What do you think?
Rate this book
The Greek Detective #2
The Taint of Midas
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 detective Hermes Diaktoros finds his friend's battered body by a dusty roadside, the police quickly name him the prime suspect. But with rapacious developers threatening Arcadia's most ancient sites, many stand to gain from Gabrilis's death. Hermes resolves to avenge his old friend and find the true culprit, but his methods are, as ever, unorthodox.
Audio CD
First published November 3, 2008
38 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Anne Zouroudi
33 books143 followersBorn 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, she booked a summer holiday with her sister. The location they chose was a tiny island in southern Greece.
“We arrived at night; there was nothing to see,” she recalls. “But the next morning, I opened the shutters of our rented house, and bam! Love at first sight. The brilliant blue sea, the scent of herbs on the breeze, the timelessness of the place… It was the first moment of a love affair which has lasted twenty years.”
Anne spent a number of years living in the islands; she married a Greek, and her son was born there.
Returning again to the UK, she was still writing, but the short stories had grown into novels.
Anne“I wrote three, and whilst I was getting interest in my writing, those novels didn’t find publishers, though a northern-based thriller came close,” she says. “Then I decided to write a novel set in Greece, based on a character who’d come to my mind whilst I was living there. He became Hermes Diaktoros. I sent the manuscript to an agent, and went off to spend some time in Greece. When I returned, I got the call I’d been waiting for. I’d written the right book at last.”
Series:
* The Greek Detective
On returning to the UK, she booked a summer holiday with her sister. The location they chose was a tiny island in southern Greece.
“We arrived at night; there was nothing to see,” she recalls. “But the next morning, I opened the shutters of our rented house, and bam! Love at first sight. The brilliant blue sea, the scent of herbs on the breeze, the timelessness of the place… It was the first moment of a love affair which has lasted twenty years.”
Anne spent a number of years living in the islands; she married a Greek, and her son was born there.
Returning again to the UK, she was still writing, but the short stories had grown into novels.
Anne“I wrote three, and whilst I was getting interest in my writing, those novels didn’t find publishers, though a northern-based thriller came close,” she says. “Then I decided to write a novel set in Greece, based on a character who’d come to my mind whilst I was living there. He became Hermes Diaktoros. I sent the manuscript to an agent, and went off to spend some time in Greece. When I returned, I got the call I’d been waiting for. I’d written the right book at last.”
Series:
* The Greek Detective
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
January 1, 2019
It was ok, I just didn’t care for anyone and anything. Yeah sure I wanted to know who did the crime but that’s mostly because of my curiosity not because I cared. Apparently it is book 2. I’m smart, I know.
I feel kinda bad for giving it 2 stars but who cares. This is meaningless.
I feel kinda bad for giving it 2 stars but who cares. This is meaningless.
April 13, 2014
Second in the delightful, highly recommended Hermes Diaktoros "Seven sins" series of mysteries. The theme of each novel in this series concerns a certain sin: in this one, Greed. This was a gentle mystery.
Hermes' good friend of many years, Gabrilis, farms a rocky and nearly worthless plot of land and keeps bees near an old Temple of Apollo. Gabrilis is killed by a hit-and-run driver, while taking watermelons to market. Hermes finds his body lying near the road and after the police arrive, becomes a suspect. An unscrupulous land developer and his two sons are interested in Gabrilis' land and have tricked him into signing it away to them. Hermes wants to find the killer, and deal with other unsavory characters: a zealous radio reporter and the shady land speculators. Many characters, including a young rookie policeman, deal with Greed in their own ways. All ends on a high note.
Our unorthodox detective, Hermes, appears out of nowhere, then after resolution, disappears for parts unknown. We're never really sure of his true identity: from oblique clues, is he possibly the god Hermes in disguise, or just as he appears: a fat man in glasses, obsessive about his white canvas tennis shoes? For all that, he's an astute, avuncular, and endearing figure. He also dispenses wisdom and common sense as needed. The remaining cast of characters is colorful. The setting took me right to the blue skies and sun of island Greece.
Hermes' good friend of many years, Gabrilis, farms a rocky and nearly worthless plot of land and keeps bees near an old Temple of Apollo. Gabrilis is killed by a hit-and-run driver, while taking watermelons to market. Hermes finds his body lying near the road and after the police arrive, becomes a suspect. An unscrupulous land developer and his two sons are interested in Gabrilis' land and have tricked him into signing it away to them. Hermes wants to find the killer, and deal with other unsavory characters: a zealous radio reporter and the shady land speculators. Many characters, including a young rookie policeman, deal with Greed in their own ways. All ends on a high note.
Our unorthodox detective, Hermes, appears out of nowhere, then after resolution, disappears for parts unknown. We're never really sure of his true identity: from oblique clues, is he possibly the god Hermes in disguise, or just as he appears: a fat man in glasses, obsessive about his white canvas tennis shoes? For all that, he's an astute, avuncular, and endearing figure. He also dispenses wisdom and common sense as needed. The remaining cast of characters is colorful. The setting took me right to the blue skies and sun of island Greece.
November 26, 2020
I loved this book. It was a book club choice and did not appeal to me when I first read the blurb on the back.
It took me some time to get in to the story and with all the Greek names I have to admit I was tempted to leave it, but for some reason it started to grow on me.
The description of the island and the searing heat. The way the locals dealt with it and the intrusion of the tourists and how the greed of developers had changed the way of life of the indigenous people gradually pulled me in.
The way the author described the Greek way of life and the food made my imagination run away with me and in to the mix she throws a murder, corruption and greed but there was no gratuitous violence and she was always giving the reader a glimpse of how the island used to be and how a simple life can be far more rewarding than a one where greed takes over a life and can make a person miserable, unkind, uncaring and selfish.
It was written in an Agatha Christie style with many characters that needed to be disposed of so to speak.
It was certainly a surprise to me that I enjoyed it so much. But as they say, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’.
It took me some time to get in to the story and with all the Greek names I have to admit I was tempted to leave it, but for some reason it started to grow on me.
The description of the island and the searing heat. The way the locals dealt with it and the intrusion of the tourists and how the greed of developers had changed the way of life of the indigenous people gradually pulled me in.
The way the author described the Greek way of life and the food made my imagination run away with me and in to the mix she throws a murder, corruption and greed but there was no gratuitous violence and she was always giving the reader a glimpse of how the island used to be and how a simple life can be far more rewarding than a one where greed takes over a life and can make a person miserable, unkind, uncaring and selfish.
It was written in an Agatha Christie style with many characters that needed to be disposed of so to speak.
It was certainly a surprise to me that I enjoyed it so much. But as they say, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’.
June 15, 2011
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 barber who knows more than he says…
Hermes Diaktoros – or “The Fat Man,” as he is known to the locals — returns after several years away to his vacation home in Palea Chora to find an old friend dead by the roadside, an apparent hit-and-run. But Hermes doesn’t believe it was an accident and, in his deceptively mild, bespectacled manner, sets out to discover what really happened.
Hermes’ friend was a simple man with a simple life; he was a farmer with some olive trees, grape vines and bee hives. The Fat Man knows an innocent person would not have just left the old man for dead by the roadside, his bicycle in ruins, his faded old cap in the shrubs. So who in this village would?
The Fat Man loves his food and his comforts. The author sets the atmosphere so well you feel the hot sun and taste the cold beer, the cured olives and the calamari. You feel the crisp linen of the shirt as Hermes slips it on after a swim in the sea. Just as The Fat Man does, you hear the mildly irritating background buzz of an increasing number of obnoxious tourists.
Small town gossip – naturally including The Fat Man’s new friend, the town’s barber – leads Hermes to investigate the burgeoning development that stirs up dust and dissension in this sleepy, idyllic fishing village.
The Fat Man is almost apologetic, but incisive in his investigation. He has no professional standing in the village, and no one knows what he does when he is elsewhere. Somehow, however, Hermes manages to uncover far more secrets than do the local police -- not only in the suspicious death of his friend, but also in the questionable real estate dealings of the local mogul and his two sons (one a respected lawyer, the other a thug).
THE TAINT OF MIDAS harks back to Christianna Brand’s Inspector Cockrill series, in the late 1940s. Brand’s “Cocky” was much more sprightly than Zouroudi’s Fat Man, but the books share a similar fond attachment to the village life and a perspective that is not-quite outsider/not-quite insider.
This is the book to take to the hammock with a cold beer or glass of lemonade. This is the book to take on a trip, on a cruise, or to your own backyard or armchair. The Fat Man is a quietly amusing companion, yet a formidable opponent with whom to match wits.
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 barber who knows more than he says…
Hermes Diaktoros – or “The Fat Man,” as he is known to the locals — returns after several years away to his vacation home in Palea Chora to find an old friend dead by the roadside, an apparent hit-and-run. But Hermes doesn’t believe it was an accident and, in his deceptively mild, bespectacled manner, sets out to discover what really happened.
Hermes’ friend was a simple man with a simple life; he was a farmer with some olive trees, grape vines and bee hives. The Fat Man knows an innocent person would not have just left the old man for dead by the roadside, his bicycle in ruins, his faded old cap in the shrubs. So who in this village would?
The Fat Man loves his food and his comforts. The author sets the atmosphere so well you feel the hot sun and taste the cold beer, the cured olives and the calamari. You feel the crisp linen of the shirt as Hermes slips it on after a swim in the sea. Just as The Fat Man does, you hear the mildly irritating background buzz of an increasing number of obnoxious tourists.
Small town gossip – naturally including The Fat Man’s new friend, the town’s barber – leads Hermes to investigate the burgeoning development that stirs up dust and dissension in this sleepy, idyllic fishing village.
The Fat Man is almost apologetic, but incisive in his investigation. He has no professional standing in the village, and no one knows what he does when he is elsewhere. Somehow, however, Hermes manages to uncover far more secrets than do the local police -- not only in the suspicious death of his friend, but also in the questionable real estate dealings of the local mogul and his two sons (one a respected lawyer, the other a thug).
THE TAINT OF MIDAS harks back to Christianna Brand’s Inspector Cockrill series, in the late 1940s. Brand’s “Cocky” was much more sprightly than Zouroudi’s Fat Man, but the books share a similar fond attachment to the village life and a perspective that is not-quite outsider/not-quite insider.
This is the book to take to the hammock with a cold beer or glass of lemonade. This is the book to take on a trip, on a cruise, or to your own backyard or armchair. The Fat Man is a quietly amusing companion, yet a formidable opponent with whom to match wits.
January 8, 2015
The unravelling of the mystery in this not-always gentle tale is almost secondary to the portrayal of life in a Greek coastal village during the heat of summer when the affliction of tourism is at its height. This is what sets the book apart for me.
Corruption, fraud and greed are at the heart of the story which winds like one of the mountain roads travelled by the enigmatic mystery solver, the Fat Man, the police, and the villains. And there is no doubt at all about who the villains are; they are nasty from the beginning and continue that way till their unrepentant endings. Definitely a morality tale, as the title foreshadows.
I'd like to give it 3.5 but decided to err on the side of generosity this time.
I've not read a book quite like this before and enjoyed it very much as a light read in our summer heat. I'll seek out more from this author for light reading in this genre.
Corruption, fraud and greed are at the heart of the story which winds like one of the mountain roads travelled by the enigmatic mystery solver, the Fat Man, the police, and the villains. And there is no doubt at all about who the villains are; they are nasty from the beginning and continue that way till their unrepentant endings. Definitely a morality tale, as the title foreshadows.
I'd like to give it 3.5 but decided to err on the side of generosity this time.
I've not read a book quite like this before and enjoyed it very much as a light read in our summer heat. I'll seek out more from this author for light reading in this genre.
January 13, 2020
Not a police procedural.
Not a PI either even if he says he is an 'investigator'.
Money is not an issue for him.
He seems to be particular about his white tennis shoes.
He introduced himself as 'Hermes Diaktoros' yet throughout the novel he is more often referred to as 'the fat man'. Ugh, I'm not very politically correct myself BUT there is only so much reference to 'the fat man' I can take. I didn't count but reckon there may be about 100 times in 270 pages (on one page, it was mentioned twice in 2 lines). I have no idea what or who he is supposed to be. Some sort of avenging angel? An angel of mercy? Both? It is a mystery.
I guess it is also a murder mystery even if I don't think this is the main point of this novel. It seems to be a celebration of Greek kind of life and it sounds mighty fine to me!
Not a PI either even if he says he is an 'investigator'.
Money is not an issue for him.
He seems to be particular about his white tennis shoes.
He introduced himself as 'Hermes Diaktoros' yet throughout the novel he is more often referred to as 'the fat man'. Ugh, I'm not very politically correct myself BUT there is only so much reference to 'the fat man' I can take. I didn't count but reckon there may be about 100 times in 270 pages (on one page, it was mentioned twice in 2 lines). I have no idea what or who he is supposed to be. Some sort of avenging angel? An angel of mercy? Both? It is a mystery.
I guess it is also a murder mystery even if I don't think this is the main point of this novel. It seems to be a celebration of Greek kind of life and it sounds mighty fine to me!
July 27, 2013
Charming book, soaked in the atmosphere of a Greek island. Not just the rose-tinted glasses either, but also sharp, witty observations about tourists, the interplay between them and the natives, and the risks of overdevelopment. Did not quite make 4 stars because the 'mystery' element was not quite mysterious or compelling enough, but I enjoyed the characters, the descriptions and everything else about the book.
September 12, 2014
Review: The Taint of Midas by Anne Zouroudi I didn't really connect with the characters in the book or the story. Don't let that put you off, as I'm sure it was down to me just not getting into it.
July 10, 2019
Another delightful instalment in this wonderful series. I am warming to the character of Hermes Diaktoros more and more. Very sweet, gentle stories (insofar as one can say that of murder mysteries). Recommended.
January 18, 2020
Whilst the actual mystery in this one isn't particularly mysterious, the scene-setting is enveloping. You don't read this book, you feel, taste, smell and hear it. Exactly the literary holiday I needed in the damp British January!
July 17, 2018
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars.
So these are murder mystery books with a twist. In this case, the lead "detective" is not a member of the police force, but is a messenger (thus his name Hermes) from the Gods to bring (an almost eye for an eye) justice to those who do wrong. Basic mystery storyline - work out "whodunnit" and then the justice is served.
Hermes, with his white tennis shoes, is a fabulously unique lead character and he and the unique setting (this one near the Temple of Apollo) makes these books a delight to read.
My only problem with these books is that the first 100 pages are really slow going and the writing is a little flat. The last 200 pages you could read in one sitting. I have put a hold on book 3 from the library and looking forward to continuing with Hermes and in learning a few more Greek words :-)
So these are murder mystery books with a twist. In this case, the lead "detective" is not a member of the police force, but is a messenger (thus his name Hermes) from the Gods to bring (an almost eye for an eye) justice to those who do wrong. Basic mystery storyline - work out "whodunnit" and then the justice is served.
Hermes, with his white tennis shoes, is a fabulously unique lead character and he and the unique setting (this one near the Temple of Apollo) makes these books a delight to read.
My only problem with these books is that the first 100 pages are really slow going and the writing is a little flat. The last 200 pages you could read in one sitting. I have put a hold on book 3 from the library and looking forward to continuing with Hermes and in learning a few more Greek words :-)
April 18, 2020
The Mysteries of the Greek Detective. The Taint of Midas is book 2 in this charming series. Hermes (or the main character for those unfamiliar) is a quirky likeable hero who is perhaps more myth than reality. A guy who metes out subtle lessons and punishments to those who need it ensuring they get their just desserts in the end. The scene setting is fabulous and I truly felt transported to a sun drenched island and immersed myself in island community life. This is not quite 5 stars as the plot almost rumbles quietly on in the background, unnoticed, and was not terribly exciting. A good read though and a series I will definitely return to and soon.
January 13, 2021
Ξεκάθαρα καλύτερο από το προηγούμενο, αλλά με το ίδιο βασικό ελάττωμα. Η τιμωρία των εγκληματιών/ ενόχων στο τέλος ήταν κάτι σαν θαύμα, απρόσωπο και εντελώς ασύνδετο με τους χαρακτήρες που ακολουθούσαμε εδώ και τόσες σελίδες, γεγονός που με απογοήτευσε. Πάντως ευχαριστήθηκα πολύ περισσότερο την ατμόσφαιρα σ' αυτή την ιστορία απ' ότι στην προηγούμενη, όπου το σκηνικό αλλά και η κοινωνία ήταν δραματικά κλειστοφοβική. Η Αρκαδία όμως, όπως περιγράφεται εδώ, είναι πολύ πιο κοντά στην Ελλάδα που ξέρω με τη διαφθορά, τα συμφέροντα, τις επιτροπές αλλά και τη θάλασσα, τις ελιές και τα αρχαία της.
May 20, 2020
This one was even better than the first. This one had no flashbacks. I did not enjoy the flash backs as much as the rest of the last book. I liked the setting of the last book better. It also bothers me that she calls him the fat man so much. Those two small issues was outshone by the wonderful story. They keep getting better so far.
June 20, 2019
I liked the detective character and his habit of trying to help everyone. Story was ok.
February 12, 2020
I am not sure Hermes is quite real. He seems to know things about the people he meets
September 6, 2018
The quasi-deity and detective Hermes Diaktoros, with his tailored slacks and signature white sneakers, is back. This time he finds himself in the summer tourist season on the island of Arcadia, where his old friend, a farmer and beekeeper, has apparently been killed by a hit-and-run driver.
In contrast to the bleak weather and subsistence lives of Messenger of Athens, Arcadia’s inhabitants suffer from the heat and an onslaught of tourists. One result is the deadly sin of greed and the predictable destructions of beaches, farms, and scenery alike to accommodate yet more visitors.
Diaktoros, aka the ‘fat man,” soon identifies his chief antagonists: the Paliakis. who, despite their money troubles, have targeted the old beekeeper’s land for a development of year-round villas. Another odious figure is Dinos, a local television reporter who maneuvers to compromise a young and naïve police officer.
Zouroudi’s descriptions of the cynical operations of the tourist industry, from the beaches to the hotels and restaurants, is scathing. Neither the mercenary-minded locals nor the oblivious Europeans from Italy and Scandinavia escape her exceedingly critical eye. Unfortunately, her portrayal of the villains in the book becomes heavy-handed at times; evil should at least be given better, more witty lines — especially when up against the cool god-like Hermes Diaktoros.
Diaktoros, who maintains a home on the island, mourns the passing of the old ways and the old landscapes as he dines well, uncovers the machinations of the Paliakis family, and seeks to protect the police officer from Dinos’s blackmail attempts. As in Messenger of Athens, he falls back on appropriate but definitely non-judicial punishments and rewards to bring an older sense of justice to a very modern world.
Ones that a god like Hermes might appreciate.
In contrast to the bleak weather and subsistence lives of Messenger of Athens, Arcadia’s inhabitants suffer from the heat and an onslaught of tourists. One result is the deadly sin of greed and the predictable destructions of beaches, farms, and scenery alike to accommodate yet more visitors.
Diaktoros, aka the ‘fat man,” soon identifies his chief antagonists: the Paliakis. who, despite their money troubles, have targeted the old beekeeper’s land for a development of year-round villas. Another odious figure is Dinos, a local television reporter who maneuvers to compromise a young and naïve police officer.
Zouroudi’s descriptions of the cynical operations of the tourist industry, from the beaches to the hotels and restaurants, is scathing. Neither the mercenary-minded locals nor the oblivious Europeans from Italy and Scandinavia escape her exceedingly critical eye. Unfortunately, her portrayal of the villains in the book becomes heavy-handed at times; evil should at least be given better, more witty lines — especially when up against the cool god-like Hermes Diaktoros.
Diaktoros, who maintains a home on the island, mourns the passing of the old ways and the old landscapes as he dines well, uncovers the machinations of the Paliakis family, and seeks to protect the police officer from Dinos’s blackmail attempts. As in Messenger of Athens, he falls back on appropriate but definitely non-judicial punishments and rewards to bring an older sense of justice to a very modern world.
Ones that a god like Hermes might appreciate.
April 27, 2020
AUTHOR Zouroudi, Anne
TITLE The Taint of Midas
DATE READ 04/24/20
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction/2014/audio - hoopla/9 hr 39min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #2
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 74/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 2014/Island of Arcadia - Greece
CHARACTERS Hermes Diaktoros/fat man/detective Gabrilis Kaloyeros/beekeeper
COMMENTS Lovely atmospheric series with a good story and rounded out by distinctive characters. So enjoy visiting the Greek Island life. Gabrilis Kaloyeros has been the caretaker/beekeeper/owner at the Temple of Apollo for many decades. This is a lesser known temple and not of great historic significance on the Island of Arcadia. However, there are those that see only the value of the land and see it as real estate ripe for development. When Gabrilis Kaloyeros is found dead as an assumed result of a hit-n-run … does this leave this valuable property up for grabs?
TITLE The Taint of Midas
DATE READ 04/24/20
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction/2014/audio - hoopla/9 hr 39min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #2
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 74/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 2014/Island of Arcadia - Greece
CHARACTERS Hermes Diaktoros/fat man/detective Gabrilis Kaloyeros/beekeeper
COMMENTS Lovely atmospheric series with a good story and rounded out by distinctive characters. So enjoy visiting the Greek Island life. Gabrilis Kaloyeros has been the caretaker/beekeeper/owner at the Temple of Apollo for many decades. This is a lesser known temple and not of great historic significance on the Island of Arcadia. However, there are those that see only the value of the land and see it as real estate ripe for development. When Gabrilis Kaloyeros is found dead as an assumed result of a hit-n-run … does this leave this valuable property up for grabs?
April 25, 2011
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!
In this book the main theme is the hunger for money, property and gaining influence. Diaktoros isn`t afraid of facing powerful people and investigating in his own special way. Who is willing to risk everything? Go and find it out!
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!
In this book the main theme is the hunger for money, property and gaining influence. Diaktoros isn`t afraid of facing powerful people and investigating in his own special way. Who is willing to risk everything? Go and find it out!
June 14, 2013
Detective Hermes Diaktoros investigates a friend’s murder, upends nefarious schemes , counsels the hopeless, and paints his shoes white on the Greek island of Arcadia—but not quite as charmingly as in The Messenger of Athens. Zouroudi still delivers a well-crafted sense of place and an eccentric, slightly otherworldly story, but the plot is more predictable in this second book. It left me hungry for a few more twists plus less lecturing and more doing out of the detective. I enjoyed traveling along with Diaktoros. I especially liked meeting the beekeeper, the barber, the young policeman, and the poor heiress. I’m hoping the next book in the series matches the first at balancing Zouroudi’s gentle pace with enough suspense to keep my mind from wandering.
March 18, 2019
I did like this book. It took a little while to get into it but my interest was eventually captured. The descriptions are lush - the food descriptions made me hungry. The characters are nicely drawn. The reader can't be sure if Hermes is a god or something else. In this one, he's almost a Fury. A friend of his is killed. The greed of several characters extracts a terrible price.
Hermes is always called "the fat man" but there's a description of him getting ready to swim that suggests that's a misleading first impression.
I'll read the next one.
Hermes is always called "the fat man" but there's a description of him getting ready to swim that suggests that's a misleading first impression.
I'll read the next one.
January 12, 2015
This is the second in the 7 deadly sins themed mysteries, beautifully written by Anne Zouroudi. Now the focus is "greed", the setting, a contemporary Greek isle, the protagonist, Hermes Diaktoros. Eccentric and mysterious Hermes Diaktoros is back, meting out the justice of the Gods. Or does he? Everything seems to sort itself out in a most satisfactory way when he is around. The mystery is how it will unfold and who will be judged.
July 30, 2018
This was my first introduction to Greece. I enjoyed this book for sever reasons. It was not a typical procedural nor PI story. Rather, Hermes is a gentleman who strives for justice for those wronged by death and circumstance. Hermes personality has a corporeal feel. Greece and its people are depicted beautifully in good and bad aspects. This book also assisted me in my UN book challenge by checking off Greece.
March 21, 2019
Charming and entertaining. Love the morality, kindness and sense of justice of this unique detective. Colorful characters and scenery. Sadly, there are only seven deadly sins for Diaktoros to investigate.
June 13, 2017
Sorry but not really for me . I was bored of plodding through all the description to get to the bones of the plot.
December 28, 2023
All land is ancient. But no other lands are more revered than Greece and Egypt for their timelessness. This is my summer book for 2023. A detective story in modern Greece with the charm of a Poirot novel and an atmosphere of cosy mysteries. Perhaps a hint of magic realism too, still unsure.
The novels in this series showcase the seven deadly sins and The Taint of Midas is based on greed. Zouroudi's detective is an enigmatic man, Hermes Diaktoros, known as the fat man in the stories, a tall, grey-haired, meticulous, suave person, whose friend has been killed by a hit-and-run, and he is determined to bring the killer to justice. There are no convoluted plots here. But there's plenty of dissection of human behavior and our relationship with the earth. Hermes is hard to pinpoint. He is at once a law-abiding citizen but a vigilante as well in his own charming, fluid, and sympathetic manner.
What tugs you in is the Greek summer, the hot mid-August with swirling dust, battered fans, rusty refrigerators, iced coffees, scorching heat, shrill cicadas, bees and honey, lush grapes on vines, the cool sea, grilled fish on charcoal, vine wrapped peppers and tzatziki, the scent of jasmine in the nights, the hot sand, olive groves.
Then there's the modern transformation of a country with throngs of tanned and sweaty foreigners walking past stores of cheap wines, ceramics, postcards, with sports bars and rowdy football fans, loud Europop music, people who prefer pizza to moussaka, their Euros and dollars trickling into the mainland economy whereas people from the mountains are leaving their homes and coming to the cities for a slice of the pie, people who prefer beers over ouzo, kafenions razed and turned into hotels, and ancient sites pulverized to turn into resorts by corruption and greed. The contrast is very calming. It makes you feel very present with people from a distant land who suffer and enjoy the same rolls of a die.
Clue 🗝️ 🧩 : His name is Hermes. There's bound to be sweet, quiet fun.
The novels in this series showcase the seven deadly sins and The Taint of Midas is based on greed. Zouroudi's detective is an enigmatic man, Hermes Diaktoros, known as the fat man in the stories, a tall, grey-haired, meticulous, suave person, whose friend has been killed by a hit-and-run, and he is determined to bring the killer to justice. There are no convoluted plots here. But there's plenty of dissection of human behavior and our relationship with the earth. Hermes is hard to pinpoint. He is at once a law-abiding citizen but a vigilante as well in his own charming, fluid, and sympathetic manner.
What tugs you in is the Greek summer, the hot mid-August with swirling dust, battered fans, rusty refrigerators, iced coffees, scorching heat, shrill cicadas, bees and honey, lush grapes on vines, the cool sea, grilled fish on charcoal, vine wrapped peppers and tzatziki, the scent of jasmine in the nights, the hot sand, olive groves.
Then there's the modern transformation of a country with throngs of tanned and sweaty foreigners walking past stores of cheap wines, ceramics, postcards, with sports bars and rowdy football fans, loud Europop music, people who prefer pizza to moussaka, their Euros and dollars trickling into the mainland economy whereas people from the mountains are leaving their homes and coming to the cities for a slice of the pie, people who prefer beers over ouzo, kafenions razed and turned into hotels, and ancient sites pulverized to turn into resorts by corruption and greed. The contrast is very calming. It makes you feel very present with people from a distant land who suffer and enjoy the same rolls of a die.
Clue 🗝️ 🧩 : His name is Hermes. There's bound to be sweet, quiet fun.
May 17, 2022
I’m a bit torn by this book. It isn’t a mystery in any sense that we usually have, but more a tale of much interest in which someone happens to die. That said, it’s quite a good tale, if slowly paced; there are eight in the series, and I’m sure I’ll read another.
Hermes Diaktoros, our putative detective, visits the Greek island of Arcadia to see old friend Gabrilis Kaloyeros, who has spent his years as caretaker of the ruins of an old Temple to Apollo on a hillside of the island. Alas, hours before Diaktoros arrives Kaloyeros is killed in a hit and run accident, Diaktoros finding his battered body and smashed bicycle by the side of the lonely road.
Diakteros sets about finding who killed him and why (if there is a why, but Diaktoros is convinced it was no accident.) Although nominally a detective, he does no detecting that one can see, merely introducing himself to the various dramatis personae of the story and drawing them out through conversation. As well, there are often times in these conversations when he’ll mention things that might have or will happen, and later it turns out they did or do turn out to happen in a same or similar manner; he’s rather a Deus ex machina at any number of moments in the book. These are all plot points in the story, and in the end his final predictions(?) carry the day, with an appropriate ending to all things.
At the last, one wonders if one has just read a mystery, or the humble modern day equivalent of a Greek Tragedy. It certainly was an engrossing tale, and kept my interest throughout, and as such I recommend it to those seeking a “different” mystery.
Hermes Diaktoros, our putative detective, visits the Greek island of Arcadia to see old friend Gabrilis Kaloyeros, who has spent his years as caretaker of the ruins of an old Temple to Apollo on a hillside of the island. Alas, hours before Diaktoros arrives Kaloyeros is killed in a hit and run accident, Diaktoros finding his battered body and smashed bicycle by the side of the lonely road.
Diakteros sets about finding who killed him and why (if there is a why, but Diaktoros is convinced it was no accident.) Although nominally a detective, he does no detecting that one can see, merely introducing himself to the various dramatis personae of the story and drawing them out through conversation. As well, there are often times in these conversations when he’ll mention things that might have or will happen, and later it turns out they did or do turn out to happen in a same or similar manner; he’s rather a Deus ex machina at any number of moments in the book. These are all plot points in the story, and in the end his final predictions(?) carry the day, with an appropriate ending to all things.
At the last, one wonders if one has just read a mystery, or the humble modern day equivalent of a Greek Tragedy. It certainly was an engrossing tale, and kept my interest throughout, and as such I recommend it to those seeking a “different” mystery.
April 30, 2020
As part of keeping my spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic, I've decided to reread two series of novels set in Greece. Why? Because my wife and I are holding out hope that our September/October trip to Greece still will happen...fingers crossed!
This series features the mercurial (wink, wink!) detective from Athens, Hermes Diaktoros (Hermes Messenger). Without giving too much away, I will tell you that he's not your typical detective. It is especially intriguing that he always responds to someone asking him who he's working for by replying: "I work for a higher authority." Hmm...his name is Hermes the Messenger and he works for "a higher authority"...like I said, intriguing, right?
Seriously, I've loved the Zouroudi series since I first discovered it years ago when I picked up this novel while traveling. Because she's lived on the Greek islands, she is able to paint life there in an authentic way - warts and all. And having visited a number of the Greek islands, I can tell you that they are simultaneously stunningly beautiful and stiflingly backward. And Ms. Zouroudi's writing brings out both characteristics in her descriptions of the locales and the locals.
If you enjoy modern mysteries that border on the esoteric, without ever crossing the line, then this series is for you. "Apoláfste, filoi mou!" ("Enjoy, my friends!")
This series features the mercurial (wink, wink!) detective from Athens, Hermes Diaktoros (Hermes Messenger). Without giving too much away, I will tell you that he's not your typical detective. It is especially intriguing that he always responds to someone asking him who he's working for by replying: "I work for a higher authority." Hmm...his name is Hermes the Messenger and he works for "a higher authority"...like I said, intriguing, right?
Seriously, I've loved the Zouroudi series since I first discovered it years ago when I picked up this novel while traveling. Because she's lived on the Greek islands, she is able to paint life there in an authentic way - warts and all. And having visited a number of the Greek islands, I can tell you that they are simultaneously stunningly beautiful and stiflingly backward. And Ms. Zouroudi's writing brings out both characteristics in her descriptions of the locales and the locals.
If you enjoy modern mysteries that border on the esoteric, without ever crossing the line, then this series is for you. "Apoláfste, filoi mou!" ("Enjoy, my friends!")
February 7, 2018
(Fiction, Mystery, Series #2)
I wasn’t sure what to expect of my first meeting with Hermes Diaktoros, but I was eager to make his acquaintance so when Netgalley offered these first three in the series, I jumped.
The series is set in Greece at an undetermined time – but in very real settings that make little or no use of modern technology. That could be mid-20th century, or it could be present day in an isolated rural area that is not up to date. To further confuse things, Hermes’ methods are very old-fashioned and a little bit unorthodox, and there is the tiniest bit of magical realism.
This series has everything: a setting that the reader longs to be part of, a likeable inscrutable protagonist, and good mysteries. There are seven books in this series, each dealing with one of the traditional seven deadly sins.
All of these books were excellent, although it is the story in the third one that has stayed with me three years later. There’s always justice in Zouroudi’s books although not always in the form you might expect.
I’m glad to be reminded to return to this series.
4½ stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect of my first meeting with Hermes Diaktoros, but I was eager to make his acquaintance so when Netgalley offered these first three in the series, I jumped.
The series is set in Greece at an undetermined time – but in very real settings that make little or no use of modern technology. That could be mid-20th century, or it could be present day in an isolated rural area that is not up to date. To further confuse things, Hermes’ methods are very old-fashioned and a little bit unorthodox, and there is the tiniest bit of magical realism.
This series has everything: a setting that the reader longs to be part of, a likeable inscrutable protagonist, and good mysteries. There are seven books in this series, each dealing with one of the traditional seven deadly sins.
All of these books were excellent, although it is the story in the third one that has stayed with me three years later. There’s always justice in Zouroudi’s books although not always in the form you might expect.
I’m glad to be reminded to return to this series.
4½ stars
March 8, 2020
I've been going through my to-be-read shelves and finding the next books in series that I've started and unintentionally abandoned. This second book in Anne Zouroudi's Seven Deadly Sins series set in Greece certainly fits that criteria. The first book, The Messenger of Athens, introduced me to Hermes Diaktoros, who is far from being your usual detective. Someone has described him as "half Poirot, half deus ex machina," and it's true. He's a character to enjoy, from the way he investigates crimes to keeping those white shoes of his absolutely spotless to finding out the next thing he's going to pull out of his bag of tricks. Hermes also waxes philosophical at times: "He was considering the tangled threads of life; why was it sometimes so, he thought, that the righting of a wrong did not settle the scales, but created only crueler injustices?" This is something I've pondered in many of the mysteries I've read.
The mystery has two main threads: the primary one being who killed Gabrilis Kaloyeros, which is intertwined nicely with the story of two policemen, the veteran Gazis and the rookie Petridis. This cozy-with-a-twist not only gives readers an intriguing main character and a strong mystery to solve but it also gives a real feel for Greece-- the changes being made to lure the tourist dollar as well as how ancient myths can intersect with contemporary life.
This is definitely a series that I should not have neglected. I'm looking forward to following Hermes Diaktoros to his next case.
The mystery has two main threads: the primary one being who killed Gabrilis Kaloyeros, which is intertwined nicely with the story of two policemen, the veteran Gazis and the rookie Petridis. This cozy-with-a-twist not only gives readers an intriguing main character and a strong mystery to solve but it also gives a real feel for Greece-- the changes being made to lure the tourist dollar as well as how ancient myths can intersect with contemporary life.
This is definitely a series that I should not have neglected. I'm looking forward to following Hermes Diaktoros to his next case.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews