
I missed Zouroudi’s first book in the Seven Deadly Sins series, THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS, but savored this second book, THE TAINT OF MIDAS. It has a deliciously slow, sunbaked, dusty pace: slightly melancholy, slightly drowsy, but sharpened by the dry humor of its protagonist, and by the hidden secrets and tensions of a small village on a small Greek island being overtaken by progress, and the village...more
4/4/2011
The Taint of Midas
Anne Zouroudi
Reagan Arthur /July 20, 2011
I missed Zouroudi’s first book in the Seven Deadly Sins series, THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS, but savored this second book, THE TAINT OF MIDAS. It has a deliciously slow, sunbaked, dusty pace: slightly melancholy, slightly drowsy, but sharpened by the dry humor of its protagonist, and by the hidden secrets and tensions of a small village on a small Greek island being overtaken by progress, and the village...more
Life on this Greek island has been disturbed. The head of a dysfunctional family is concerned that the season is too short to allow him to make as much money from his business activities - catering to tourists - as he would like. His solution: build holiday homes that will turn the once-a-year visitors into permanent residents. But he needs the land on which to build: if you smell potential for corruption, you're not wrong. At the same time, the genial Fat Man who serves as the author's slightly...more
I didn't read the first book in this series yet, although I don't think that's a hindrance with this series. The detective, Hermes Diaktoros, is mysterious. He appears suddenly, disappears suddenly, chats with everyone and helps change their lives. He is often called "the fat one" in the story, which I found annoying, but after reading some other reviewers' thoughts on how the epithet might be an oblique reference to Diaktoros as a god, I have softened a bit towards it.
Diaktoros has come to the...more
Diaktoros has come to the...more
An elderly farmer is killed by a hit-and-run driver. One of his oldest friends happens upon his body, and becomes the leading suspect, until forensic tests show that the victim was hit by a white car--the friend, Hermes Diaktoros, drives a red car. Diaktoros, heavy-set, meticulous about his clothes, always polite, befriends the two honest policeman on the case, and determines to investigate himself. As he has not been in the Arcadia area of Greece for a while, he also registers changes, many of...more
I have discovered - and probably already knew, but forgot - but in the reading guide, it states that this series will be one book of each of the deadly sins. As is apparent from the title, this one is greed.
Hermes Diaktoros is a mysterious figure. He is apparently quite wealthy. When he returns to his home on a Greek island, he finds an old friend that has been killed. The police suspect him at first of hitting the old man and knocking him off the road, but there is no damage to his car. Hermes...more
Hermes Diaktoros is a mysterious figure. He is apparently quite wealthy. When he returns to his home on a Greek island, he finds an old friend that has been killed. The police suspect him at first of hitting the old man and knocking him off the road, but there is no damage to his car. Hermes...more
I like warm places, I like quaint villages, I like unique characters, I like a leisurely pace. I like this Hermes Diaktoros, otherwise known as the "fat man". He is warm and chatty yet mysterious and with holding. He is an enigma. What is his interest? Where does his knowledge come from? Who does he work for? What does he want?
Is it justice? Is it revenge? Does he seek to balance the scales? Or, does he merely seek a glass of wine some nicely prepared seafood and a good conversation with a frien...more
Is it justice? Is it revenge? Does he seek to balance the scales? Or, does he merely seek a glass of wine some nicely prepared seafood and a good conversation with a frien...more
Speed read to the end: Not much a mystery to the plot. Author seems to think that throwing around some Greek idioms (including overuse of one that I'd hoped would have been retired by 2013) excuses a poor plot. Same old thing: Greed and tourism despoil the countryside. One detail was interesting: The "fat man" could not find someone to tend to his grapes/winemaking. I bet today he'd have an easier time--I'd just read that, due to the poor economy, young people were flocking back to the islands t...more
I read the first two of these, the second being for our book group and thinking it'd be better to read the first one too. I don't get it: Is this magical realism, or is this guy a genius or is he a 'god' from the ancients... All I can get is that he has this thing about putting white shoe polish on canvas gym shoes. If canvas for the author is the same as what I think of as canvas, then why isn't it soaking in and staining everything?
Anyway, they are well enough plotted and interesting enough fo...more
Anyway, they are well enough plotted and interesting enough fo...more
Blue sea, hot sand, sleepy villages with old men drinking ouzo in cafés, badly built hotels and other monstrosities of modern development, corrupt police, and ancient Greek myths that won't go away—Zouroudi certainly knows Greece and creates a detailed portrait. In a world of frenetically-paced thrillers, Taint of Midas has the cadences of a lazy afternoon nap in a hammock—just the thing if you’re suffering from an overdose of busy life. For the complete review review
In this second book of the series by Anne Zouroudi, I find exactly the same qualities that intrigued me about her first novel.
So I'm copy/pasting from my review of The Messenger of Athens:
"The descriptions of the Greek landscape, the flora and the fauna are very accurate, almost scientifically exact. All of this fascinated me more than the mystery plot, and I truly did not care at all about who done it and why; I let myself enjoy the descriptions of the Greek rural domain and its people.
The au...more
So I'm copy/pasting from my review of The Messenger of Athens:
"The descriptions of the Greek landscape, the flora and the fauna are very accurate, almost scientifically exact. All of this fascinated me more than the mystery plot, and I truly did not care at all about who done it and why; I let myself enjoy the descriptions of the Greek rural domain and its people.
The au...more
The Taint of Midas is the second installment in Zouroudi’s Greek Detective series. Hermes Diaktoros finds an old friend’s body at the side of the road following a hit and run accident. The police quickly suspect him of being responsible, but Daiktoros is not deterred from searching for the true culprit and encounters a family driven by greed along the way.
This novel is both similar and different from the first in the series. There are still descriptive passages that do little to move the narrati...more
This novel is both similar and different from the first in the series. There are still descriptive passages that do little to move the narrati...more
I wasn't as in love with book #2 in The Greek Detective series. Maybe it's because the book I finished before this was a marathon devouring of the Hunger Games, and anything after that roller coaster would be hard to feel captivated by. This time around I found myself distracted, the Greek names hard to keep straight, and halfway through the book I had a realization. The fat man is God. Not the all loving God of the new testament, but the fat man definitely reminds me of the all vengeful God fou...more
Hmmm. I really enjoyed the writing. The author was born in England and has lived in the Greek Islands. It IS a mystery, a genre I enjoy, which features Hermes Diaktoros who is known as the "fat man." Quirky. Rather Poirot-ish but large. Not nearly as dark as scandinavian crime fiction but like the scandinavian books, location is important, here set in Greece. Some of the villians were eliminated in rather contrived and almost humorous ways. Included Greek names (impossible for me to keep in my b...more
I enjoyed this much more than Anne Zouroudi's first book, but I think I've gopt a better idea of what she is doing in this series. This books is a murder mystery, but it also explores how greed can destroy lives, and coorupt people, so it's theme is wider than just the murder. I really like her detective, Hermes Diaktotos, and I hope she extends this series past the seven deadly sins, which are her themes at the moment. I'm definitely going to be looking out for the rest of this series.
Set in Greece (which makes it unique among contemporary mysteries), this novel elaborating again the evils of the "everything worth doing is worth doing for money syndrome." In the end the punishments provided by the nameless "fat man" who delivers them is appropriately adequate and exemplary.
Zouroudi takes her reader to sun-drenched Greece to solve a murder. She treats each of the reader's senses to a veritable banquet of sensations, from the heat of the summer sun to the sizzle and crackle of cooking freshly caught fish. This is a wonderful winter escape for anyone.
These are wonderful books (this is the second) featuring the detective/fixer/investigator Hermes Diaktoros (who may be more than he appears). The good guys are human and real, and the bad guys are human and sad -- you come away sympathetic to both. Well worth reading, good for a complex puzzle and a warm feeling on a cold night.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Excellent! Zouroudi really makes you feel like you're there. I could almost smell the olive trees and feel the Mediterranean breeze. And I like the "detective" who is a cross between Hercule Poirot and the Count of Monte Cristo. First book is Messenger of Athens; this is the second.
Second of the Greek Detective series. I was reading it whilst in Greece and the some of the images described in the book we actually witnessed whilst there which added to the enjoyment of the book. A story of human nature with a mystery to solve within.
Very atmospheric...loved the descriptions of Greek island life...love the enigmatic Greek detective - "the Fat Man"...endearing character....would highly recommend it...best read in a hammock on a lazy Sunday afternoon in an overgrown garden!
Zouroudi has created an unique character and her own, different to other normal crime stories, way of fascinating the reader.
I am not sure if we could call our charming and funny Diaktoros a private detective. He is such a natural character and person. Every story about him is a pure joy. Wonderful described world and captivatingly atmosphere.
I really recommend the series! Every single book in it is readable without having read the first one and you will have a thrilling time.
Go and pick one up!...more
I am not sure if we could call our charming and funny Diaktoros a private detective. He is such a natural character and person. Every story about him is a pure joy. Wonderful described world and captivatingly atmosphere.
I really recommend the series! Every single book in it is readable without having read the first one and you will have a thrilling time.
Go and pick one up!...more
Nov 01, 2011
The Library Lady
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-mysteries
Hermes is in many ways a Greek Hercule Poirot, but with mysteries that make him far more interesting than Poirot--I'm not a big Christie fan anyway.
Zouroudi really takes you to Greece, to small islands and small island life. This second installment of her series had characters you really wanted to stay with-if she ever decides to go in a new direction the police officers in this book could have a fine series of their own!
Zouroudi really takes you to Greece, to small islands and small island life. This second installment of her series had characters you really wanted to stay with-if she ever decides to go in a new direction the police officers in this book could have a fine series of their own!
I still appreciate the atmospheric moodiness of Zouroudi's writing. Her protagonist is clearly not an 'inspector' but an semi-magical intervenor...so is this book really a mystery? Genre-bending as it is, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale.
view 1 comment
It's a good old fashion mystery detective story. Well written. Couldn't decide to give it 3 or 4 stars. The food description was exquisite and mouth-watering. Some good insights on human behaviors plus a few twists and turns which kept me reading on. Overall, no surprises but enjoyable.
Rated this 3.5/5. Enjoyed a look at parts of the "real" Greece behind what the tourists see. Re the plot, I found the main character too much of an "angel from God" brought down to right wrongs. I would have preferred a real sleuth. Otherwise, a good read.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Born in rural Lincolnshire in 1959, Anne moved to South Yorkshire at the age of two. Following her education at Sheffield High School for Girls, she went into the IT industry, a career which took her to both New York’s Wall Street and Denver, Colorado. In America she began to take seriously her ambition to write fiction, and bought a typewriter for her first short stories.
On returning to the UK, s...more
More about Anne Zouroudi...
On returning to the UK, s...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
