What I love most about a Jeffrey Siger novel is the way he understands Greek society and invites you, the reader, deeply into his bank of knowledge. In every Kaldis novel, he deals with a major issue confronting Greece, and in this one, it's human trafficking and the plight of refugees. Siger does it in a way that isn't preachy, and wraps his observant commentary and wise insights within the context of a taut crime novel. As usual, Kaldis is a beguiling and intriguing inspector and person--as are the usual cast of characters who all work in some way toward solving the crime and thereby also addressing the central "issue" of this particular novel. The people and plot of "An Aegean April" are as smart as the prose, making Siger's Greece a place a pleasurably puzzling and satisfying place to spend some time.

Chief Inspector Kaldiis retruns. The refugee crisis plays a timely role in this mystery. I like the Greek setting of this series, and the sense of history and myths that goes with a country that is so old.

A very good books, a good and tense mystery and a book to have a better understandment of the current situation of migrations in the Mediterranean sea.
I really enjoyed the plot, the characters and found really interesting the part on the migrations.
Very interesting and entertaining.
A recommended read

An Aegean April is the ninth book in Jeffrey Siger’s series featuring Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis. I have missed a few in the series, but was happy to find him happy and enjoying his hard-earned success–a long way from his exile in Murder in Mykonos. He still has his nose for murder and his determination to seek out the truth even though, or perhaps because, it may reveal government corruption.

An Aegean April takes us to Lesvos, an island very much in the news lately as it’s where the boatloads of Syrian refugees come ashore seeking escape from the war at home. The people of Lesvos have been amazing in their welcome and generosity, particularly considering the difficulty Greece is suffering economically. And just purely as an aside, it would not hurt to remember that Greece forgave Germany’s debt in 1953.

This story, then, is “ripped from the headlines” and it begins with a gruesome assassination, using a sword, no less. A local community leader, someone proposing a solution to some of the refugee crisis is slain, gruesomely. A warning from the traffickers. Dana, an NGO leader, calls Kaldis for help as her employee, a refugee, has wrongfully been arrested. Kaldis looks into it, agrees and gets his team involved. Meanwhile, the murderer is wreaking havoc in Turkey among the traffickers. He, too, has a solution for the refugee crisis. One that involves him taking a leading role in the the industry.



Jeffery Siger uses his characters to convey his support for humane and generous acceptance and treatment of the refugees. I agree with him completely. I think he wrote this book as a means to voice his position and persuade more people to be welcoming and accepting. Unfortunately, that changes the book quite a bit and it makes the characters a bit preachy. The book would have been better without the agenda and, to be honest, the agenda would have been better served. Trust people to draw their own conclusions, and they may surprise you.

There were a few things that made this a less satisfying book than it could be. We are too much in the killer’s head and it’s an unpleasant place. Siger has a tendency to create almost superhuman villains, this one is not very credible. On the other hand, he creates a magnificent sense of place. You can almost feel the angle of light as he writes about the island. It’s beautiful. I want to go there and he makes me want to go there more.

I should add, I was reading this book and writing this review in the hospital under the influence of morphine. I don’t think it made me a harsher reader, but my reading has been frequently interrupted, breaking up the story over and over again.

I received an e-gally of An Aegean April from the publisher through NetGalley.

An Aegean April at Poisoned Pen Press

Jeffrey Siger can always be trusted to bring the country, the history, and the customs of Greece to life and this ninth book in his Chief Inspector Kaldis series is no exception. Kaldis and his team, along with their wives, girlfriends, and children are a true family whose bonds are every bit as strong as blood. These people have worked together for a long time, and they've learned how to work smart and take few chances with their lives. Since I'm attached to this entire group, I like seeing them use intelligence instead of brute force to get the job done.

In An Aegean April, readers get an up-close-and-personal look at the refugee crisis and the resulting plague of human traffickers that has grown up around it. There is money to be made from thousands upon thousands of desperate people, especially since the governments involved would rather look the other way than do something that would actually alleviate the situation. There is even more money to be had if leaky boats are used and defective equipment sold to what "others in the smuggling trade call...fish or cement blocks."

To this sickening situation, Kaldis and his team bring their talents and their determined focus, aided by two strong (and sometimes misguided) women, one American and one Greek. We also meet another character who's been seen in a previous book, and as soon as I saw that person, I knew it wasn't a one-scene-only appearance. I was right. This character appears at the end in a sort of deus ex machina, and although I might pick this apart in almost any other book, I have to smile. If you're going to use the deus ex machina device, it has to be in a book set in Greece, and Siger's books are so Greek, the pollen from the olive trees makes me sneeze.

If you haven't read a Chief Inspector Kaldis novel before, I suggest you begin at the beginning (Murder in Mykonos) so you can see how this group of people come together and become a family. This is one of my favorite series, and I hope it will become one of yours, too.

“An Aegean April” by Jeffrey Siger is number nine in the Andreas Kaldis series, but do not worry if you have not read all of the earlier ones, you will be able follow along with life in the Greek Isles without any difficulty.
This is a compelling Greek police procedure set within the current refugee crisis and efforts to help the exiles. The book focuses on the search for accountability. The characters are complex and fascinating; their alternating narratives drive the story. The “bad guys” are identified early on, but the tale is compelling, and there is still plenty of ambiguity and deceit to uncover along the way.
Along the way, readers get a look at life and culture in modern Greece, including details of Greek life, politics, corruption, and holiday customs. The refugees and their impact on Greece are described with the clarity seldom found even in current news reports. Readers may well rethink the situation in Europe.
I received a copy of “An Aegean April” from Jeffrey Siger, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley. I have read several of Seiger’s previous books, and this is one of the best. I enjoyed reading it and learning about Greek life and culture. I recommend this as well as the others in the series

i enjoy this series and this book is no exception. We see more about the refugees moving through Greece into the rest of Europe. This time the emphasis is on how poorly these people are treated by the nasty people who sell them 'rides' on boats. We've hear about the people dying while trying to escape violence and poverty; this book gives a realistically grim picture of the criminals who prey on the refugees. Recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of An Aegean April, the 9th novel in the Chief Inspector Kaldis series of Greek police procedurals.

Mihalis Volandes has devised an alternative solution to the plight of refugees on the island of Lesvos but before he can act on it he is brutally murdered and the local police immediately arrest Ali Sera, a refugee found beside the body. Kaldis gets involved when Dana McLaughlin, head of Safepassage, an NGO based in Lesbos, and a colleague of both men calls him asking him to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed An Aegean April which is an interesting read with a good plot. The actual murderer is no secret to the reader as the narrative alternates between his and Kaldis's points of view. Normally I'm not a big fan of this approach but, by choosing to concentrate on his actions rather than his history (frankly, who cares what turned him into a murdering psychopath?), it revs up the tension and produces a multifaceted if extremely violent read. I can't say I enjoyed his exploits but he is a magnificent baddy.

By chance the refugee crisis on Lesvos has been on my mind as one of my friends is flying out on Monday to do his bit. Before I knew of this I had thought the crisis was over as it has slipped from view but sadly not, it's just that the press have compassion fatigue or something "better" to report on. The novel is good on the politics and inaction of the refugee/migrant, legally the two terms are different, situation and explains the hurdles facing everyone involved. It also explains the renewed tension between Greece and Turkey on this issue.

On a less serious note the novel brings Lesvos and the Greek way of living to life with vivid descriptions of Easter celebrations and its history. It is very informative.

I like Chief Inspector Kaldis, he is smart, authoritative and a family man. He doesn't come across as the ruthless operator he must be to hold and retain such a senior post as head of Special Crimes. I'm less sure about Dana McLaughlin who seems like an out of control neurotic rather than the head of a very successful NGO.

An Aegean April is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.