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A compelling Athens-based thriller from the author of The Late-night News Inspector Costas Haritos of the Athens CID has finally made time for a holiday. But when a minor earthquake causes his holiday beach to spit up a corpse, he finds there is no such thing as being off duty. Back in Athens, and working on the mystery of the as-yet unidentified body, Haritos is assigend a second case. A well-known nightclub owner and entrepreneur has been murdered, and neither the victim's beautiful young show more wife, his estranged daughter or his junkie son seem keen to offer up any clues. Haritos delves into the worlds of organised crime, football, and even opinion polling in his hunt for the killers. But it seems there is more than one person who would rather these crimes remained unsolved. show less

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16 reviews
Il solito spassosissimo ispettore Charitos, politicamente scorretto e professionalmente integerrimo, alle prese con una serie di delitti che passano via via per il terrorismo, la criminalità organizzata, le trame politiche, per invischiarsi nei soliti mortiferi legami familiari.
Un noir che racconta la Grecia così com'era e come'è, e che fa pensare che se qualche economista avesse letto Markaris i guai economici della Grecia non ci sarebbero caduti così tra capo e collo.
Vacation in Greece! Who doesn't rave about it? Blue sea, hot sand, Greek wine, culture and freedom, relaxing with your soul.
Commissioner Charitos is pretty fed up with it all. He is on vacation on the island with his wife's family because of the tight travel budget, where, to make matters worse, not only annoying adults but even more annoying children keep the noise level in the run-down house really high.
Salvation from this ordeal comes in the form of an earthquake and constant rain. And when a landslide unearths a corpse which, according to the detective's forensic eye, did not die of natural causes under the earth, the much-needed vacation is a thing of the past.
Together with the unknown corpse, they take the ferry back to Athens, show more where not only the sweltering city heat and piles of stinking garbage caused by the garbage truck drivers' strike await the overworked detective, but also another murder case.
One of the big shots who dominate the red-light district has been gunned down with four shots outside his nightclub. Inspector Charitos investigates. But the deeper he delves into the swamp surrounding the demimonde dominator Koustas, the more explosive the situation becomes, involving corruption in politics, manipulation in the local soccer league and family entanglements.
It all becomes too much for Charitos. His heart no longer wants to keep up with the stressful pace and so a forced stay in hospital becomes unavoidable. To make matters worse, his constantly nagging wife gets involved and his daughter has nothing better to do than fall in love with the doctor treating her and dump her boyfriend of many years.
Charitos rushes back to his office as quickly as possible to get back to work. But wherever he investigates, he encounters silence, mistrust and a moral quagmire. He is banned from investigating by the highest authorities, and the offender is suspended from duty.
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½
La honestidad y una rebelde curiosidad se mezclan en un relato donde lo real se entrelaza con cierta ficción.
Defensa cerrada
Petros Márkaris
Publicado: 1998 | 346 páginas
Novela Policial
Serie: Kostas Jaritos #2

El comisario Kostas Jaritos no está de suerte: cuando se halla de vacaciones en una isla del Mediterráneo, un violento terremoto no sólo da al traste con su descanso sino que también desentierra un misterioso cadáver. Para colmo, de regreso a Atenas, le encargan investigar el asesinato del rico empresario Dinos Kustas, conocida figura de la noche ateniense y propietario de un lujoso restaurante y varios clubes nocturnos, al que han matado de madrugada en plena calle. Todo apunta a que ha sido víctima de un ajuste de cuentas de las mafias locales. Sin embargo para Jaritos algo no encaja: cuatro disparos hechos casi a ciegas no show more parecen obra de un matón profesional. Cínico y escéptico, pero muy obstinado, el comisario recorre las calles de Atenas, una ciudad saqueada por los intereses internacionales y la delincuencia, en busca de respuestas. Desde los bajos fondos hasta las altas esferas, Jaritos se adentra en los ambientes más sórdidos de la Grecia contemporánea, al tiempo que desvela una oscura trama. show less
Another great read. Det4ective Haritos is still grumpy and still arguing with his wife but, in this story, is battling with ill health while he solves two murders.
½
La segunda novela del comisario Jaritos sube el nivel respecto de la primera. La trama es quizá un poco rocambolesca, con clubes de fútbol de tercera división de por medio y un complejo sistema de lavado de dinero negro, pero con todo es bastante efectiva. El principio es espectacular, con un terremoto en Creta que descubre un cadáver enterrado. Pero lo mejor es que tanto el personaje del comisario como su familia están mucho mejor dibujados, con esa mezcla de humor y resignación que tanto me gusta. Sobre todo la mujer, Adrianí, que ya sabemos que dará muchísimo juego. Y, claro, las calles de Atenas, mejor dicho, el tráfico en Atenas, que debía ser la puerta del infierno. Esto también está llamado a ser elemento clave en show more futuras novelas y ya es importante en esta. show less
½

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70+ Works 2,834 Members

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Di Gregorio, Andrea (Translator)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Zone Defence
Original title
Άμυνα ζώνης
Original publication date
1998
People/Characters*
Kostas Charitos
Dedication*
A Josefina, siempre
First words*
Todo empezó con una vibración imperceptible, como si alguien correteara por el piso de arriba
Original language*
Greco moderno
Disambiguation notice
Original title: Amyna Zonis
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Mystery
DDC/MDS
889.334Literature & rhetoricClassical & modern Greek literaturesModern Greek literatureFiction20th century1945-1999
LCC
PA5624 .A27 .M88Language and LiteratureGreek language and literature. Latin language and literatureByzantine and modern Greek literatureIndividual authors
BISAC

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290
Popularity
111,238
Reviews
15
Rating
½ (3.49)
Languages
8 — Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Turkish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
24
ASINs
5