Nicolaos and Diotima are hired as bodyguards to protect a traveler on his way to Egypt. Unfortunately, Egypt is currently a war zone as the Egyptians and Libyans are fighting a rebellion against Persia. Pericles orders Nico to drop in on the Prince of Libya, the leader of the Egyptian rebellion, to offer his help as an agent since Athens is allied with Egypt.

The Prince of Libya has a convoluted scheme to prove his status as the rightful pharaoh of Egypt and he sends Nico and Diotima behind enemy lines into Persian-controlled Memphis to retrieve the crook and flail of the last pharaoh.

As secret agents representing four different factions converge on Memphis, Nico and Diotima have their work cut out for them in their most difficult mission yet. ( )

Pericles sends Nico and Diotima on a mission to contact a Libyan prince in Egypt, which is currently a warzone.

This was a fun one with lots going on and a real page-turner towards the end. ( )

Another entertaining romp along the fringes of history as Corby's characters interact with real figures such as Herodotus, Pericles and others in an effort to aid Libyan rebels in freeing Egypt from Persia. ( )

History and humor combine in what has easily become one of my absolute favorite mystery series. This time, Nico and Diotima travel to Egypt and things do not run smoothly. The Persians are occupying Memphis, a young prince from Libya is attempting to prove he is descended from Pharaohs and has a legitimate claim to the throne, there's a Spartan assassin on their tail and no matter which way they turn or which choices they make, Nico and Diotima are going to anger someone and put themselves in danger. Throw in the tavern singer of the title (and some delightfully groan-worthy Elvis allusions), Herodotus (yes, that Herodotus), a power-hungry bureaucrat, the king of the beggars, and other assorted pieces and players and you have the makings of a perfect cross between a farce and--to paraphrase a certain Sicilian--a game of wits where death (and the fate of Egypt) is on the line. Corby deftly balances well-researched history with action and humor to create mystery novels that keep readers entertained and maybe accidentally learning something. ( )

I fell for Gary Corby's grasp of history and his excellent storytelling the first time I picked up one of his Athenian mysteries. Nicolaos is the perfect sleuth, called upon to investigate all sorts of interesting situations by Athens' premier citizen, Pericles. Nico's wife Diotima (a former priestess) is quite talented at deduction herself, and even his younger brother Socrates (yes, that Socrates) can come up with a good question or two (dozen).

Corby has created the perfect little time machine in which readers can visit ancient Greece and still feel at home. There are action sequences at sea and on dry land that will certainly keep the pages turning, and since there is no shortage of secret agents representing all the various factions in Egypt, readers will be kept guessing at the outcome. Traveling along with the world's first historian is yet another perk of reading this book.

One of the ways Corby makes readers feel so at home in this ancient world is with his use of humor. In this book, that humor begins with the title. How many of you thought of Elvis Presley when you saw "The Singer from Memphis"? I would imagine most of you did, unless you knew that Gary Corby writes mysteries set in ancient Greece and that there was a city in Egypt named-- you guessed it-- Memphis. But in this book, one of the characters is a young female who makes a living singing in a bar in Memphis, and the first time Nicolaos sees her, she's singing a song in Greek about suspicious minds. (Any Elvis fans smiling?) There's another instance of subtle humor when I was reminded of what happened when someone wore a red shirt in the original Star Trek series. Whether subtle or laugh-out-loud funny, Corby's humor brings his story to life and helps his readers make the transition to the ancient world.

The Singer from Memphis has a wonderful setting and characters and an engrossing mystery with more than a hint of a treasure hunt to it. For those of you who are wavering because you think you'll be unable to pronounce words, know what some of the words are, or be lost in history, waver no more. Corby has included a short cast of characters complete with pronunciation, a brief historic timeline to set up the story (although you really don't need it), and a glossary to define any of the words you may not be familiar with. Rest assured that Corby does a marvelous job of placing you in the ancient world without the feeling that you're drowning in history. In addition, his Author's Note at the end should not be missed-- although he warns you not to read it first because it's full of spoilers. This section tells you what is true and what isn't in the story as well as several other fascinating facts. Is it necessary to read this series in order? No, but I can see you reading one and then going back for the others.

Gary Corby has prepared the feast, and it's sitting on the table, waiting for you. All you need to do is to sit down and begin enjoying yourself. ( )