The beautiful island of Lesvos, birthplace of the poet Sappho, for centuries an agrarian paradise famed for its anise-flavored ouzo and tasty sardines, has become a flashpoint for the crisis driven by refugees fleeing daily out of Turkey across the narrow Mytilini Strait into Greece. Lesvos, once so serene, has become chaos.

Mihalis Volandes is one of Lesvos' elite, a patriarch of a shipping clan. Living in one of Mytilini's old aristocratic neighborhoods, he's weathered many changes in his long life. When a government policy accelerated the surge of refugees in 2015, he rose to a prominent role in relief efforts which grew increasingly ineffectual.

One evening after working to stir up support for his breakthrough idea striking at the heart of the lucrative human trafficking trade, he returned to his home from the neighboring island of Chios in darkness - only to be sliced in half in his garden by a sword.

A local aid worker is found at the scene, splattered with the victim's blood, and swiftly arrested. Case closed - or would be, if young Ali Sera were not working with SafePassage, an NGO (non-government organization). The American in charge of SafePassage's Lesvos operations is having none of Ali's arrest. Within hours the phone rings in Athens at the office of Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis. Instead of enjoying her few days of R&R in Mykonos, Dana McLaughlin has obtained his number from the Mytilini Harbormaster and requests that the Central Police run its own investigation.

Volandes was a prominent citizen. The crime was particularly gruesome. Was it a personal attack? Does it smell of terrorism? Andreas' minister might become involved. Whether Ali is guilty or being framed, Andreas can't ignore a powerful motive for Volandes' murder. His daring plan, if implemented, would soon shut down the cash pipeline in Lesvos and in Turkey.

And soon a phone call with the Mytilini police commander tips the balance. Kaldis and his team take over. And we're off on a nail-biting ride through Byzantine island politics, deteriorating diplomatic relations, and a world on fire with intrigues and brutal deaths.

Anne Shenton

The New York Mystery Book Club

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The New York Mystery Book Club

An Aegean April, by Jeffrey Siger

The New York Mystery Book Club

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