From facial expressions to food to finance (and beyond), I can't think of any other series that brings present-day Greece to life like Jeffrey Siger's Andreas Kaldis mysteries. I love these books, and The Mykonos Mob is an excellent addition.

While the setting is absolutely marvelous, that's not the only reason why I refuse to miss each new release. Siger's sense of humor can have me laughing out loud, and he can write action scenes that have me in a quandary: should I chew my nails down to the quick or turn the pages faster? (Guess which one I choose every time.)

Best of all, the author has created characters that become members of the family. Tasso is too old now for jumping into one of Siger's high-octane action scenes. Instead, he tends his garden and shares his wealth of knowledge whenever Andreas needs it. With only his righthand man Yianni with him, the cast of characters would be too small, so Siger does something I've been hoping he'd do for a long time: bring in Andreas' wife, Lila. Lila has always been a source of humor, common sense, and strength in the books, and I'm happy to say that she relishes her expanded role. With Andreas and Yianni busy, Lila needed a sidekick of her own, and American expat Toni with her blatant disregard of rules and other peoples' opinions is the perfect partner. I really hope to see more of these two in future books. The interaction between Lila, Toni, Andreas, and Yianni is great.

The pitch-perfect setting, an intriguing mystery, a humdinger of a showdown at book's end, AND some fantastic characters. Is The Mykonos Mob a winner? You'd better believe it! ( )

When corrupt former police colonel (“the Colonel”) is gunned down outside Pepe’s Athens restaurant, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, head of the Special Crimes unit, appropriates the case. Pepe, seeking the Colonel’s advice on ‘protection’ for a proposed hotel complex on his ‘territory’, the resort island of Mykonos, is fearful of cooperating with police. Kaldis and his assistant, Yianni, head to the once idyllic island, now despoiled by tourists seeking sun, booze, drugs and sex. Pepe and his two vicious criminal partners in the project, Karavakis and Despotiko, all have motives for murder. While Kaldis and Yianni traverse the island, their wife and girlfriend, respectively, help two underage girls escape Karavakis Jr.’s prostitution ring, possibly compromising the investigation and putting themselves in danger. While the body count mounts, clues do not, making apprehending the murderer(s) seemingly impossible.

Tenth in the Kaldis series, pleasant characters make this an entertaining read. Light on violence and police procedure, the book is more a reunion of readers and the Kaldis clan. The local color of Mykonos, its ugly underbelly and its fading glory add a complementary backdrop to the criminal aspect of the book. Good for Armand Gamache and Hugo Marston fans. This is not an essential read, but if nothing else comes along that sparks your interest, you certainly won't regret reading it. ( )

The Mykonos Mob begins with Andreas Kaldis living in Athens and leading a Special Crimes Unit. A local murder of a retired police colonel is shot down in what looks like a mob hit. The trail leads back to Mykonos and Andreas and his partner Yianni head to the island to investigate. Lila, Andreas’ wife also goes to Mykonos with their children to explore what she might like to do so she is doing more than being a wife and mother. Yianni meets a woman named Toni with whom he seems to be falling in love.

Their investigations bring together all sorts of the most serious and dangerous criminals on the island. It is confusing because they don’t seem to have a strong motive for killing the corrupt police officer, but neither does anyone else. Perhaps more accurately, many people have a reason to dislike the corrupt cop, but with fixers and heavies, generally speaking, if you get rid of one, another moves into his place. Better the rotten apple you know…

This makes for a somewhat incomplete story. The detectives are not getting anywhere and much of their eventual connecting the dots relies too much on coincidence. Kaldis and Yianni usually do not fall into a fixation on one narrative without considering others. I liked The Mykonos Mob because I like the people in the story but if it were the first I ever read, I might not be so enthusiastic. The resolution is fair and most readers will have figured it out before Kaldis and Yianni do. That’s usually not a problem, but this time it seems unlikely they would have missed this.

The Mykonos Mob is the tenth book in the Andreas Kaldis series of police procedurals and the third I have read. I like the series a lot and need to find the time to catch up.

The Mykonos Mob will be released on April 2nd. I received an e-galley to review from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Mykonos Mob at Poisoned Pen Press
Jeffrey Siger web site.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/the-mykonos-mob-by-jeffre... ( )