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    The Messenger of Athens: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
    Unavailable
    The Messenger of Athens: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
    Unavailable
    The Messenger of Athens: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Messenger of Athens: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery

    Written by Anne Zouroudi

    Narrated by Gildart Jackson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Idyllic but remote, the Greek island of Thiminos seems untouched 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.

    Hermes's methods of investigation are unorthodox, and his message to the islanders is plain—tell the truth or face the consequences. But Hermes brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies. Who has sent him to Thiminos, and on whose authority is he acting?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateDec 31, 2013
    ISBN9781629231471
    Unavailable
    The Messenger of Athens: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery
    Author

    Anne Zouroudi

    Anne Zouroudi was born in England and has lived in the Greek islands. Her attachment to Greece remains strong, and the country is the inspiration for much of her writing. She now lives in the Derbyshire Peak District. She is the author of six Mysteries of the Greek Detective: The Messenger of Athens (shortlisted for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Breakthrough Authors and longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize), The Taint of Midas, The Doctor of Thessaly, The Lady of Sorrows, The Whispers of Nemesis and The Bull of Mithros.

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    Reviews for The Messenger of Athens

    3.5/5

    100 ratings16 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The Messenger of Athens is the first in Zouroudi’s series featuring the enigmatic Hermes Diaktoros. The body of Irini Asimakopoulos is found at the bottom of a cliff, and the local police quickly rule it accidental as a favor to her distraught husband. The Chief of Police assumes Irini committed suicide. Enter the Greek Detective. Diaktoros is determined to find out who is responsible for Irini’s death. The weeks leading up to her death are slowly unraveled through flashbacks, while Diaktoros methodically pursues the truth.This novel was not at all what I expected. Most detective novels follow a general formula. At the very least, the detective seems like the main character. In The Messenger of Athens, however, Irini is the main character. I felt like the detective’s appearances were relatively brief and infrequent in comparison to the story of Irini’s life. While there is a mystery to be solved, the book seems more like a story of betrayal, love, and conformity than a true detective novel. I also found the pacing of the novel a bit slow, but did feel rewarded in the end. The Messenger of Athens contains a bit of a lesson and establishes the character of Hermes Diaktoros well. I liked this book enough to pick up the second in the series as my next read.
    • 3/5
      First, this was a very strange book. I read about the series in Whatever, and came away thinking that this was a supernatural mystery series, with cameo appearances by various Greek gods - sort of urban fantasy sent in Greece. This may be that, or maybe not. It was really hard to tell.It is definitely set in Greece - modern Greece, the Greece that is looking at financial meltdown as I write this. And there is a death which is investigated, and the murderer identified. And other types of justice meted out to the undeserving and the deserving. Despite that, I'm not at all sure it was a mystery. After I finished it, I was baffled. Who sent the investigator to the island? Several people ask that question, and it is never answered. He identifies himself with Hermes. Is this a joke? It might be. But how does he know what he knows? And if he knows, why is he there? And who are the helpers who appear in the last chapter?To balance this, it was nicely written, with a clear-eyed view of life on this little Greek island, behind the scenes to the tourists who flock there in summer. The choice to use 3rd person narration (instead of 1st person, which I tend to see in urban fantasy), means that there is a little distance to the story, and we don't ever really identify the protagonist. This seems to be what the author wants, so she has done a good job.I will probably read the next one in the series. In part, this is because I read so much that it's nice to see someone doing something so different. In part, because I'm still not sure what is going on. So to sum up, this was a very strange book. Simple and clear on the surface, but deeply, deeply strange.
    • 5/5
      The fat man stepped over his holdall and crossed the room to stand before the overladen desk. He held out his hand. His manicured fingernails were filed square, whitened at the tips and buffed almost opaque. 'My name,' he said, 'is Hermes Diaktoros. I have been sent from Athens to help you in your investigation into the death of Irini Asimakopoulos.' ..... For a few moments the fat man hid his mouth behind his hand and looked at Nikos, assessing, considering. 'I wonder,' he said, finally. Are you the kind of man who can be trusted with another man's secrets?'I'd seen the author Anne Zouroudi recommended a number of times and I'm only sorry I haven't got around to reading this, the first in the series, earlier. I certainly want to read more.Although he never claims it himself, everyone, including Chief of Police Zafiridis, assumes at first that Hermes has come from the metropolitan police. In fact all he ever says is that he has been sent by a higher authority.Everyone on the island accepts that Irini Asimakopoulos committed suicide, but the fat man points out that there should have been an autopsy, and that other questions like why she would have committed suicide also need to be answered.So the main part of the book explores the events that led up to Irini's death.Anne Zouroudi breaks a few rules with the structure of this book by presenting the information from a number of points of view. Sometimes the reader is not directly told who is speaking but has to work it out from what is being said and the context in which it is being said.In the long run the fat man achieves justice for Irini, but not the sort of justice we might have expected. In addition he takes care of a few other problems that the villagers have.In the figure of Hermes Diaktoros I was reminded strongly of Agatha Christie's Mr Harley Quin. In some places Zouroudi's style reminded me of Georges Simenon. I think the similarity mainly lies in the focus on creating atmosphere.
    • 4/5
      I have only just discovered Anne Zouroudi's series of Hermes Diaktoros novels. They take place in seemingly idyllic settings, in Greece, which hide a myriad of sins including murder, pederasty, rape, false piety and cruelty. Our hero, Hermes Diaktoros (Hermes the Messenger) wreaks old-fashioned vengeance on the perpetrators in the most charming yet ruthless manner. Strangely, none of the people he meets seem to understand who he is, even when he explains his name to them. There's something very liberating about reading these tales of vengeance by the ancient gods, especially when our friend, Hermes, is so human in his own little failings; he smokes and eats too liberally of pastries. Really so enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Takes place on a cold and windy Greek island. One of the great mystries of the book is not who killed Irini Asimakopoulos, it's who is the enigmatic inspector. Is he from Athen or is he something more? A great sense of place and culture.
    • 4/5
      A detective story with a difference set on an imaginary Greek island a bit off the tourist trail and out of season. It begins with the finding of the broken body of one of the island women and the arrival, soon after, of the improbably well-dressed visitor from Athens with a mission to determine the truth about the death. The reader is allowed into the thoughts of the principal characters by way of flashbacks which accompany the fat visitor's investigations. He rides the battered local bus and walks the mule tracks without breaking a sweat or crumpling his elegant suit, although he does have to attend to his white tennis shoes regularly, with whitener kept in the holdall he always carries. He has an almost supernatural ability to see inside the minds of the island people and to give each a different view of their own behaviour, and, of course, exposes, and punishes, the guilty. His influence goes further, however, and he is able to help the innocent in surprising ways.The book reminded me of the J B Priestly play, An Inspector Calls. There is the same examination of a tragic event by looking throught he eyes of several involved parties and the same feeling that the outcomes have more to do with conscience than the force of law.The descriptions of life on the island in the cold, windy winter and the way the islanders interact will surprise those whose only experience of the Aegean is by way of relaxed summer holidays, but not anyone who has read, or seen the film of, Zorba the Greek. Well written and worth reading.
    • 4/5
      An amospheric and fascinating story of the traditions, superstitions and myths of the Greek Islands. Set on an out-of-tourist-season island, where the inhabitants struggle to cope with the cold, the wind and the damp, the biggest mystery is just who is Hermes Diaktoros and who sent him to investigate who or what caused Irini Asimakopoulos's death. As Irini's story unfolds it becomes clear that Diaktoros, or the fat man, is no ordinary investigator as he dispenses comfort and justice throughout the island.
    • 3/5
      Agood story, well told with lots of atmosphere. Unusual and a good read. The Greek context is strong and interesting.
    • 5/5
      (Fiction, Mystery, Series #1)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 this 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
    • 3/5
      I was looking for a mystery by an author whose last name started with a Z and found the first book in a series featuring investigator, Hermes Diaktoros. His name, of course, is that of the messenger of the Greek gods, and he often refers to his white tennis shoes as his wings. He is usually referred to as “the fat man” throughout this book, rather than by his name.

      He arrives on the island of Thiminos, a small Greek island that eagerly awaits the arrival of the tourist season. He announces that he hasn't been invited but has “heard” of the suicide of one of the local residents, Irini Asimakopoulos. The chief of police doesn't want his help but the Greek detective insists he is going to find out if Irini was actually murdered. The story alternates between his conversations with the locals and several told from other characters' viewpoints that provides a clue to what happened.

      I expected this to be a lighthearted, cozy mystery set on a beautiful Greek island, but found it be a surprisingly complex tale about a group of people who live under strict moral codes and traditions. I was fascinated by Hermes Diaktoros and wish he had been filled out a bit more. Since this is not uncommon in the first book of a series, I would definitely try another. There are some unpleasantly graphic scenes where the villagers kill goats and octopus for food so if you are looking for a romanticized picture of the Greek island, this is definitely not the book for you. I do recommend this to mystery fans looking for something a bit different.
    • 4/5
      This was a good story. It was a little slow getting started. And the style of alternating between current and past was a bit confusing at times. But it was worth it as the ending was quite good.

      The characters are very deep and you really understand how they think. The descriptions of the setting are terrific. The author paints a very vivid picture.
    • 3/5
      The author’s bio speaks glowingly of her love for the Greek Islands; so I was rather expecting a light and sun-drenched mystery designed for vacation reading. What I got was better – but much darker. This story is more of an expose of all that’s wrong with island life, rather than an ode to its joys.

      A young woman is found dead, her body broken at the foot of a cliff. The local police quickly judge it a suicide and thrust the matter under wraps. But then, the investigator Hermes Diaktoros (yes, like the god) arrives on the scene. It is unclear who he is working for, or what his background is – but his goal is clearly justice, and to that end, he will tease out the dirty and unpleasant secrets that lie in the hearts of the islanders.
      I’m not sure exactly when the book is set – I’d guess somewhere between the 1950s and the 1970s. It has an old-fashioned feel to it which I wasn’t entirely sure was due to the time period or the remoteness and social isolation of the setting. There’s a relentlessness to the book – I began to truly feel the sense of being worn down by strict social rules and the moral condemnation of ones’ peers; the sense that an island, however lovely, is a trap, imprisoning one with the promise of a simple life and torturing one with the tedium of the sameness of days. The people here are hidebound in all the worst ways, and hope, for anyone, involves getting off the island, ‘home’ though it may be.

      Don’t get me wrong – the sense of place here is wonderful. Very nice writing. The book gives an authentic-feeling glimpse into the world of the ‘locals’ of a tourist destination in the off-season. I’d recommend this to those who are fans of much of the new crop of Scandinavian crime fiction – it’s got a lot in common with many of those books, with its depiction of isolation and the insights into the shadowy side of human venality.

      The truly unique aspect to these books, however, is the investigator. Hermes excuses his unusual name by claiming that his father was a classical scholar – but one cannot help but wonder if there’s more to the character than that. He’s intentionally opaque, in a very intriguing way. Is he actually an avatar of Hermes, or the arm of some kind of divine justice? At times he reminded me of an angel of vengeance. I enjoyed his character a lot – and I’ve already started the next book in the series.

      Copy provided by NetGalley.

    • 1/5
      Read 80 pages and was still not liking it. Stopped and dropped it in the recycle bin. Really didn't like it.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsThe death of Irini Asimakopoulos brings the mysterious investigator Hermes Diaktoros aka The Fat Man to the remote Greek island of Thiminos. The Fat Man doesn’t believe the official conclusion; Irini’s death was an accident. Eccentric and mysterious, in his person and investigative methods, he makes the villagers aware he will discover the truth behind Irini’s death no matter the cost.When I began THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS I was intrigued by the seven deadly sins premise as well as the location. The island of Thiminos and its inhabitants came across, for the most part, as hard scrabble and depressing; giving a nod to the modern world while mired deeply in a dark archaic past. This curious blending of modern and ancient gives THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS an odd timeless quality. It wouldn’t have surprised me to discover one of the characters was a Greek god in disguise.THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS is as unorthodox in its telling as The Fat Man is in his investigative technique. The Prologue met my expectations but then events slowed to a snails pace and pages were spent on minutia and rambling details past and present. The first half, while atmospheric, was a bit of a slog and I seriously considered giving a D(id)N(ot)F(inish) rating. To my delight the second half picked up the pace along with all those gossamer detail threads to bring THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS to a gratifying conclusion rich in karmic justice.Like a Tom Holt novel, Anne Zouroudi’s Seven Deadly Sins series requires a certain mindset. Mentally prepared for the uniqueness of the telling and characters I’m looking forward to the rest of Ms. Zouroudi’s series. Hopefully I’ll discover who, exactly, the Fat Man is. Reviewed by IvyD for Manic Readers & Miss Ivy's Book Nook
    • 3/5
      Hermes Diaktoros, toting his holdall, travels to the remote and idyllic island of Thiminos to investigate the murder of Irini Asimskopolous. Did she fall, or jump, or was she pushed from the cliff?The fat investigator from Athens, a Greek Hercule Poirot, begins to dig. Who might have wanted Irini dead? Chief of police, Panayiotis Zafiridis who lusted after Irini but who was refused? Andreas, her fisherman husband who realizes his wife doesn’t love him but another? Theo, the married carpenter, to whom Irini gives her heart but not her body? A jealous wife? The mad shepherd who sees too much? George, the bus driver?Quietly and persistently Diaktoros uncovers the secrets of the inhabitants, even the secret disease that is slowly eating the life out of Irini’s uncle Nikos.Zouroudi evokes the beauty and mystery of Greece, although modern, still shrouded in age-old superstition and not quite forgetful of its ancient gods.
    • 4/5
      I decided to buy this book (the first in a series) after attending a talk given by its author, who spoke very candidly about how she came to create the series. That she once lived in Greece shows in her evocative description of the country and its people. A page turning plot which kept me to its end – an end I certainly didn't see coming. For me, a series to follow.