Fast-paced mystery doubles as bonus masterclass in Greek myth.
Great for fans of Anne Zouroudi’s The Messenger of Athens, Jeffrey Siger’s Murder in Mykonos.
MYSTERY/THRILLER The School of Homer Alexander Marriott | Vanguard Press 416p, trade paper, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-800-16420-8
Marriott’s debut showcases his European history chops as it tells the tale of a widowed and retired Chicago detective and the smalltown Greek police chief with whom he teams up to solve a murder. After Chicago detective Virgil Colvin’s beloved wife Janet dies, he decides to relocate to the place where they spent their honeymoon: Ithaca, Greece. Usually, the most serious crime that occurs there is pickpocketing, until a dead British tourist is found at the feet of a statue of Odysseus. Virgil teams up with Costas Pantakalas, the local police chief, to try to suss out who killed the supposed tourist, Reginald Wellesley—and why. (Hint: it may include illegal weapons.)
Marriott turns the journey to catch the killer into an uber-intellectual thrill ride, incorporating the history of Virgil’s new home, proclaimed to be the storied Ithaca of Penelope and Odysseus. After Wellesley is uncloaked as a British spy, the investigation takes an unexpected and skillfully crafted twist. Marriott pulls plentiful red herrings across the plot, including a sexy island native cheating on her husband, an inn owner who may or may not be on the up-and-up, and a seemingly affable, world-famous British historian. The villain who emerges will surprise most readers.
Readers will feel the Mediterranean sun beating down as Marriott conjures, in crisp and sometimes clever prose, wine and vistas, like Vathy’s “horseshoe harbour of oranges, pinks, blues and greens.” Marriott’s impressive command of Greek mythology shines through on every page, allowing readers to become deeply familiar with Greek mythology while trying to parse out who the killer is. The author also proves himself a master of marrying the scholarly with a good old-fashioned mystery, which will deeply appeal to lovers of history, ancient cultures, and European living —but he also offers inviting context, without condescension, for readers not steeped in Circe and Laertes.
Cover: B+ | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: B+ Editing: A- | Marketing copy: A