One Last Chance is the 12th Andreas Kaldis procedural by Jeffrey Siger. Released 5th April 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a very well written police procedural with an ensemble cast living and working in Greece. The characterizations are believable, well rendered, with smoothly written interactions and motivations. The descriptive prose is beautiful and the entire narrative flows very well. I wasn't yanked out of my suspension of disbelief once during the book. As always, the setting steals the show. Every page was redolent with the scents and sights of Greece and the author does a superlative job of showing the different locales and their local color and sights.

The mystery is self contained in this book, so it works well as a standalone. The entire series is so well written that I recommend reading them all. Readers who come to the series with this book won't have any trouble keeping up; the author is adept at providing necessary backstory without info-dumping or spoon feeding. With 12 books extant in the series, it would be a good candidate for a long weekend binge read.

It's not derivative at all, but it definitely falls into the subgenre of procedurals which feature exotic local settings, people, and cuisines, such as the Bruno novels by Martin Walker, and Brunetti by Donna Leon.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

“One Last Chance” is part of the “Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mysteries.” The main characters continue from previous books, but it is not necessary to have read the other books to enjoy this one. Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is head of Greece’s Special Crimes Unit, and his administrative assistant, Maggie Sikestis, is not only the keeper of the many secrets of the Unit but is also an expert at solving puzzles.
This adventure takes readers to an interesting location, the Aegean island of Ikaria where the stark and stony landscape somehow supports lush greenery. Siger introduces readers to the history of the island, its culture, politics, and fiercely independent people. Ikaria is known as the island where people forget to die. Fully one-third of its residents live well into their nineties, and many live past one hundred. These residents have a special camaraderie. However, they are also attractive targets for creative medical researchers, resourceful pharmaceutical salespeople and unscrupulous con artists.
Maggie is deeply saddened when her grandmother, previously in good health, died on Ikaria. She is especially concerned when she discovers that a number of other citizens, previously in good health, had also recently died. Not even this many people died during the pandemic. Most disturbing of all, all of them died alone, at home, in their sleep, and none had an autopsy. What caused the deaths of these innocent people? Is the island inhabited by con artists, opportunists, or terrorists? Are the perpetrators disguised and hiding in plain sight?
“One Last Chance” is filled with puzzles that must be solved and questions that must be answered. Do extremists ever reform over almost 50 years or do they just morph into something different? Who is responsible for these deaths? I received a review copy of “One Last Chance” from Jeffrey Siger, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sourcebooks. This book is driven by the characters, and this story is just another reason to spend time with them in an interesting and unusual location.
“One Last Chance” is now available in print or as an e-Book from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries, and anywhere you get your books.

One Last Chance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery Suspense
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/5/22
Author: Jeffrey Siger
Publisher: Poisoned Press
Pages: 292
Goodreads Rating: 4.38

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Press for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: When Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis's longtime assistant, Maggie, returns to her ancestral home on Ikaria for her 104-year-old grandmother's funeral, she quickly realizes not only was Yiayia likely murdered, but that a series of other long-lived Ikariots had recently died under the same suspicious circumstances. Back in Athens, Andreas and his chief detective Yianni pursue a smuggling and protection ring embedded in the Greek DEA, and its possible involvement in the assassination of an undercover cop. But then Maggie and Yianni uncover a connection between their respective leads in the elder-killings on Ikaria and the DEA corruption case, and they realize that there are international intrigues far more dangerous at play than anyone had imagined.

My Thoughts: This is part of the Andreas Kaldis series being the 12th book, however there is enough backstory in this book to read as a standalone. The author does a fantastic job of describing the country of Greece, the cultures, traditions, foods, scenery, and history, you feel as if you there investigating along side, right in Greece. There is police corruption, murder, smuggling, and an underdeveloped island, what could possibly go wrong? The characters are developed well with continued depth, creativity, and inventiveness. The plot was complex, twisty, and intriguing. The ending tied up things, however a little complex, but it still made sense and worked for this book.

"One Last Chance"written by Jeffrey Siger and published in hardback by Poisoned Pen Press on 5th April 2022. 304 pages. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728252988

What an absolutely mind-blowing story. Easily his best yet This is the 12th novel from this highly talented author who formerly worked as a prominent Wall Street lawyer a named partner in his own firm.
Welcome to the island where people never die!

When Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis's longtime assistant, Maggie, returns to her ancestral home on Ikaria for her 104-year-old grandmother's funeral, she quickly realizes not only was Yia-yia likely murdered, but that a series of other long-lived Ikariots had recently died under the same suspicious circumstances. Back in Athens, Andreas and his chief detective Yianni pursue a smuggling and protection ring embedded in the Greek DEA, and its possible involvement in the assassination of an undercover cop.

But then Maggie and Yianni uncover a connection between their respective leads in the elder-killings on Ikaria and the DEA corruption case, and they realize that there are international intrigues far more dangerous at play than anyone had imagined.

The story was so exciting that I read it very quickly even though it is quite lengthy. The quality of this authors book is better than his original debut novel. I found the police procedural story immensely gripping and fast moving and the pages just whizzed by. All the characters are richly described and full of life. The plot with it's dramatic twists and turns often kept me reading far longer than I intended. I was completely transfixed and kept guessing until the final page.

In that first novel that I reviewed in October 2010 “Murder In Mykonos”, I said that the authors style reminded me of the books of Ed Mcbain and Joseph Wambaugh and he still does that and I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I hope that he continues to write books of this high quality for many years to come. Extremely highly recommended.
(Review Copy Supplied Courtesy Of The Author via Netgalley in exchange For Fair Review)

Greek crime thriller

A tale of murder, deceit and drug company perfidy set in the Greek Isles, more particularly Ikaria. Maggie Sikestis, whizz assistant to Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis returns to the island of her birth for her grandmother’s funeral. Something is off. Maggie discovers that more than is probable of the island’s elderly, some over one hundred years old, have died, despite surviving Covid. All appear to have strange bruises. Something’s very wrong and Maggie is determined to discover what, despite a near death experience. Links will form from corrupt drug enforcement agents to international players. I wasn’t surprised by the revelation of the culprits. Despite that, this still made for a sturdy read.

A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I've come to this series late having only read three of the dozen written so far. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of One Last Chance. Now I have another favorite detective to follow with Andreas Kaldis. In this book we find out more about his assistant, Maggie when she goes home to attend her grandmother's funeral. The residents of the island of Ikaria are known to live well into their 90's so when her grandmother passes away at 104 no one is surprised. However she isn't the only death and Maggie soon suspects the death may not have been natural. While Maggie asks questions on Ikaria, Andreas's partner, Yianni, is investigating smuggling and some possibly crooked cops. Can there be a connection between the deaths and the smuggling? I won't say any more for fear of spoilers.
This series lets me return to Greece and the places I enjoyed visiting - the islands, the people, the food, the history and so much more. Add to it a well developed cast of regular characters and top notch mysteries to puzzle over, well, it's a series not to be missed.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Triumph….
The twelfth in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series of mysteries and another triumph. When respective leads are tied up, between corruption cases on Athens and elder killings on Ikaria, a sinister web of dangerous proportions is uncovered. Once again the descriptions of scenery provide a stunning and atmospheric backdrop to an immersive and intriguing plot with credible and colourful characters and with writing that dances off the page,

I love this series and this is an excellent addition. The author did a lot of research on the setting, the Greek culture, and the current situation.
Great plot, solid mystery, excellent character development.
I read it as fast as I could and loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ikaria is a Greek island known for its’ rugged terrain and rugged inhabitants who are known for their long life span. In Athens, Maggie is the administrative assistant to Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis of the Special Crime Unit. Her grandmother, a resident of Ikaria, was 104 years old and in good health so Maggie was surprised when she was notified of her death. Returning to Ikaria for her yaya’s funeral and surrounded by mourners who came to honor her, she is approached by the savanotria , the woman who prepared the body for burial. Despite her good health, yaya showed a bruise on her arm that was possibly from an intravenous needle. There have now been six unexplained deaths of centenarians and nonagenarians in the last two weeks often displaying the same bruising, making Maggie question her yaya’s death.

Back in Athens Kaldis and his chief detective Yianni are involved with a smuggling investigation. Their undercover agent pointed out two corrupt DEA agents dubbed Tom and Jerry. When Yianni follows them he finds a connection that leads him to Ikaria. Together with Maggie they race to stop further deaths in the senior community while looking for a connection between those deaths and the case in Athens.

This is the twelfth book in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mysteries. In each of his books his love of Greece shines through. His books are filled with the traditions, foods and scenery that allow you to experience a tour of Greece from your home. His characters are more than work associates. They are family. When Maggie suffers a loss, they are all there to offer support and when she finds the deaths on Ikaria suspicious, Yianni does not hesitate to help her find answers. Siger once again provides a mystery that will leave you looking forward to your next visit to Greece with Andreas Kaldis. I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book for my review..

I must have been in the perfect mood for One Last Chance because as I began to read it felt as though I were coming home-- and I was thrilled that the book centered around one of my favorite characters, Andreas Kaldis's indispensable and indomitable assistant Maggie. Maggie was long overdue for her starring role.

Having read all of Jeffrey Siger's books in this excellent series, I have to say that I think this one may be my favorite, and part of the reason for this is its setting. I found the landscape, culture, and history of Ikaria-- "the island where people forget to die"-- absolutely fascinating. I could go on to tell you about it in detail, but I'd rather have you read about it yourself.

I found the bad guy rather easy to point out, but the real mystery was what that bad guy was up to which led to a can of worms: people trying to make their fortunes off the pandemic as well as China targeting Greece as its primary gateway to the European Union. You learn a lot about Greece, its history, and its place in Europe through reading Siger's books, so you're getting more than just an entertaining story.

This fast-paced tale leaped off to a roaring start and kept me firmly in the shotgun seat of a forty-year-old Land Rover Defender-- yikes! Watch out for that pumpkin patch! I liked how the two very different investigations came together and the way that they proved justice can come in many forms.

You can read One Last Chance as a standalone if you're wanting to test the waters, but don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the rest of the books in the series. Then you, too, will know why I consider Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis and his crew part of my family.

There are some mysteries that are so tightly woven together that it’s difficult to review them without spoilers. I always have that problem with Jeffrey Siger’s Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis mysteries set in Greece. In each book, he takes us to a different area of the country. Each island or location has its special charm, but there are crimes buried in each community. Corruption and crime seem to be rife in Greece, and Siger seems to be able to expose new examples in each book. In One Last Chance, the twelfth in the series, he takes us to Ikaria, “The island where people forget to die.”

But, it seems that they’ve remembered lately. The residents of Ikaria have a lifespan ten years longer than elsewhere in Greece, One third of them make it into their nineties. In the past few weeks, though, an unusual number of them have died. One of them is grandmother to Maggie Sikestes, Kaldis’ administrative assistant. She leaves Athens for the funeral, thinking her grandmother, her yaya, just died at one hundred four. She survived the Spanish flu of 1918-1920 and the pandemic of 2020-2022. It must have been her time.

But, that’s not what Maggie believes once she’s talked to a local pharmacist, and a few others. But, the others don’t work for Kaldis and the Special Crimes Unit. Maybe Maggie is a little too suspicious when she discoveries the half dozen recent deaths.

While Maggie is on Ikara, Kaldis’ right-hand man, Yianni Kouros is investigating a smuggling operation that might involve DEA cops who are providing protection for the smugglers. Surprisingly, his case eventually leads him to Ikaria. That’s when Maggie and Yianni discover their suspicions might be intertwined. But, how to prove it?

Siger’s books are always complex stories deeply rooted in Greek culture and history. Although there’s often black humor, there’s little of it in this book. The subject matter, elders dying unexpectedly, and crooked police officers with protection, is too serious for the normal humor. What is exceptional is Siger’s use of his characters. Readers finally learn a little more about Maggie’s background. We’ve always known she’s a unique source of information and advice in Greece’s General Police HQ (GADA). Kaldis relies on her. For the first time, we see Maggie’s roots and meet family members. Now, we know the source of her strength, Ikaria and her family. Maggie’s Yaya, at one hundred four, is still a strong woman. It’s only in going back at the end that I realized Magdalena Zaoutis herself provided one clue to the mystery.

It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Siger’s characters, Andreas Kaldis, his wife, Lila, Yianni, Maggie. In One Last Chance, Siger gives us the chance to spend a little time with them again while focusing on the strength of several of the Greek women, Maggie and her grandmother. There’s so much more to this story, but I won’t spoil a fascinating mystery.

Maggie, a detective in Athens, returns home to the island of Ikaria for her 104-year-old grandmother's funeral. The island is renowned for the longevity of many of its residents, and the grandmother had been in excellent health before her death. Maggie unravels a mystery surrounding the sudden and recent deaths of 90 and 100-year-old islanders.

An enchanting setting with gorgeous descriptions of cliffs, mountains, the ocean, and the green of the small but mountainous island made the novel worth while reading for me. But the plot was also excellent, with its complexity, surprises and twists. We get a look at police procedures both in Athens and among the islands. However, the explanations at the end of the book, of who the realculprits were and who were not, and why, could have been easier and more interesting. The dialogue of explanation went on too long, and became a bit tedious. But it doesn't take away from the excellence of the setting, characters, and general story.

I think this is the best book of the Andreas Kaldis series. Andreas's secretary, Maggie, gets a call that her grandmother (Yaya), 104 years old, has died suddenly on the Island of Ikaria, where there are more people in their hundreds and nineties than anywhere else. Maggie goes to Ikaria, and finds out that there have been several deaths of older people in the past few weeks, all of them rather sudden and unattended. The woman who laid out Yaya, tells Maggie that she had bruises which looked like they were caused by a botched IV. However, Yaya had not been in the hospital or had IVs recently. She also finds out about Papa George, a new priest who worked with the elderly on Ikaria, and with whom her grandmother had spent a lot time recently.

Meanwhile, Yianni, the Chief Detective who works with Andreas, and Andreas are working on a smuggling ring. When the undercover dock worker, Stavros, is murdered, they believe that the pair of cops working at the docks who are nicknamed Tom and Jerry are probably responsible. Yianni goes to Ikaria, and he and Maggie soon realize that their cases are related, and that they also have something to do with Papa George, and a couple of wealthy young people from Hong Kong.

The book becomes very exciting, and Maggie finds herself in a very dangerous situation!

Something isn't right about the death of Maggie's grandmother. Yes. she was 104 years old but it turns out she's only the latest in a series of elderly people who have died on the island of Ikaria. At the same time, her boss Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis and Yianni Kouros are probing a case of corruption. in the Greek version of the DEA. How can these two cases be connected? No spoilers from me. I've only read a couple in this long running series- this, like the others, will be fine as a standalone. The Greek setting are superb (especially for armchair travelers) the characters well drawn, and the mysteries just twisty enough. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A new Jeffrey Siger book is always a treat and One Last Chance is another well done book about Greece and it's islands and culture. His characters are well drawn and believable and learning more about Maggie and her family is a plus.

The final plot twist in this book is quite good. I enjoyed both the characters and the setting. The author makes you feel as if you are on a remote Greek island with its own unique culture and ties that setting and culture into the plot in a way that seems natural. Here the series main character is less front and center than some other books by Mr. Siger but I found the characters here to be both interesting and different. A really good book.

This is the 12th Andreas Kaldis book and this is my 9th read (I need to catch up on the other three) and I love coming back to Greece to hang out solving mysteries with Andreas and his team, including his spunky assistant Maggie Sikestis, who rules supreme and his right-hand man Yianni Kouros. Whether the setting is in Athens or one of the many Greek islands pursuing the bad guys, I love the way Jeffrey Siger colors his books with the unique local culture and traditions, geography, and history of Greece, and he does so again in this book with the island of Ikaria, where Maggie’s family lives. When a few residents in their eighties and nineties, as well as Maggie’s grandmother who was 105, pass away, no one thinks much of it - after all they are all elderly. In Ikaria for her grandmother’s funeral, Maggie gets a hint from her grandmother’s old friend that something’s not quite right, so she begins some sleuthing of her own. Meanwhile, back in Athens, Andreas and Yianni are running down dirty cops in the drug enforcement agency. Two separate cases…but coincidentally, are they linked? Nice detective work, humor, and camaraderie in action all come into play in this 12th Kaldis book. I like the international thread and the reference to the common link of ancient civilizations and respect of family tradition - no spoilers, read the book! I enjoyed this book and felt I was back at home with the familiar characters, including Maggie’s and Andreas’ better halves Tassos and Lila. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jeffrey Siger's latest mystery in his Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis' series is another masterful addition. Siger's intricate and well-crafted plot lines and his use of the same characters who help Kaldis solve major crimes are familiar to repeat readers. For those who want to learn about Greek culture and the Greek people, Siger has an unvarnished and yet sympathetic viewpoint which also provides much for readers to learn with every book. Each book has a different setting, well researched and clearly drawn, that provides vignettes of special places in Greece. Siger's mysteries are brilliant and moving.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of One Last Chance, the twelfth novel to feature Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis of Greece’s General Police Headquarters’ Special Crimes Unit and his team.

Maggie Siskedis, Andreas’s assistant, returns to the island of Ikaria for the funeral of her 104 year old grandmother. To her surprise she discovers that her yaya is not the only centenarian to die unexpectedly and that the deaths were probably not from natural causes. In the meantime Andreas and his chief investigator Yianni are looking into potentially corrupt DEA officers and the murder of an undercover cop, working the drugs smuggling angle.

I thoroughly enjoyed One Last Chance, which held my attention from start to finish. With poor concentration at the moment I am inclined to rate any novel that does that at 5*, because it’s not an easy thing to do.

I have been dipping in and out of this series for many years, so the characters are old friends and the familiarity brings a certain level of comfort to the read, and yet the author always keeps it fresh by locating each novel on a different island and offering a different kind of plot. This time it is Ikaria, a mostly undeveloped island where the living is hard and the lifetimes long, boasting one of the highest average ages in the country, which obviously gave the author the idea for his plot.

I must admit that I had no idea where the author was going with his centenarians death plot so I just followed along, but what came of it was ingenious and, in a twisted sense, an obvious opportunity to be exploited. What is less obvious, but more realistic, is who did what and the difficulty of proving anything. I found it fascinating and fell for whatever I was told, which made the detectives’ scepticism more of a jolt and a reality check than it probably should have been. The corruption plot is, on the face of it, more straightforward, but even that has unexpected twists, especially in its links to the centenarian case, and some unanswered questions.

The main theme in this novel is the difficulty in proving wrongdoing and exacting justice. There is justice of a sort in the end and it gave me satisfaction, but in a he said, she said scenario who knows if they got the right person? Still, it was fascinating to read.

One Last Chance is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Jeffrey Siger, known for writing fast-paced, tell-it-like-it-is mystery/thrillers that entertain, has written another spellbinding story, One Last Chance.

“Longevity was the great blessing - or curse - of a life lived on Ikaria.”

“If ever there was a place on earth that stood for the proposition that progress does not necessarily translate into a better or longer life, Ikaria was it.”

Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis’s assistant, Maggie Sikestis, returns home to the island of Ikaria to attend the funeral of her 104-year-old grandmother. Maggie is concerned when she discovers that despite her yaya being in excellent health, bruises from what appears to be a botched IV insertion were noted by the savonotria who prepared her body. When Maggie talks to the locals, she learns that there were other centenarians who recently died under suspicious circumstances. Maggie decides to stay and investigate.

While she’s gone, her boss, the head of GADA’s Special Crimes Unit, and his chief detective Yianni Kouros in Athens uncover a smuggling and protection ring inside the Greek DEA and the possible murder of an undercover police officer. When the two cases converge, the investigators find that it has international ties.

I absolutely loved my introduction to this series! I know, I’m starting at book 11, BUT it’s so very, very good that I’m going to go back and devour the backlist. I enjoy Siger’s writing because it is a perfect mix of police procedural, cozy mystery and Greek travelogue. Siger’s love of the islands and their beauty radiates from every page. Although Ikaria is only 7 square miles and the poorest of the Aegean islands, I feel like I’ve walked and climbed every part of the island and appreciated the picturesque setting.

Looking to escape to somewhere sunny? Are you an armchair detective? Check out this book that involves investigating the suspicious activity of a Greek Orthodox priest, two dirty DEAs, and a Hong Kong pharmaceutical company. The author cleverly tied in a scientific thread focussing on Covid and gave me plenty to ponder!

Chief Inspector Kaldis series is being adapted for a TV series.

I was gifted this advance copy by Jeffrey Siger, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.