Book Review: A Darker God by Barbara Cleverly

A Darker God: A Laetitia Talbot Mystery (Mortalis) by Barbara Cleverly, 2010.

Reality mimics an ancient Greek tragedy on the stage of an ancient Theater of Dionysius, Athens, Greece in 1928. Archaeologist Laetitia Talbot is caught up in the drama and the unraveling of shocking and mysterious deaths.

The book cleverly combines Greek drama with political, historical and personal drama in 1920s Europe and Greece. With excellent storytelling and a strong sense of place, you get caught up as part of the audience in this extended Greek play and watch with pity and fear as events unfold. Laetitia (Letty) helps a British inspector and the Greek police to sort out the facts while risking her life for the sake of friends and a former lover.

Recommended for those who enjoy mystery, history, Greek drama, and archaeology. In other words, The Darker God (a reference to Dionysius), should have a wide appeal.

Title: A Darker God: A Laetitia Talbot Mystery (Mortalis)
Author: Barbara Cleverly
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Bantam; Original edition (March 23, 2010)
Genre: Archaeological mystery, historical mystery
Source: Library
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Assassins of Athens by Jeffrey Siger

Assassins of Athens: A Chief Inspector Kaldis Novel by Jeffrey Siger takes place in Greece, with a crime novel featuring the hoi polloi of Greek society and the "criminal side" of nightlife in Athens. The revolutionary university student life is also part of the Athenian mix in the novel.  Inspector Andreas Kaldis has to solve the murder of a young student from a prominent family. The question is, what was the student doing in the dangerous neighborhood in which he was found? An interesting setting for this crime novel.

Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by MizB, asks you to choose two sentences at random from your current read. Include the author and title for readers. Anyone can join in.

"After all, it was life that mattered, not classes. Besides, if teachers really knew what they were talking about, they'd be doing something else." (p. 55)