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SONS OF SPARTA
by Jeffrey Siger
Poisoned Pen, October 2014
241 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 1464203148


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

SONS OF SPARTA is the sixth of the series starring Andreas Kaldis, although the first I've read. This book works as a standalone, as it focuses more on Special Crimes Division Detective Yiannis Kouros. Kouros works for Kaldis, and I must admit that my lack of familiarity with the series, combined with the similarity between the names Kaldis and Kouros, made for some occasional confusion.

At the start of the book, Kouros is summoned to his family's ancestral home in the Mani at the southernmost tip of the Greek island of Peloponnese. This may the area where the ancient warrior Spartans disappeared to, and it is certainly an area where family disputes currently erupt into war in an instant. Kouros has been summoned by his uncle, who is killed shortly after Kouros' arrival. Kouros' uncle held an exalted position in the local criminal world, so there are any number of possible murderers. While Kouros investigates in the Mani using his family contacts there, Kaldis finds that a corruption investigation he is undertaking in Athens also leads to the Mani. In the end, both Kaldis and Kouros are surprised by the identity of the killer, while the reader may be less so

.

SONS OF SPARTA, with its deep immersion into the Greek underworld, feels a little like a book about the Italian mafia. Corruption exists at various levels, from small towns in the Mani to the big city of Athens, and involving hoodlums, businessmen, foreigners, and politicians. Siger's writing contrasts the dark side of power with the stunning light of Peloponnese. The beauty of the location shines through the madness and provides a sort of travelogue of the Greek seaside.

Given that this is a book that is about what is essentially the Greek mafia, it is not surprising that the men hold all the power. That perspective may also be an accurate depiction of Greek society. However, it is difficult for a woman reading the book to see women constantly treated as objects and peripheral to any of the important decisions. Women in this book play the roles of sexual objects (if they are young and attractive), cooks and housekeepers (if they are old or unattractive), and even as insane. But they are never really respected. It will be worthwhile to read another of the series to find out if this is because this book is set in the Mani, or if it is Siger's normal perspective.

§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.

Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, December 2014

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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