The Marathon Conspiracy

The Athenian Mysteries #4

by Gary Corby

The rollicking fourth book in the Nicolaos and Diotima mystery series set in Classical Athens.

Nicolaos, Classical Athens’s favorite sleuth, and his partner in investigation, the clever priestess Diotima, have taken time off to come home and get married. But hoping to get hitched without a hitch proves overly A skull discovered in a cave near the Sanctuary of Artemis, the ancient world’s most famous school for girls, is revealed to be the remains of the Hippias, the reviled last tyrant to rule Athens. The Athenians fought the Battle of Marathon to keep this man out of power; he was supposed to have died thirty years ago, in faraway Persia. What are his remains doing outside the city walls? Nico’s boss, the great Athenian statesman Pericles, wants answers, and he orders Nico to find them. Worst of all, one of the two Sanctuary students who discovered the skull has been killed, and the other is missing. Can the sleuths solve the interlocked crimes before their wedding?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Greece, Crime

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

I'm the author of the Athenian Mysteries.

Nicolaos, the ambitious son of a minor sculptor, walks the mean streets of Classical Athens as an agent for the promising young politician Pericles.

Murder and mayhem don't faze Nico; what's really on his mind is how to get closer (much closer) to Diotima, the intelligent and annoyingly virgin priestess of Artemis, and how to shake off his irritating 12 year old brother Socrates.

Reviews

[Bettie]

Description: Nicolaos, Classical Athens's favorite sleuth, and his partner in investigation, the clever ex-priestess Diotima, have taken time out of their assignments to come home to get married. But if Nico was hoping they'd be able to get hitched without a hitch, he was overly optimistic. When they arrive in Athens, there's a problem waiting for them.

The Sanctuary of Artemis is the ancient world's most famous school for girls. When one of the children is killed, apparently by a bear, and another girl disappears in the night, Diotima's childhood teacher asks her former pupil to help them. Diotima is honor-bound to help her old school.

Meanwhile a skull discovered in a cave not far from the sanctuary has proven to be the remains of the last tyrant to rule Athens. The Athenians fought the Battle Marathon to keep this man out of power. He was supposed to have died thirty years ago, in faraway Persia. What are his remains doing outside the city walls?

Nico's boss, the great Athenian statesman Pericles, wants answers, and he wants Nico to find them.

What makes it all so ominous is that the skull was discovered by the two students of the Sanctuary of Artemis who are dead and missing.

What does a decades-dead tyrant have to do with two young girls? Where is the missing child? Is a killer bear really lurking beyond the walls of Athens? And who is the mysterious stranger who's trying to kill Nico and Diotima? Can the sleuths solve the interlocked crimes and save a child before their wedding?

Dedication: For my own little bears, Catriona and Megan

Opening: Pericles didn't usually keep a human skull on his desk, but there was one there now. The skull lay on a battered old scroll case and stared at me with a vacant expression, as if it were bored by the whole process of being dead.

That premise needs this *points down at image* before I have even read a page:



Having nothing whatsoever to do with this book yet of amazing interest: Archaeologists discover palace with archaic inscriptions built during the Mycenaean period.

Linear B


4* The Pericles Commission
4* The Ionian Sanction
4* Sacred Games
CR The Marathon Conspiracy

[Mary Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just getting better and better.

When I read the first book in this series (The Pericles commission) while I liked it I didn't love it, my judging of a book is whether or not I would be happy to read it again and while good I couldn't see myself reading it twice. But..........I had already bought the whole series so on to book two which was great,something I will enjoy revisiting. The author has developed an interesting world Ancient Greece thirty years after the Battle of Marathon. The author cleverly incorporate s real historical figures along with invented characters. I especially enjoy the young Socraties brother of our hero Theo. Theo is the first ever detective working for Pericles (a respected government official) Theo is used to.investigate any problem.............which usually involves as murder............which may do harm to the newly formed democracy in Athens. Theo has the help of a Priestess of Artemis named Diotima who in this book is his fiancee. There is a lovely vein of.humor running through this series,,, I just love books which make.me laugh............................

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as fun as his others.

For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/93... .

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm already half way through the next book (#5), clearly I'm devouring this like a starved lioness.

With that said, the formulaic setup is getting really old. I know, it's my fault I'm trying to read the whole series in a week. But do we really need to shoehorn a battle into every unlikely setting in every book?

The way dad explains women to Nico bothers me a great deal -- because I think Corby is whitewashing the sexism of that age. I'm not suggesting we judge them by our morales, I'm saying he's making it sound like ancient Greeks are just like us, except men pretend they have more power when in fact women are truly in charge and only obey when they feel like it.

Also, the way Diotima is depicted as martially competent and fearless hothead who is prim and proper but still runs around in public investigating and rescuing, but also routinely erupts into tears ... is rather cliche.

With all that complaints, I'm still loving the series, it seems to me that entertaining-education is a clear goal here, with many scenes set up in order for the narrator to explain ancient Greek customs to modern readers. So I'm prepared to overlook the formula and cliche.

I tried to research the dowry / inheritance custom when I was analyzing Penelope's situation in the Odyssey, I found a few extremely old academic articles that left me unsure and confused. This story and the endnotes (by that I mean the fact vs fiction chapter in the end of the book) makes a lot of sense and also helped me appreciate Penelope's choice, though I wish Corby included actual citation, because I tried really hard and couldn't come up with decisive answer about the rules or customs regarding inheritance. Obviously Penelope's society is much older, and the rules in Corby's story might not be applicable, bottom line is that I want source!

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2014, and its the 4th volume of the great "Athenian" mystery series set in Classical Athens, from Aussie author, Gary Corby.

The real historical Diotima, now ex-Priestess of Artemis, and now becoming wife of the fictional, Nicolaos, while in full preparations for their wedding they are asked for their investigating skills.

When Diotima childhood's teacher call for help, they can't refuse, especially when it concerns the ancient's world most famous girl school, The Sanctuary of Artemis, and one their girls is found killed, apparently by a bear, while another girl disappears in the night.

What is to follow is an amazingly funny but also historically very accurate Greek mystery, where Nico and Diotima have to unravel various threats to get to the centre of this web of intrigue and murder, before after some twists and turns and a clever plot they can finally reveal the culprit behind it all.

Very much recommended, for this is another superb addition to this fabulous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Astounding Greek Mystery"!

[Lance McMurchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I have to say, this book is the best in the series so far. Corby is really getting the hang of writing these murder mysteries. He neatly combines: the development of young, aristocratic girls to adulthood; the social workings of marriage and divorce; and the battle of Marathon, all within a classical Greece setting. There are few asides where I start to think, this is going away from the main story but I, actually, quite enjoyed being taken to another aspect of Greek society. A lot of thought and work has gone into producing these books; the result is a complex, historically deep story.

But, there always seems to be a ‘but’, I found the whole relationship between Nico and Diotima a bit phony. I never warmed to them. In fact I found Nico, the main character, all a bit irritating. The question that I would like to ask Corby: is that his intention to make the main couple this way? I don’t think so, with the whole wedding thing; you have a big wedding thing for those that you dislike. But they just seem too modern to me. Corby seems to thinks that this sort of relationship is plausible in Classical Greece and uses it as a form of dialectic to clarify points. I don’t know; maybe this sort of stroppy, disrespectful woman and arrogant, rebellious men was normal feature at this time too. I thought that they would have had such behaviour beaten out of them by the time they got to their ages.

Still a good book to me is one that I learn something from, and this book does that.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received The Marathon Conspiracy as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

Nicolaos, happily engaged to his partner Diotima, finds himself in the midst of another mystery when his patron, Pericles, presents him with the decades-old remains of Hippias, Athens' hated last tyrant. Given his lack of popularity, there is no shortage of professed murderers coming out of the woodwork to confess to the deed. The discovery of Hippias comes alongside to other apparent crimes: the murder of a young female student, Allike, and the disappearance of her classmate Ophelia. Diotima, a former pupil at the girls' school, is approached by her former teacher to sort out the mysteries and, if possible, bring Ophelia home safely.

I love reading about the ancient world, and ancient Greece is a novel setting for a mystery, so I was excited to delve into the book. The book was well-paced and readable. Despite the number of characters and often unfamiliar names, Corby clearly and regularly reminds the reader who is who without it interrupting one's flow of thought. I would be interested to read the previous books in this series, as this is the first of The Athenian Mysteries I have read.

I would say that, by way of criticism, some of the dialogue and situations seemed a little too modern, even for a society as relatively enlightened as Athens. Still a very enjoyable read, though.

3.5/5.

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rounding up a bit, but this is my favorite book so far in one of my favorite series of historical fiction.

Our young detective Nico is still learning, but may be slowly beginning to make fewer mistakes. He and his partner in investigation, priestess Diotima, make an impressive team -- though who knows if they would succeed without the occasional interjections of Nico's younger brother? Even as a child, and one whose precocity and recklessness frequently annoy Nico, Socrates is a good fellow to have around when a problem needs analyzing....

As usual with this series, the reader can learn a good deal about Greek and Athenian history, mythology, society, and literature along the way. And Corby's frequent humorous touches are sprinkled through without unduly interrupting the suspense.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable light and frothy mystery set in ancient Periclean Greece. This time out, from a young ladies' academy at a temple complex one girl is killed--[by a bear??], another has disappeared; later on the fiancé of one of them is found dead in a Sacred Pool on the premises. An unsolved conspiracy of 30 years before involving Hippias, Tyrant of Athens and the Battle of Marathon is involved: who participated, how and why? Partners Nico and ex-priestess Diotima aided by Nico's pesky brother Socrates, set out to solve these mysteries and answer any questions. Delightful!! I like so much how Corby painlessly works in Greek history. Supplementary material at the end is most valuable, only don't read until you've read the novel first. Corby treats us to his gentle humor.

[Bonniecco cco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a great deal. It is the fourth in his series of mysteries set in ancient Greece (459 BC) and I think the best of a great collection. I do have some more to read - I think 3. Corby knows the history of that time very well and he brings it into his stories. He writes well. He creates interesting characters, and most of them likeable. My only regret is that he is not now adding more volumes to this series, so I am going to run out. The politics he describes are sometimes awful, as ours are now, but it's good to know that Greece survived. The smartest characters are all female, which is an added advantage for me. Nicolaos, the protagonist, is error prone but very likeable.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, fun, satisfying read.

[Santhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow-paced , for my liking, but fascinating to learn about life in ancient Greece and of renowned names

[Sheri South · Rating 5 out of 5]

I entered a Goodreads giveaway for this book because the cover caught my eye, and to my surprise, I won! Because I'm the author of several romances as well as historical mysteries, I chose to go back and begin with the first book of the series, so I could follow the relationship between 21-year-old Nicolaos and Diotima. What a find! I was torn between reading four books in the series back-to-back in order to post a review more quickly, and pacing myself so I could savor them. In the end I settled for a compromise, allowing about a month between books.

Mind, you don't have to read all the books to follow, even enjoy, this one. Although there are plot threads that began in the earlier books (the main one being the approaching marriage of Nico and Diotima) as well as continuing characters, THE MARATHON CONSPIRACY works quite well as a stand-alone. But why would you want to read one book when you can enjoy four? I strongly recommend doing as I did and beginning with THE PERICLES COMMISSION, just to quadruple your fun.

And fun they certainly are. Granted, they can be violent and at times a bit bawdy, but keep in mind that we are seeing ancient Greece through Nico's eyes; because he accepts these elements as a normal part of the world in which he lives, we tend to do so as well. Besides, the whole thing is told with such tongue-in-cheek humor that it all seems like good, clean fun. The secret behind the "traitor" at the battle of Marathon is surprisingly sweet.

Of course the gimmick in the series is that Nico's 12-year-old brother is Socrates. When I first realized this early in THE PERICLES COMMISSION, I wasn't quite sure I would be able to buy into it, but Gary Corby convinced me. His Socrates is absolutely delightful, as evidenced in this brief passage, which takes place when Nico and Socrates are kidnapped by a mysterious stranger.

"I've been warned what a dangerous man you are, Nicolaos, son of Sophroniscus. The word is you've carried out three missions for Pericles, all executed with utter ruthlessness, that you're a master of deception, that your enemies were convinced you were a bumbling idiot, right up to the moment you destroyed them. Well, you may have fooled them, but you won't fool me."

"That's not fair!" Socrates protested. "Nico really IS a bumbling idi--er . . . that is--"

Ah! No one like your kid brother to put you in your place! Nico is a sort of Everyman, a very young man who doesn't always get it right the first time, and who gets very little respect from most of the men he has to deal with. One of my favorite character types, in fact, and my newest literary crush.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysteries...are not my thing.

I find this a frustrating fact about myself. I keep trying them because, well, I'm a big fan of reading challenges and mysteries often have some thematic element that fits the requirements for whatever challenge I'm working on. I like to keep an open mind, too. Most of the time I feel as though is I don't like a certain section of literature it's because I haven't found the right book.

This...isn't that book. (But it IS set in Greece, so there's that challenge task completed). The mystery itself was fine. It seemed to click along at a nice pace. The ancient setting gave it an interesting twist in that it couldn't get bogged down in the as-of-yet-not-invented forensics.

The setting seemed to be this books biggest weakness for me, though. Although the idea is fun, the execution left a lot to be desired. It is suffering a great deal from the main characters having clearly modern ideals and characteristics while living in an ancient world. My own particular pet peeve: the main character lives in a very religious society, but does not really have any religious beliefs. Why are authors so afraid of having main characters having religious beliefs? This cliche isn't this book or this author's fault, but I'm so bored with it. Similarly, The Marathon Conspiracy doesn't really seem to know what to do with women. This stands out particularly because it clearly wants to say something about how women are treated, but just doesn't quite have what it takes to say anything. Just assume going in that most characters will behave as though they've been to several modern feminist seminars and are now embarrassed to be living in their own time period.

All of that said, the book is okay. It flows well, most of the characters are good, if sometimes flat. I think if I were more into mysteries, I'd have liked this a lot more. As is, it's just fine. Entertaining, but I'll probably have forgotten it by next year.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good bear story and this one is a doozie. The bear in question is falsely accused of murder and is also a symbol of the Goddess Artemis. Set in ancient Greece, Corby weaves a tale of mystery that keeps his protagonist Nicolaos, an Athenian investigator, on his toes. Assisting Nico are his fiancée Diotima, a woman ahead of her time, and his little brother Socrates, very bright but annoying, especially to his older brother.

Entertaining and a lesson in Greek history as well, the author includes facts about ancient myths and traditions, often in a humorous way. A list of characters along with pronunciations of their names precedes his story and he follows up with an explanation of the true history upon which his book is based. It’s a well-researched departure from the usual detective story and part of a series on the same theme.

[Carolyn Di Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun series! Our sleuth Nicos, his assistant/fiancee' and his precocious little brother Socrates (Yes, that one!), are off on another hunt for evil doers. Not only will you get a lively dose of action in this book, you will also enjoy the humor and history as well.
I wish these books would go as viral as the 50 shades series seems to. Sigh....

[David Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of keeping my spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic, I've decided to reread two series of novels set in Greece. Why? Because my wife and I are holding out hope that our September/October trip to Greece still will happen...fingers crossed!

I finished all the books in "The Seven Deadly Sins" series featuring Hermes Diaktoros (Hermes Messenger) - which are set in modern Greece. So, it was time to begin "The Athenian Mysteries" series, featuring Nicholaos, son of Sophroniscus the sculptor and older brother of an extremely inquisitive young boy named Socrates. Along with Diotema - a priestess of Artemis and daughter of the hetaera Euterpe (a high-class call girl) - Nicholaos is arguably the world's first private investigator. After all, the first novel in the series is set in ancient Athens just days after the first democracy is established there (461 B.C.).

Like all good history writers, Corby blends known facts from the past with delightful fiction. Not only do the books in this series entertain, they also provide the reader with a great sense of what it was like to live nearly 2,500 years ago at the birthplace of western civilization. Anyone who loves classical Greece will love these books. And anyone who doesn't know much about classical Greece can learn a lot about it in this historically accurate - and fun - series.

"Apoláfste, filoi mou!" ("Enjoy, my friends!")

P.S. As the title would indicate, much of this novel's plot revolves around the famous Battle of Marathon - arguably the most important military victory in the history of western civilization. (Had the Persians won, there probably wouldn't have been a western civilization - the surprising Greek victory there was that important.) Having visited the plains of Marathon as part of my trip to Greece to run "the original" marathon from there to Athens, I was fascinated by the section when Niko, Diotima, Socrates, and Aeschylus visit the battlefield. And I hope to visit the Temple of Artemis in nearby Brauron when we're in Greece. So I found this novel as enjoyable as it was the first time I read it. Definitely worth the read!

Jun 14, 2020 [e

[Mark White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of this series I have read so yes, it certainly succeeds as a stand alone novel. I found it a little rocky at the start (possibly as a result of being the 4th in a series) but it gathers pace to a cracking ending. The older novels are referenced and provide a backdrop but never intrude. First class plotting throughout.

The concept is great - Nicolaos is an ancient Athenian PI and in some ways this is a historical whodunnit but also so much more. Nicolaus language is contemporary but his attitudes and actions are thoroughly Ancient Greek. In this novel the case he investigates is linked closely to real historical events - the death of Hippias the Tyrant, the Battle of Marathon and many more. A divorce case Nicolaos is unwillingly lumped with provides a fascinating and uncomfortably funny insight into Athenian divorce law. And finally Nico's wedding to his fiancé and partner Diotima forms a triumphant closure.

Many of the characters we know from history turn up as well - it is Pericles who hires Nicolaos and the poet Aeschylus plays a key role. Lesser known characters (to me at least) such as Callias, Leanna, the Tyranicides and others fill a fully rounded world and (a bit cheeky here) Nicolaus has an annoying younger brother named Socrates... The historical notes at the end are a revelation and as much fun to read as the novel. Never has history been so much fun.

All in all an excellent novel and I will be looking for the earlier books in the series.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in a series about an investigator in the golden age of Athens, when it was experimenting with a form of democracy. Pericles, Socrates, and many of the well-known personalities of ancient Greece are alive and active.

Much of the book takes place in what was essentially a finishing school for young ladies at a temple of Artemis in Brauron. A skeleton was found with several diaries indicating that it was a famous tyrant of the past, and one of the girls was brutally murdered, another has gone missing.

Like previous mysteries,this book pairs up Nicolaos "Nico" and Diotima who are about to be wed. The mystery is quite tangled, involving powerful politicians, a playwright, and the battle of Marathon which still echoes through history as a turning point in civilization.

This was one of the better books in the series, with interesting characters and setting, and plenty of useful historical tidbits. The characters are still a bit too modern feeling, but there is more attention paid to personal faith and belief, and Nico does not rely so heavily on his fiancee's abilities and intellect to solve the case.

The resolution is a bit abrupt, though, without any reasonable steps between clues and conclusion and felt a bit implausible to work out given what he knew but still was well done and the ending was satisfying.

[Christina Hirko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read, following the beloved duo of Nico and Diotima~ This book feels like we've found our footing with the historical facts and our fictional adventure. Yes, the ending is a bit fantastical with the fight scene, and then a bit cheesy with the wedding (but I'd be disappointed if the wedding wasn't a big event not only for the characters, but for us the readers~) I think that's what's most impressive, is that even the parts that lean into the fictional and fantastical, while always having a base in historical accuracy, are just so fun that I forgive the flaws. I found that the mystery was intriguing, while the solution was a bit anticlimactic (just the reveal, as it felt like we spent so little time with our murderer, and also the clues that pointed to them were things that Nico just...put off checking, rather than being denied finding out for a time), but I enjoyed the story between the mystery; I loved the walk down memory lane with Marathon, and the divorce side story; it was nice to be back in Athens and interacting with old and new characters beyond the mystery, which in another series might not have been so nice. I'm excited to move onto the fifth book~!

[Clay Kallam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The combination of Classical Athens and classic murder mysteries -- with the obligatory gathering of the suspects at the end -- is an attractive one, but in the fourth installment of The Athenian Mysteries, Gary Corby took the easy way out too often, resulting in a limp and uninteresting tale. And that's saying something coming from me, whose interest in the ancient world is pretty much off the charts.

This complex plot involving protagonist Nicolaos and his fiancee Diotima can't stand up to much inspection, what with the tame bears turning on bad guys and love at first sight between a Persian and Athenian, and the narrative is full of people being conveniently knocked out with a single blow to the head, or rich deus ex machinas arriving to save the day.

Corby also spends way too much time on the minutiae of Athenian life, which even I found tiresome after a while, and though it's somewhat interesting that renting donkeys and carts to aristocrats turned into a small industry, it's definitely not as interesting as Corby believes.

And sadly, neither is this book.

[BBoulier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 459 BC, Gary Corby’s “Marathon Conspiracy” (2014) is the fourth book in the series involving a young man, Nicolaos (Nico), who serves as a criminal investigator for Pericles. In this book, a skeleton is discovered by two students at the Sanctuary of Artemis, a well-known girls’ school. Scrolls found with the skeleton indicate that the bones are of the tyrant Hippias who had been overthrown in 510 BC and had joined the Persians in their ill-fated invasion at Marathon to restore him to power. One of the two girls is killed and the other is missing. Pericles employs Nico to investigate the case. He is joined in this endeavor by Diotima, his fiancee’, who was formerly a student at the Sanctuary. The plot of the book is excellent, and the discussions of the education of girls, marriage customs, and the Battle of Marathon are very interesting. There are also some very funny lines. For example, when Nico and Diotima are visiting a small village near the Sanctuary, they inquire for directions: “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Sesamon Street?” Highly recommended.

[Mike Shoop · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Bears, bodies, and bad guys, oh my! The fun and adventures continue as investigator Nicolaos and his intended, the clever priestess Diotima, get involved in a mystery surrounding the recently discovered skeleton of Hippias, the last tyrant of Athens, found near the famous ancient school for girls, the Sanctuary of Artemis. The main mystery becomes entangled with several others, including murder, kidnapping, and a missing bear, and Corby does a fine job of weaving the threads, throwing in terribly witty (if mostly modern sounding) dialogue, plenty of historical details, and a few surprises. His author's note, character list, and map provide even more factual information that is quite fascinating, particularly about the relationship between Socrates and Diotima. Entertaining and quite funny! Love this series!

[Cameron Toney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank goodness for libraries, because sometimes you are walking through one and spy a series you've never heard of, and give it a whirl, and generally enjoy it.
I picked this book up on just such a library jaunt. I like mystery! I like ancient Greek culture! I'm ready to read!
The treacherous thing about this book is that I kept thinking of it as "Diet M. Didius Falco". A detective and his beautiful and strong willed lady love solve crimes in the ancient world? Sounds a bit familiar....
It was an easy read, but Nico, our hero, sometimes doesn't know things that I wonder about. Would a Greek citizen really not know about the divorce laws?
Its obvious that the author loves the ancient world, and that sort of enthusiasm is always charming.
I may pick up more of this book here and there, but I'm not in a hurry to do so.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young girls find a skeleton in a cave near the temple were they are living in a sort of finishing school; and it turns out that Diotima was also once a student there. Then one of the girls is killed, apparently torn apart by a bear, and Nico is hired to discover the murderer, as well as to identify the skeleton. At the same time, plans are finally underway for Nico and Diotima's wedding — if their parents can only agree on who to invite! As usual in this series, it provides an interesting glimpse into life in Ancient Greece, including how society "worked" at various levels. Intriguing plot, believable characterization, and an interesting setting all combine to make this a very satisfying read. Highly recommended.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Well, it's not a great mystery, but it's loads of fun and (since this is my first in the series) not predictable. A unique setting for a mystery, and the sleuth is a young and fairly naive Athenian about to get married. Historically and culturally accurate? Oh, probably not, no doubt it's been tweaked somewhat for modern audiences. Nonetheless, Corby does a good job of capturing people living in a completely different world with completely familiar emotions and motivations: here: greed, fear, desire, shame, pride, love

[Peggy Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I read a lot of historical fiction and this series ranks as one of the best. Believable characters, neither stupid nor unbelievably smart, just honest humans. The hero is an honest and brave person, the heroine equally so and both work together well. The historical setting is believable with no noticeable anachronisms. Nor does it have people behaving out of character with the period. As with the best of historical fiction, the tale is relevant to the reader without belabouring the issue.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm now 1/4 for solving the mystery by the time Nico does. This one was convoluted. I had no chance. And yet, once all of the facts came out it all made sense. So good on you Gary.

Not much to say other than it was a fun read. The fact that it was really a few mysteries vaguely tied together made the investigation go all over the place helped change things up but also made it hard to piece everything together.

[Vicki Kohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. You can pick up/refresh your knowledge of Ancient Greek history/mythology while enjoying a mystery. And, Socrates as the somewhat annoying younger brother of the main character, Nicolaos, is a fun touch. At one point Socrates' instructor throws him out of his school because he asks too many questions—Ha!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The skeleton of Hippias, the last tyrant of Athens, has been found in a cave near the Sanctuary of Artemis just outside the walls of Athens. He was supposed to have died in Persia. So what are his remains doing there? Now one of the girls of the Sanctuary is dead and one is missing. Nicolaos and Diotima must solve the mystery, before they get married.