Deadline in Athens

The novel starts with the murder of two Albanians and Haritos’ investigation. When it seems that the case is closed because the murderer confessed, a journalist is killed and everything gets much more complicated. She obviously learned something that she shouldn’t have and it looks like it is related to the dead Albanians, but their killer has a great alibi for the new murder: he was in jail.

There are some great plot twists. When you think you know who the murderer is and/or why the journalist was killed, you find some new piece of information that points in a different direction.

Costas Haritos is an interesting character. He is underpaid, works too many hours, is not very happily married and wants to close his cases quickly (he show more even looks for a "usual suspect" to blame for the murder of two Albanians). Nothing too strange here.

But there are things that make his character different from what you expect: he reads the dictionary, and I mean he reads it like a novel, as a hobby, and has a dark past. When he was younger he worked in one of the "interrogation" facilities in Athens. This is the first book in the series of this detective, so some questions about his past are not answered. We know that he didn’t like it there and that he tried to improve the conditions of the prisoners as much as he could without getting caught, but we don’t know how he got the job (or more likely how or why he was assigned the job) and exactly what he did there.

Haritos is human, so even though he doesn’t seem to be a nice man, not everything is bad or mysterious. He really loves his daughter and wants to make her happy and he feels good when he does something nice to his wife. He is also very good at his job and doesn’t like how the police is affected by political decisions, like how some people are almost untouchable, even though they’re clearly either guilty or hiding something important about the case.

The Greece shown in this novel is not the one you see in tourism brochures. There is a clear difference between the people who have money and power and the people who don’t. The course of his investigation takes Haritos to several poor parts of Athens that are well described. Also, things like blackmail seem completely normal and nobody seems surprised.

All in all, a good crime novel where not everything is what it looks like and where all murders are linked in a way you probably won’t predict. show less

Set in Athens in the 1990s, this book opens with the murder of two Albanians. Inspector Costas Haritos’ homicide division is called to investigate. A news commentator with information related to the case is also murdered. The focus shifts to the murder of the news anchor, and the Albanians are all but forgotten in the media circus.

This story introduces Haritos and is the first book in a series. Haritos is a great character. His hobby is reading dictionaries. He has a gruff exterior but an empathetic heart. He and his wife have a dysfunctional marriage. He tells the story in first person, so we follow his thoughts as he examines the evidence and decides what to do, while juggling challenges introduced by his superiors and the show more reporters.

The mystery is intricate and multi-layered, though some of the characters’ viewpoints feel a bit dated. I do not read many detective and crime mysteries, but I very much enjoyed this one. show less

Set in Athens in the 1990s, this book opens with the murder of two Albanians. Inspector Costas Haritos’ homicide division is called to investigate. A news commentator with information related to the case is also murdered. The focus shifts to the murder of the news anchor, and the Albanians are all but forgotten in the media circus.

This story introduces Haritos and is the first book in a series. Haritos is a great character. His hobby is reading dictionaries. He has a gruff exterior but an empathetic heart. He and his wife have a dysfunctional marriage. He tells the story in first person, so we follow his thoughts as he examines the evidence and decides what to do, while juggling challenges introduced by his superiors and the show more reporters.

The mystery is intricate and multi-layered, though some of the characters’ viewpoints feel a bit dated. I do not read many detective and crime mysteries, but I very much enjoyed this one. show less

One of the critics referred to the main character as "the family-stricken Inspector Haritos, with his sly irony and endearingly old-fashioned ways" (from back cover)

I didn't think of his ways as particularly endearing. In fact, the book took me back to the 1950s, when it was fashionable to make crude comments and refer to women by their body shapes. This pervasive attitude toward women, coupled with his cynical view of others in general, made me no fan of Inspector Costas Haritos.

It is usually interesting to read books written in other countries about those countries, as they provide an insight I could never get on my own. We do have that here: both descriptions of places and thoughts about how the world works in Greece.

The book show more revolves around a news reporter, Janna Karoyoryi, who has made a name for herself by exposing persons in high offices. She is about to do more of the same when she is found dead in her dressing room.

Haritos had met her on numerous occasions in his position as investigating officer, and he did not care for her strident, pushy ways. But that doesn't keep him from digging as deep as necessary to find her killer. show less

I love reading mysteries written by international authors: Fred Vargas, Andrea Camilleri, Henning Mankell, Ragnar Jónasson, Karin Fossum, and Jane Harper are just a few. It goes without saying that I picked up Deadline in Athens with a great deal of anticipation.

The mystery itself is strong. There's a lot going on besides the reporter's death, and the more Haritos teases out clues, he finds that those clues lead to solving all sorts of cases. If I were the type of reader who concentrates on solving the mystery to the exclusion of all else, I would've been happy with this book. But... I'm not. I'm a character-driven reader, so those all-important fictional people mean a great deal to me. I don't have to like every character in a book. show more Sometimes it can be therapeutic to loathe one or two and even cheer on their demise. But sometimes what drives a character can mean a great deal to my enjoyment of a book, and those found in Deadline in Athens seem to luxuriate in being mean-spirited jerks.

Costas Haritos has two hobbies: (1) collecting and reading dictionaries, which would be interesting if he did more with them than lay across the bed, crack one open, and then (2) concoct his latest scheme to get even with his wife. According to Haritos, "The first stage of family life is the joy of living together. The second is children. The third and longest stage is getting your own back at every opportunity. When you get to that stage, you know that you're secure and nothing is going to change." At least it's a good match-- his wife sits on the couch, remote control in hand, watching soap operas and scheming how to get back at him. I won't even go into the morning ritual Haritos performs with his junior officer.

One reason why I enjoy reading mysteries written by international authors is the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. There's scarcely any of that to be found in Deadline in Athens. Markaris adds "authentic Greek flavor" by naming each and every street Haritos travels down, how bad the traffic is, and how long it takes him to get to his destination (usually in the pouring rain). Ho hum.

If I weren't so interested in the solution to the mystery, I would've stopped reading within the first fifty pages. In the end, I was very happy with the solution and thrilled that my time spent with the grim Costas Haritos was over. For anyone who wants to experience Greek culture, intriguing mysteries, and solid characters, you'd be well advised to read Jeffrey Siger's excellent Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series instead. show less

This is the first volume in the Inspector Kostas Charitos series. He is the head of the homicide squad in Athens and is supervised by Nikolaos Gikas. They are not always on the same page, as Charitos is a gut man and his boss only works with facts. Despite many misunderstandings, Gikas has Charitos' back. Charitos is married, and even though he loves his wife, they often have arguments.
Charitos investigates together with Sotiris and Thanassis. They are called to a house where two Albanians have been found dead. Despite questioning the neighbours, they make no progress. If it wasn't for the ambitious journalist Jana Karajorgi, who spreads the word that there must be another child. The TV journalist stops at nothing and keeps spreading show more new stories until she is found murdered shortly before the midnight programme. Now Charitos and his team get a new lead and wonder why the journalist had to die. Her successor is also found dead shortly afterwards. Charitos also realises that there is a mole inside the police department. Who is it?
The case escalates into child trafficking and power games. It is written in such an exciting and varied way that the reader only realises who the culprit is on the last page. show less

Αν εξαιρέσουμε τον τρομερά έντονο σεξισμό και τη νοοτροπία "όλα ήταν καλύτερα όταν ήμουν νέος", έχει ενδιαφέρον και πολυπλοκότητα, με καλά σκιαγραφημενους χαρακτήρες.