The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi

by:  Anne Zouroudi 
published by:  Reagan Arthur Books
publish date:  July 2010

Idyllic but remote, the Greek island of Thiminos seems untouched and untroubled by the modern world. So when the battered body of a young woman is discovered at the foot of a cliff, the local police - governed more by archaic rules of honor than by the law - are quick to close the case, dismissing her death as an accident.  Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further into the crime he believes has been committed. Refusing to accept the woman's death as an accident or suicide, Hermes Diaktoros sets out to uncover the truths that skulk beneath this small community's exterior.

The Messenger of Athens tells the story of this tiny little Greek island where a woman gone over a cliff.  The question is whether she jumped or she was pushed, furthermore why?  The local police have been paid off to close their investigation and leave it as an accident.  However, when Hermes Diaktoros shows up in their tiny town, he starts asking questions and stirs up a hornet's nest of gossip that the town is not used to.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.   I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, and in particular Hermes.  This book reminded me a lot of the BBC television show Doc Marten.  The small town distrust of outsiders and how the littlest thing can set the tongues wagging.  I'm still confused about what exactly Hermes was doing there.  I'm still not clear about who exactly he is, but maybe that will be explained in future books.  This book is just the first in a series.  I definitely plan on reading more of Anne Zouroudi's books.