A Darker God

Laetitia Talbot #3

by Barbara Cleverly

Award-winning author Barbara Cleverly returns with this spellbinding new mystery featuring aspiring archaeologist Laetitia Talbot. In Athens in 1928, Letty begins a perilous race to unearth a plot steeped in betrayal, seething with retribution, and about to explode in a wave of lethal violence.In the open-air theatre of the dark god Dionysos, Letty watches a performance of an ancient Greek tragedy. But the revenge that is exacted onstage, the dagger that is wielded, and the blood that flows in full view of the audience are not theatrical effects. As Letty digs for clues, she unearths disturbing secrets and dark animosities with catastrophic implications worthy of a Sophocles—but of far more recent vintage. Now, as a killer cuts a merciless swath across a country in the throes of political instability, Letty herself steps unawares into the murderer’s savage spotlight—a light so bright she may not be able to see the dark figure behind it until it’s too late.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Archaeology, Mystery Thriller

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Barbara Cleverly was born in the north of England and is a graduate of Durham University. A former teacher, she has spent her working life in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; she now lives in Cambridge. She has one son and five step-children.

Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.

Reviews

[Lisa Reads & Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light read. Light on suspense. Light on history. Light on archeology. The Laetitia Talbot protagonist was a fun feminist character with a mix of old-world decorum and progressive thought.

This was a book from a local library sale. I'm enjoying excursions into genres and authors that I would normally not pick up. The historical lessons were interesting, but I would have enjoyed more or them, and to a greater depth.

[Linniegayl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just didn’t work for me at all

[Linda McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third outing set in 1928 Athens, Letty's mentor, Sir Andrew Merriman, is killed at the dress rehearsal of a Greek tragedy he is directing about the murder of King Agamemnon by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra. As more facts come to light, the parallels between ancient and modern become eerie. Personal vendettas and politics entwine in nefarious plots, and Letty's life is endangered. I found the political aspects interesting, as I'm not familiar with this period of Greek history. I love this series, and enjoyed this suspenseful episode, though I missed the archeological focus of the first two books. I am definitely hoping for a fourth book, with Letty off digging again!

[Lynn Calvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery set in 1920s in Greece with lots of classical references thrown in. Great illumination of issues around class and political issues for Britons of the period. Distinctly British sensibility around the storyline, but also very understanding and respectful of Greek culture and politics of the period and manages to be non-Anglocentric about it.

Somehow though, while I find the book and the characters interesting I don't care about them as much as I would like.

I'll certainly keep reading this author, but not necessarily a frequent reread.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this one was disappointing. Two young girls both in love with a man old enough to be their father and yet they still get to be besties. A vicar who has no clerical responsibilities and doesn’t have any problems about hopping into bed with someone he isn’t married to. Interesting plot and I liked the historical references but v unbelievable characters to the point that it was annoying.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish the book. That says it all.

[Marie-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad this is the last one in the Laetitia Talbot series -- why?

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laetitia, or Letty Talbot is in 1920's Athens, Greece helping her mentor Col. Merriman put on performances of Agamemnon. And Chief Inspector Percy Montacute is sent by his government to help as his cover. He is also expected to root out any threats against the new Greek Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos. Who else is working undercover to prevent these same threats from be realized? And at what cross-purposes are all the actors, this book definitely feels like a play within a play. And all the political string pulling really shows the politicans' lack of concern for the little people.

There are some historic allusions to the recent past visited upon the local people, the mass evictions caused by regional lines drawn by distant and disinterested governments.

You can read this book as a stand-alone but much of the characters background isn't really explained so reading them in order would help. There seems to be some unnessary tangents to the story, and the begining is a little slow, it takes almost 50 pages just to get all the characters together. Merriman is killed, and the red herrings abound. Who killed him and why? And how does it relate to the threats against the Greek PM?

The play must go on, Merriman's murder is solved and the plots against the Greek PM are stopped, at least temporarily.

If you like reading light mysteries and have an interest in 1920's British or Greek history, this book's for you.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like this series nearly as well as I like Cleverly's Inspector Sandilands books, but it probably rates worse in comparison than it would if I didn't like the other series so well.

Letty Talbot has a bit of a Jessica Fletcher thing going on -- people tend to die when she's around. I tend to like mystery series with a more unexpected protagonist (i.e. not a detective, policeman, journalist, etc.) a bit less, because I find them less plausible.

On top of that, the Letty Talbot books always take much longer to get going than the Sandilands books, and this was was particularly slow for the first few chapters. It definitely picked up a bit towards the middle, but by then I was already somewhat detached from the action and I never really fell into the book very well.

Cleverly also tries to carry the plot line a bit too much from book to book in this series, and doesn't do quite well enough at reminding readers of what happened in previous books; I remembered Gunning vaguely, but I didn't completely remember his relationship to Letty until nearly halfway through the book.

An OK mystery novel, but disappointing compared to the Sandilands books (which I highly recommend).

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Cleverly's "Joe Sandilands" series, but I'm just fond of the Laetitia Talbot one, and this one is about par for the course. Cleverly uses interesting historical detail without bludgeoning the reader - this one is set in 1920s Greece, with tidbits of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles still overshadowing the players. Of course, ancient Greece also makes an appearance, and parts of Agamemnon are integral to the plot.
While I'm always happy to see Laetitia and Gunning, I definitely had a soft spot for Montacute and his philhellenic sidekick. The murder mystery soon unfolds another deeper plot, and the resolutions for each are smart and believable.

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in the Laetitia Talbot series about a young archaeologist set during the late 1920's. In this adventure, Letty and William Gunning are in Greece for the opening of a play directed by Letty's ex-lover, Andrew Merriman. Before the story gets underway, Andrew Merriman is murdered during dress rehearsal, and his wife, Maude falls to her death that same day. The driving force of the the story is an act named The Population exchange between Greece and Turkey of 1923, which is an actual event. Cleverly weaves historic events into the thread of the story which provide glimpses of brutal history, and all the errors made in the name of religion.

[Janice Liedl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laetitia and William wind up back in Athens and embroiled in yet another murder investigation. This one strikes close to home as it revolves around her erstwhile mentor and classical archaeologist, Andrew Merriman. There's a wealth of classical and contemporary shenanigans involved in this perilous investigation with some intriguing new characters, particularly Thetis, an actress who's very sympatico with Laetitia.

Parts of the mystery that were supposed to liven then end were painfully obvious from very early on, however and, once again, I regret that the interesting archaeological prospects these books open up aren't real. I'd love to see another book in the series someday soon!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laetitia Talbot and her faithful Gunning are taking a break from their archaeological dig in Athens, where they become involved in a production of the classic tragedy Agamemnon. A sudden death, and suspicion falls on a young Englishwoman whom Letty has befriended. Moreover, Letty is left a legacy with a strange past and an even stranger potential future. Danger and problems abound, as more bodies turn up, and Letty realizes the roots of the crime are in the past.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent historical mystery

Barbara Cleverly is a master of setting - particularly in time. Her novels capture and make human and understandable periods of British colonial politics, social upheaval, early feminism, disenchantment with class rules, and questions of faith following WWI. The characterizations are good, though not with great depth, as the author's focus is directed more to time and place.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read; always good to have more of Letty and Gunning. I wished there had been more for Letty's friend (Esme?) in the opening chapter, but maybe she'll show up again. Definitely already set up for the next book, which of course, makes me look forward to that one. Enjoyed the theatrical references to the production of Greek tragedy in site.

[Susan McDuffie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the archaeological premise of this series and Laetitia Talbot is an interesting woman of this era. I confess that the different voices of the characters don't always come through in the dialogue for me; although the dialogue has a nice breezy pace all the characters tend to sound the same to me. However I'll look forward to Laetitia's next adventure--the archaeology will pull me in!

[BookAddict · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear ... what a disappointing yawn. This latest installment of the usually fun & historically interesting Laetitia Talbot series just plodded and plodded and plodded along... about the only thing worthwhile for me was the information on the population exchange between Turkey and Greece which I previously knew nothing about. Now that seems like a worthwhile read!

[Harvee Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated this 4.5. Loved the repeat of the ancient Greek tragedy of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Athens in 1928. Archaeological and historical mystery. My full review

[Mary Newcomb]

I found this book when looking for a tale set in Greece. This is a murder mystery involving a play with Alexander, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra set in 1928 Athens. Interesting though convoluted tale of Greek history, passion and archeology. I plan to read more in this series.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a mystery novel, this was okay... but as historical fiction, set in Athens in 1928 - with elements of politics (the so-called "Population Exchange") in a place and time I wasn't too familiar with, this was an absorbng and educational read.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

very enjoyable series....more please!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit more convoluted than the previous mysteries, but still delightful. Couldn't guess the killer to save my life!

[Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series...

[K.B. Hallman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, reasonably paced mystery. The author makes excellent use of red herrings.

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a mystery fan, I was a bit skeptical. But, I'm having fun reading this book.

[Kay Webb Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle

[Pat]

Laetitia Talbot

[Donna Herrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the echoes between the story, the mythology, and the performance. I wish that either we would have had morecdigging, oor more politics of the ethnic cleansing.

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever mystery set in modern Greece, but with echoes of the ancient past. I liked the story a lot, but did not really like Laetitia Talbot.