A Deadly Twist

February 1, 2021
Simmering tensions between tourism advocates and farmers reach a boiling point when a reporter goes missing. On the Greek island of Naxos, mythically identified as the childhood home of Zeus, "the computer underground's most successful hacker" agrees to an interview with Athens crime reporter Nikoletta Elia, who's less than excited by what she views as a soft assignment. Shortly after the article appears, Nikoletta disappears. From Greece's Central Police Headquarters in Athens, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis sends detective Yianni Kouros to Naxos to investigate. Finding a collection of notebooks in the room where Nikoletta had been staying, Yianni sends this potentially valuable evidence back to Athens. But he finds the locals evasive about Nikoletta and encounters a similar vibe when he talks to the mayor. Hotelier Marco Sanudos blandly touts the importance of the burgeoning tourist industry and dismisses the idea that Nikoletta met with foul play from that quarter. Local farmers present a darker picture, for their conflicts with ambitious developers are well documented. As Kaldis is tying up loose ends so he can join Yianni, he gets a call that Yianni's in the hospital after a suspicious road accident. A local policewoman named Popi lands in a coma. Yianni's vibrant girlfriend, Toni, rushes to his side. Kaldis arrives on Naxos with determination and support: His wife, Lila, has important local contacts, and his secretary, Maggie, has been carefully reading the notebooks. Siger's pace is leisurely but includes many quirky splashes of local color. Though Andreas looms large, all the series regulars get their time in the sun. Reading Kaldis' amiable 11th case is like visiting old friends.

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April 1, 2021
Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis and his crew are back with their eleventh case. This one brings them to the island of Naxos. Nikoletta Elia, a journalist writing an article about the conflict between the island's traditional farmers and outside developers, has disappeared. Her publisher is pressuring the police to find her, so Andreas once again finds himself dealing with Greece's corrupt power brokers. After the detective assigned to the case is injured in a serious automobile accident that may be no accident, Andreas rushes to Naxos along with his wife, Lila; his secretary, Maggie; and Maggie's partner, Tassos. Racing against the clock to save Nikoletta, they uncover a tangled web, evoking the Greek myth of Arachne, that's full of war crimes, smuggling, and computer hacking. As always, Siger keeps readers turning the pages with ingenious plot twists and delicious description of the Greek isles, while the compelling Andreas remains an engaging, multifaceted lead character.

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Starred review from March 1, 2021

Crime reporter Nikoletta Elia is sent to the Greek island of Naxos to cover the conflict between traditionalists and those who want to build tourism on the island. But the story that draws national attention is one that falls in her lap when a man claims to be a successful hacker paid to use his computer skills to cause fatal "accidents." Then Nikoletta disappears, and her editor panics, calling on Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, head of Greece's Special Crimes Unit, to find her. He sends Detective Yianni Kouros to the island to work with the local police following in Nikoletta's footsteps. When Yianni's truck is forced off a dangerous mountain road, Kaldis assembles a savvy team to search for the reporter and the person who tried to kill his detective. While Kaldis is pressured to find the reporter or lose his job, someone is desperate to keep the past secret. VERDICT Siger's latest novel (after The Mykonos Mob) is as insightful as earlier ones concerning the problems in Greece. Followers of the series will relish a reunion with Kaldis and a group of friends in an engrossing procedural. New readers will discover the gorgeous aspects of Greek life in a mystery that uncovers the corruption of the country.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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