What do the discovery of a skeleton in a cave, a schoolgirl's being mauled to death by a bear and the Battle of Marathon have in common? They are all pieces of the puzzle in Gary Corby's mystery of ancient Greek, The Marathon Conspiracy (#403). This is the fourth outing for this unlikely pair of sleuths. Nicolaos is an investigator working for Pericles at a critical period of Athens' history. His most difficult task seems to be collecting on the fees Pericles owes him from previous cases so that he can finally marry his partner in detection, the priestess Diotima.
Even though the Battle of Marathon took place thirty years prior, memories of the time leading up to the events of the battle are still raw and vivid to many of the survivors. When the skull and scroll case found with the body near the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron are sent to Athens for identification, old passions and hatreds are stirred up. Nicolaos is tasked by Pericles to find out who the skeleton belonged to. He'll need to talk to the two girls who found the body in a cave. He has the perfect "in" for the case with Diotima, a graduate of the exclusive girls' finishing school located there. There are just two problems with Nicolaos' plan: one of the girls has been killed by a bear, and her friend Ophelia has gone missing. Things take a curious turn when the girl's death turns out to be a murder, and the missing girl's father doesn't want her found. Throw in another murder or two, some political twists, a naked priestess, a couple of beatings and a wedding and you have an amusing mix in The Marathon Conspiracy. It's perfect reading for a lazy summer afternoon, and you'll have the bonus of learning a little more about the event which has passed into everyday use in our language.
No comments:
Post a Comment