Margaret Anne Doody

Picture this. The year is 332 B.C. and Athens is under the thumb of Alexander the Great. Closer to home, an Athenian citizen is found with an arrow clean through his jugular. A clear case of murder for no one stabs themselves to death with an arrow, so deduces the citizen public. What is not so clear is how Philemon, a young man already in exile for an accidental death in a barroom brawl, is fingered for the crime. Just how can an absent man commit such a heinous act? The task to prove his show more innocence falls to Philemon's cousin, Stephanos. Under Athenian law, inexperienced and naive Stephanos must defend the family name in Philemon's absence. Here's where Aristotle comes in. Once Stephanos's mentor, Stephanos knows he can trust Aristotle to guide him to the truth. Like all gripping suspense stories, all evidence points to Philemon's guilt and clearing his name becomes a Herculean task. It's the proverbial David and Goliath story with Stephanos the clear underdog. show less

This was written before the current vogue for this sort of thing, and I think Doody was in some doubt about how much historical detail her readers would be up for. She probably played it a bit too conservatively--a more vivd & detailed Aristotle and a few more tidbits about Greek culture & everyday life would have been better. But a solid effort.

332 B.C. The young Athenian, Stephanos, is trying to clear his cousin, Philemon, of a murder accusation. Apparently, Philemon has been exiled for manslaughter and so Stephanos feels he wasn't even in Athens at the time of the murder. He consults Aristotle, who philosophically and logically tries to figure out the solution. For the most part, Stephanos does the running around and interviewing while the philosopher offers advice and deductions. An heirloom, a red clay pot from the victim's show more house and a piece of horn from a Cretan bow found outside the house, are the first clues. After red herrings, attempted murder of Stephanos, and a trip by Aristotle to Corinth, an ingenious solution to the mystery is found and brought out in a courtroom drama. Ms. Doody wrote this novel in 1978, long before the current trend of mysteries set in ancient Greece. I felt this is one of the better in the genre; Ms. Doody also set me down right in the middle of Greek culture of those times. Workings of the Greek legal system and of Aristotle's lessons in rhetoric [we'd say public speaking] were fascinating.

Highly recommended. show less

A solid murder mystery set against the backdrop of quite a vividly depicted ancient Athens. The main characters were well-rounded and engaging, and there were some great spontaneous interactions combined with some fitting historical and literary references. The resolution was a somewhat predictable, and I felt the denouement was a little rushed, but these did not detract from it being overall just a decent story. Nothing dazzling, but certainly an enjoyable read.