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Murder in Mykonos (Andreas Kaldis Mystery #1)

by Jeffrey Siger (Goodreads Author)

3.49 · rating details · 98 ratings · 37 reviews

When politically incorrect, hot-shot detective Andreas Kaldis is promoted out of Athens to serve as police chief for Mykonos, he’s certain his homicide days are over. Murders shouldn’t happen in tourist heaven, but soon he is staring at the remains of a young woman found ritually bound and buried on a pile of human bones inside a remote mountain church. Teamed with the can...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published January 1st 2010 by Poisoned Pen Press (first published January 2008)

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Feb 23, 2010

LJ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary_post_1945, greece, male_author, mystery, police_procedural

First Sentence: Just past midnight the massive Rodanthi ferry silently made its grand entrance into the Mykonos’ narrow, crescent-shaped harbor.

Det. Andreas Kildis has been transferred from Athens to the role of police chief on Mykonos. Shortly after arriving he is summoned to a remote church where the body of a young woman has been found in a crypt beneath the floor. She is not alone. As the investigation develops, it becomes clear there has been a ritual serial killer on the is...moreFirst Sentence: Just past midnight the massive Rodanthi ferry silently made its grand entrance into the Mykonos’ narrow, crescent-shaped harbor.

Det. Andreas Kildis has been transferred from Athens to the role of police chief on Mykonos. Shortly after arriving he is summoned to a remote church where the body of a young woman has been found in a crypt beneath the floor. She is not alone. As the investigation develops, it becomes clear there has been a ritual serial killer on the island for almost 20 years.

I have always wanted to visit Greece and, in particular, Mykonos, but this book would almost deter me from that desire in spite of the very visual descriptions of the island and fascinating information on the old churches.

The character of the protagonist was well developed and I liked the relationship he established with Tassos Stamatos, the chief homicide investigator. It was this that, primarily, kept me reading. I understand the benefit of establishing conflict between characters. However, if the local government and police are truly representative, don’t think I’ll be going to Greece. There were a lot of suspects to the point where it seemed as though almost every secondary character introduced fit the police profile of the killer.

The plotting started well. As the story progressed, the plot degraded to where the scenes toward the end were highly improbable. Some of the forensic information, particularly with regard to DNA evidence, not only seemed inaccurate but almost became farcical…”He knew his DNA would be all over the tunnel…” making it sound as though one could pick it up like a cigarette butt. The ending was ambiguous and I felt it was very poorly done.

This was the author’s first book but I’m afraid it will be the only one I read. Had it not been for the protagonist and the setting, I might not have finished the book. However, for mysteries set in Greece, I’ll be returning to Mary Stewart.

MURDER IN MYKONOS (Pol Proc-Andreas Kildis-Greece-Cont) – Poor
Siger, Jeffrey – 1st in series
Poisoned Pen Press, ©2010, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781590585818
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Feb 03, 2012

Darrell Delamaide rated it

· review of another edition

Jeffrey Siger's accomplished procedural delivers everything you want from a murder mystery -- a plot with lots of twists and mounting suspense, a protagonist who's not perfect but sympathetic, and a great sense of place. It helps that the place in this instance is a beautiful, exotic island in the Aegean. I found the vicarious trip to Greece so real that I broke out the ouzo for an aperitif and cooked up a lamb stew from my Greek cookbook.

Inspector Andreas Kaldis is sent to Mykonos to ...moreJeffrey Siger's accomplished procedural delivers everything you want from a murder mystery -- a plot with lots of twists and mounting suspense, a protagonist who's not perfect but sympathetic, and a great sense of place. It helps that the place in this instance is a beautiful, exotic island in the Aegean. I found the vicarious trip to Greece so real that I broke out the ouzo for an aperitif and cooked up a lamb stew from my Greek cookbook.

Inspector Andreas Kaldis is sent to Mykonos to get him out of Athens, but instead of supervising drunk tourists and handing out parking tickets he stumbles upon what may be Greece's first ever serial killer. Obviously, having a killer on the loose who favors tall, blonde foreign women would not be great for tourism, the lifeblood not only of Mykonos but of all the islands. So there is considerable pressure on Kaldis to track down the killer quickly, and to do so without notifying anyone he exists.

Siger not only enables you to see, taste and smell Mykonos, he is a master at whipping around veils of deception that tease the reader with false conclusions -- about the identity of the victims, the possible murder suspects and the motives of Kaldis's law enforcement allies. He also does an admirable job of building the suspense, so that by the last third of the book you are clicking away at the "next page" button almost faster than you can read.

I went to Mykonos many years ago, perhaps in the simpler, less frenetic time that Kaldis himself recalls. The crass tourism depicted here might repel some readers, though Siger, who apparently lives in Mykonos himself, clearly is taken with its natural beauty. I'm sure the off-season is wonderful. The author also shows great insight into the Greek character, as well as the assortment of expats, dissipates, and tourists you find in great resort areas.

Siger makes great use of the local scenery -- the little churches with rounded tops (that you will never view with the same eyes again!), the old mining tunnels that evidently crisscross the island, the beautiful beaches where a young tourist realizes she will be more conspicuous if she leaves on her bathing suit. The author is adept at shifting the point of view between Andreas, our intrepid detective, and, for long passages, Annika, the engaging Dutch woman who is likely to become the killer's next victim. Less successful, perhaps because the author wants to keep as many suspects as possible, are the times we view the action from the killer's point of view.

There are several suspects, and it's an object lesson in how suspicion bordering on paranoia can cast even ordinary, innocent actions in a bad light. In a final tease, the author reveals the identity of the killer only in the last paragraph, and this may be a tease too many. Readers appreciate a little anticlimax, time to think back to the clues along the way, perhaps a reprise of how normal the other suspects look now that they are in the clear.

Siger has written two further Andreas Kaldis mysteries in the meantime, which I look forward to reading. He is published by Poisoned Pen Press, which has become a model for how a small, independent press can flourish in the new world of digital publishing.(less)

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Jan 02, 2012

Jeannie Blethen-Rigod rated it

For my loyal followers, I do want to make it clear that this fantastic novel is not a gentle cozy. No, this novel is a Police Procedural set on the Greek Island of Mykonos. This novel is hard hitting, action packed study of a serial killer that has been committing his atrocities for almost two decades.

Our sleuth is the new Chief of Police, Inspector Andreas Kaldis. He was promoted out of Athens due to being too good at his job and making certain politicians nervous.

We are int...more

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May 17, 2011

Brendan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, adventure-thriller, book-club, fiction, mystery

Siger’s first novel in the Inspector Kaldis series follows our intrepid detective as he wrestles with the challenges of policing a tourist island against thievery and corruption. Before he even gets settled in the job, an itinerant worker discovers an horrific murder, and before you can say “Opa!” we’re chasing a serial killer. A few quick thoughts:

Siger does a good job describing the atmosphere and attitude of the Greeks of Mykonos, though I’m not sure it’s a flattering picture....more

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Aug 25, 2010

Beth rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Beth by: murderblog@yahoo.com

Andreas Kaldis knows why he has been appointed chief of police in Mykonos. “…his departure from Athens – was exceptionally good news to certain powerful people. His aggressive investigation into a series of murders over control of the Athenian drug trade had worried them. Promoting him out of Athens – and out of the investigation – was a political masterstroke that even Andreas could appreciate. It hurt no one and made everyone happy. Everyone except Andreas.” His new job is to...more

Andreas Kaldis knows why he has been appointed chief of police in Mykonos. “…his departure from Athens – was exceptionally good news to certain powerful people. His aggressive investigation into a series of murders over control of the Athenian drug trade had worried them. Promoting him out of Athens – and out of the investigation – was a political masterstroke that even Andreas could appreciate. It hurt no one and made everyone happy. Everyone except Andreas.” His new job is to keep the people of Mykonos happy so that they in turn can keep the tourists happy. That is the business of Mykonos and now it is the business of Andreas Kaldis. He has been promoted into oblivion.

Unfortunately for all concerned, a few weeks after his arrival, a worker in one of Mykonos’ many old churches moves a stone slab and finds a body, the body of a tall young woman, her head shaved and her body laid out in a manner that can only be described as ritualistic. What makes it worse is that she is lying on top of other bones; the last body officially buried under the slab had been interred sixty years earlier. These bones are far more recent.

Andreas is joined in the investigation by Tassos Stamatos, the chief homicide investigator for the islands. Both men know immediately that there will be more bodies, that they are dealing with a serial killer. Female tourists, killed over as many as twenty years, is a frightening prospect. How could women be warned without panicking everyone on the island? The situation becomes infinitely more complicated from the viewpoint of Andreas and Tassos when Annika Vanden Haag is reported missing. Half Dutch and half Greek, she is the niece of Greece’s deputy minister of Public Order, the office in charge of all police.

Jeffrey Siger allows the reader to into the mind of the killer, to view his insanity. To the killer, the women are tributes to the gods. “He had first used prayer to survive his daily moments of childhood terror, later he developed other, more efficient means for coping with his past. He still practiced both as his tributes could attest to, had any remained alive….He knew just what to say to gain their trust and bring his foreign tributes down into his world among the foreign gods….” Sacrifices to the gods had long been done on the islands and he models his tributes on the marble figurines of elongated, naked females, completely smooth, which were created and then destroyed, sacrificed in place of humans. His knew the gods required so much more of him. Stone replacements couldn’t garner their protection. His gods needed real women. Nothing less could protect and bless him. He had to thank the gods and pay tribute to the saints of neglected churches and in so doing he would be invincible against his own demons.

Siger brings the story to a close in a manner that is satisfying to the reader, especially if the reader has been paying attention. Yet he does so in a manner that I don’t remember any other author using; it is clever and closes the circle of the story. More importantly, Siger brilliantly uses religious insanity to create the methods and means of murder without being in anyway disrespectful of the customs of the Greek Orthodox Church. Not an easy task but one he executes flawlessly.(less)

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Feb 27, 2010

Bernadette rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: greece, read-2010

Andreas Kildis has a new job as chief of Police on the Greek Island of Mykonos. He’s not particularly happy with his promotion as it has, he believes, taken him away from the action in Athens. However, soon after he arrives he is called to one of the island’s many churches where the body of a young woman has been discovered. It soon transpires that a serial killer of beautiful young foreign women has been operating un-noticed for 20 years or so. While trying to hide the fact of the killings in c...moreAndreas Kildis has a new job as chief of Police on the Greek Island of Mykonos. He’s not particularly happy with his promotion as it has, he believes, taken him away from the action in Athens. However, soon after he arrives he is called to one of the island’s many churches where the body of a young woman has been discovered. It soon transpires that a serial killer of beautiful young foreign women has been operating un-noticed for 20 years or so. While trying to hide the fact of the killings in case the tourists flee the island, Kildis and Tassos Stamatos, a Homicide investigator from a nearby island, have to track down the killer who they believe has kidnapped a young Dutch tourist in readindess for another murder.

I admit I’ve only spent a couple of days on Mykonos but I hated every minute of them (if you’ve never been there perhaps imagine an Ibiza full of holidaying Brits or Cancun during American Spring break). I do have a sense that Siger has captured the essence of the place which he depicts as one of natural beauty that the thousands of visitors there at any one time seem to go out of their way to ignore while they get drunk and have meaningless sex with strangers. The politics of corruption, misogyny and cover-up, particularly when it comes to protecting the island’s only viable industry, tourism, is also drawn very realistically. I don’t imagine Siger, an American who lives for part of each year on the island, will be on the local tourist board’s Christmas card list.

The rest of the book though, for me, wasn’t terribly believable or very entertaining. For a start I’m a bit fed up with serial killer novels in general. The disproportionate number of such killers in fiction versus the real world makes most tales featuring them read like make-believe and I think I may have reached my lifetime saturation point for reading descriptions of young women being ickily tortured and killed because there’s a psychotic with a fetish on the loose. To be fair the descriptions of such activities in this book are at the less gruesome end of the gore scale but still I’ve had my fill. Personally I think the story of the single kidnapping of the young Dutch woman was suspenseful enough on its own and would still have provided Siger the opportunity to incorporate lots of local flavour. Looking for Hannibal Lecter behind every olive tree didn’t add anything of value for me.

The other disappointing aspect of the novel was the plotting which grew increasingly ludicrous. I actually imagined the author sitting back somewhere laughing at how he’d managed to get away with publishing such a nonsensical ending. A handful of potential suspects had been clumsily introduced earlier in the novel and, seemingly, one picked at random to be revealed as the culprit on the last page.

This is Siger’s debut novel and he does show potential with aspects of his writing like the character of Andreas Kildis who wrestles credibly with his need to investigate properly versus his desire to do what’s necessary politically to get himself back to Athens. However I can’t imagine myself rushing out to pick up the next book in this series if the plot and subject matter are as predictable and superficial as in this one.(less)

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Sep 20, 2010

Viccy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction

This is the beginning of a series of books set in Greece; this particular one on the island of Myknonos in the Aegean Sea. The reader meets Andreas Kaldis who has been promoted out of Athens to chief of police on Mykonos. Kaldis is sure his career as a homicide cop are over because who commits murder in this island Paradise? At least, that's what he thinks right up until he finds a dead woman's body, ritually bound, and buried in the crypt of an ancient Greek church. Kaldis teams up with the loc...more

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Oct 03, 2011

Patty rated it

· review of another edition

I liked this book better than I thought I would mostly because I'm not a big "suspense" fan. However this one did a lot of character building which often suspense doesn't manage to do.

Andreas Kaldis has been "promoted" out of Athens to be Police Chief in Mykonos. His goal is to survive this tour of duty and get back to Athens.

Very shortly into his time in Mykonos a construction worker finds a body in a church crypt. More bodies are then found scattere...more

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Jul 20, 2009

Maureen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: entertainingreads

I picked this because of the setting (Greece, obviously), having enjoyed Mary Stewart's suspense novels lo these many years ago. Boy, has Greece changed! This book is about a serial killer, and I normally avoid those like the plague, because I am squeamish mostly, but also because it seems to be all anyone writes about these days. Enough already! But this book held my attention. It was very well-paced, suspenseful, and positive because in this one, the target gives the killer a run for his money...more

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May 04, 2011

Terry rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: police-procedurals, serial-killer, mediterranean

This was a fast-paced, engaging read--debut for an author who now has 3 titles out. This would be easy to recommend to those who want a police procedural in an unusual setting. The Greek island of Mykonos is quite free and easy and no one wants to believe a serial killer has been preying on beautiful tourists for decades. . . but that's the case. Moderate intrigue with the church and mythology puzzles plus several suspects. Young police chief Andreas Kaldis makes his mark with this intriguing d...more

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Jan 23, 2011

LeeAnne rated it

· review of another edition

This book is the first in a series that is set in Greece featuring police chief Andreas Kaldis. Overall, it is not a bad little mystery and I was actually surprised that it was a gritty as it was. I was expecting something a little more cozy and this was definitely not cozy. Basically, a body is found in a small church on the island of Mykonos and on investigation, the remains of 17 other bodies are found and then another young tourist disappears. The book was a little uneven and the author w...more

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Sep 19, 2008

Leslie aka hugbandit7 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-to-review, 2008

Reviewed for Rebeccasreads.com

Murder in Mykonos is the first novel for author Jeffrey Siger but he is no stranger to Greece and the island of Mykonos. He was a resident for 25 years and is able to translate that knowledge and his personal experience of the island into his novel.

The story starts with a beautiful young woman arriving on the island to enjoy the island and revel in the all night partying that Mykonos is known for. She is only able to enjoy the nightlife for...moreReviewed for Rebeccasreads.com

Murder in Mykonos is the first novel for author Jeffrey Siger but he is no stranger to Greece and the island of Mykonos. He was a resident for 25 years and is able to translate that knowledge and his personal experience of the island into his novel.

The story starts with a beautiful young woman arriving on the island to enjoy the island and revel in the all night partying that Mykonos is known for. She is only able to enjoy the nightlife for a few days before she disappears with no fanfare.

Also new to the island is newly appointed Chief of Police is Andreas Kaldis. He is a former homicide detective from Athens but has been moved to the island in a political power play. He isn’t thrilled to be here but does his best to improve the law enforcement on the island. However, he arrives on the island in time to be caught up in a mystery that spans 20 years upon the discovery of the young woman found dead along with bones from at least 3 other victims.

Then another young woman disappears and this time someone is looking for her: her mother and her uncle, Deputy Minister Renatis. However, time is running out and they must find the killer before he strikes again. Will they find her before he follows through and kills again?

I thought for a first book that the author did a great job of pulling me into the storyline and throwing in just enough suspects that I was not able to figure out the killer might be and even at the end it took some deciphering of the conversations to figure out who the killer was since he was not named. This may have been the only part that I didn’t like because I had to go back and figure out who it was based on some information that was provided.

As I got closer to the end I definitely couldn’t put it down, it had me hooked and reading faster because I wanted to know who was killing the women, especially since he had been doing it for 20 years and had gotten away with it thus far. I don’t know that I liked that one of the police investigators was involved and knew what was going on but that is what makes a story, intrigue and underhandedness.

If you like mysteries and thrillers you will love Murder in Mykonos.
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Jun 25, 2009

Martin Streetman rated it

· review of another edition

This book was well written and a good mystery, At one time or another I thought everyone did it or at least had something to do with it. More than that though he seemed to really capture the place, people, politics and culture of the island. It was helpful being semi immersed in the Greek persona through Jennifer and her family otherwise it would have been more difficult to understand things like saints name days.

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Jul 20, 2009

Shiela rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, thriller

What an engaging and captivating murder mystery! Not only were the physical descriptions of the island tantalizing and absolutely breath taking, but the story itself was multilayered and intriguing. The reader gets a well rounded view of all the locals involved on this island (which functions as a small town) as the perspective alternates between the police, the killer and the kidnapped victim. Clues to the killer's identity were carefully placed throughout the book and I'll admit, I missed a...more

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Apr 24, 2010

Jane rated it

· review of another edition

Ultimately disappointing - too many suspects and ending not very satisfying. The "good old boy" network and the ass kissing and power plays of the governmental officials - except, of course, for the police chief (our hero?) are typical of a small and touristy location. These folks are afraid they will lose their tourist trade if the truth comes out. What a surprise ---

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Apr 18, 2010

Sheila rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

I read this book for the Spring Challenge as book that took place in Greece. I loved it! This is the first time I have read anything but Jeffrey Siger who is a Goodreads Author. I will definitely check out his other books. I highly recommend this one. I didn't figure out "who done it" until the very last sentence of the book! Excellent!

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Apr 21, 2010

Vivian rated it

· review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but it didn't hold my interst beyond the first 150 pages despite the exotic setting. I've returned the next book in the series to the library. Too bad, Siger writes well. Maybe I'll give the second book another chance in the future.

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Feb 08, 2012

Karen rated it

· review of another edition

I love going to Greece, and this book brilliantly captures the atmosphere of a Greek island. I could easily imagine the locations, even though I haven't been to Mykonos, it was evocative of the place and I love a book with a good sense of place.

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Jun 15, 2009

AuthorsOnTourLive! rated it

· review of another edition

We met Jeffrey Siger when he visited the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. You can listen to his talk about "Murder in Mykonos" here: http://www.authorsontourlive.com/?p=243

About this podcast:
Jeffrey Siger left his life as a lawyer in New York City to write about mystery and intrigue on his beloved Greek island paradise of Mykonos–as only a local could. Siger reads from and discusses his new mystery "Murder in Mykonos." “Siger captures the rare beauty of t...more

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Jul 22, 2011

Mary Newcomb added it · review of another edition

This thriller is set on the lovely island of Mykonos. I read it in my quest to find an appropriate tale for my literary society. While this is not for them, it was an OK story with a disconcerting ending.

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May 29, 2009

John rated it

· review of another edition

A good murder mystery "who done it" with a fair amount of twists and turns. I thought the wrap up at the end was a little weak.

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Jan 02, 2011

Tammy Kaehler rated it

· review of another edition

Kept me guessing to the end. Especially great book to read having been to Mykonos and Delos.

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Apr 19, 2010

Elizabeth rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: greece, mysteries, police-procedural

The imprisonment and torture of a woman was too graphic and detailed for me to enjoy the book.

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Apr 14, 2009

Norm Brown rated it

· review of another edition

Murder in Mykonos is a well written murder mystery. The plot is fairly straight forward and the pace of the action is good. I can see why it's been a bestseller in Greece. The descriptions of the unique island location and it's residents are excellent. I feel like I've been to Mykonos.

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Dec 31, 2011

Arun Kamath rated it

· review of another edition

the run thru of greek life is very very good.. and so is the pace of the book...

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Mar 30, 2009

Pam rated it

· review of another edition

Since Mykonos has a special place in my heart and I met the author, I loved this book! I couldn't wait to find out the ending of this fictional suspense novel!

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Jul 19, 2009

Jane rated it

· review of another edition

Serial killer. New geographical area interesting. Fast moving at the end.

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Nov 14, 2010

Julie rated it

· review of another edition

OK interesting look at local politics. Good mystery.

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Mar 26, 2010

Drew added it · review of another edition

Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger (no date)

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Jul 20, 2011

n7of9 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

i didn't think i liked 'crime fiction', especially where the lead is a male hard assed cop, but i quite enjoyed this...it was written well and lacked the pornish/fanfiction/sappy qualities of fiction written for adult females...this was simply about the story, an you litreally don't find out "who did it" until the very last line

i've already started reading the next and i am finding an outsiders/foreigners point of view of Athens' streets and Greeks' attitudes highly enterta...more

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About Jeffrey Siger

The Greek Press has called Jeffrey Siger's work prophetic, and he was awarded the City of San Francisco's 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.

Jeffrey Siger was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He practiced law at a major Wall Street law firm and w...more

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