The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi - Hermes Diaktoros books

British author Anne Zouroudi is fast becoming a contender in the ‘detective in a nice location’ category of crime fiction. Anne Zouroudi’s series of books featuring modern day Greek detective Hermes Diaktoros investigating crimes in rural Greece certainly gives her readers the blend of mystery with a beautifully described backdrop.

(UK readers can buy the Anne Zouroudi books here.)

Each book contains a number of mysteries for Anne Zouroudi’s readers to solve. There are the serious crimes that Greek detective Hermes Diaktoros of Athens is determined solve. Then there are the many social situations surrounding the crimes, usually relationships between local characters in the community, which our Greek detective deems necessary to resolve. Finally there is the somewhat mysterious nature of Hermes Diaktoros himself for readers to puzzle over.

We learn little about Anne Zouroudi’s Greek detective himself from the books and he remains an inscrutable character. With his claims that he acts for the ‘authorities’ (although we never find out who or what these are), that he’s interested in justice not courts and trials, and has employers in Athens with wide-ranging interests, Hermes Diaktoros has a strong whiff of the super-natural about him.

Anne Zouroudi’s books intriguingly hint at another-world origin for her protagonist. Known throughout the books as the fat man because of his portly figure, our detective is surprisingly sprightly and muscular. Indeed Hermes is very fleet of foot in his pristine white tennis shoes, often running from place to place over tricky terrain to save a situation. Just like his namesake from the Greek myths in fact.

Time has also been kind to Hermes Diaktoros. Although much traveled and full of historical knowledge, no one who meets our Greek detective can decide if he is young or old. There are even elderly characters that are convinced they have met Hermes before in their youth. Later in the series of Anne Zouroudi’s books we discover, despite his seemingly youthful appearance, Hermes has grown up children, and grandchildren, and a father who still grows marvelous apples in his orchard.

Hermes has a habit of just turning up at the very same time as a major crime occurs that has it roots in one of the vices or deadly sins. He also has a knack of predicting, possibly even determining, the future for people, a knack that may or may not be related to an ancient gold ring he wears. This means our detective is always well placed for sorting out any issues and reinforces the fact that Hermes Diaktoros can appear at any time, for any reason, in a place that needs help to sort out crimes and difficult social problems.

Zouroudi’s protagonist Hermes Diaktoros typically deals with the smaller problems of the vices and deadly sins by roving the fabulous Greek countryside delivering homilies and edicts that would not be out of place in the pulpit. The more serious crimes tend to be resolved by seemingly fortuitous happenings that see the perpetrator brought to justice. Ultimately, individual readers will decide whether the storylines are well plotted and charmingly resolved, or somewhat contrived beneath a veneer of mysticism. Most readers will, however, probably still enjoy a very scenic journey through the well-observed Greek landscape.

The Messenger of Athens – the first book in the series

The Taint of Midas – the second book in the series

The Doctor of Thessaly – the third book in the series

The Lady of Sorrows – the fourth book in the series