The Taint of Midas is the second book by Anne Zourodi that I have the pleasure of reading. I started the book on the last day of 2013 and barely made myself put it down. I finished it on Jan 2. It felt amazing to read a hard copy. Not to mention, the story kept me glued to the book.

The novel is set on the beautiful Greek island of Arcadia. Gabrilis Kaloyeros is a bee-keeper here. He also has been taking care of the ruined Temple of Apollo for decades. But his land has stunning views and the developers wanting to bring even more tourists here have their eyes set on it. They managed to get the land through unscrupulous means to sign away his interest but hours after he dies a lonely, violent death.

His friend (and detective) Hermes Diaktoros – the Messenger of Athens – finds his body and quickly becomes the suspect in the case. Due to the location of that land, many would want Gabrilis’s land so Hermes resolves to find the truth. Of course, his methods are unorthodox, just as we know him from the first book. In the end, everyone who deserves gets punished.

Aside from the interesting story, the setting is also enchanting. You’ll start to picture Greek sceneries and smell Greek food. And I can guarantee you’d want to start making plans to visit any Greek island.

>>get the book here

The book is part of The Greek Detective series which also comprises The Messenger of Athens, The Doctor of Thessaly, The Lady of Sorrows, The Whispers of Nemesis and The Bull of Mithros.

>>also read about The Messenger of Athens

Who was Midas?

In the Greek Mythology, Midas was the king of Phrygia (today a region in Turkey) who had a special power. The “Midas touch” allowed him to change everything he touched in gold. After changing even his own daughter into a gold statue, Dionysus – the god who granted him the “touch” – allowed him to wash it away in the river Pactolus.

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