Hermes Diaktoros, the inimitable Greek Detective returns in a tale of hubris and Homer, of dark Greek coffee and even darker secrets

A wonderful depiction of life in rural Greece in wintertime, a plot full of curious characters and mysterious developments, and a detective who's a mixture of Poirot, Marlowe and Clarence the angel from It's A Wonderful Life - this book is a real delight, refreshing and original Morning Star PRAISE FOR THE MYSTERIES OF THE GREEK DETECTIVE 'Anne Zouroudi writes beautifully - her books have all the sparkle and light of the island landscapes in which she sets them. The Lady of Sorrows, her latest, is a gorgeous treat ... Lovely, delicious prose and plot - as tasty as one of those irresistible honey-soaked Greek confections' Alexander McCall Smith 'A cracking plot, colourful local characters and descriptions of the hot, dry countryside so strong that you can almost see the heat haze and hear the cicadas - the perfect read to curl up with' Guardian 'Absorbing and beautifully written and reveals the savage, superstitious reality behind the pretty facade that is all that most of us know of any Greek island' Literary Review 'Diaktoros is a delight. Half Poirot, half deus ex machina, but far more earth-bound than his first name suggests, the portly detective has an other-worldly, Marlowesque incorruptibility as he waddles through the mean olive groves' Guardian

Anne Zouroudi was born in England and has lived in the Greek islands. Her attachment to Greece remains strong, and the country is the inspiration for much of her writing. She now lives in the Derbyshire Peak District with her son. She is the author of four other Mysteries of the Greek Detective: The Messenger of Athens (shortlisted for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Breakthrough Authors and longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize), The Taint of Midas, The Doctor of Thessaly and The Lady of Sorrows.