I read this series backwards, but even still I enjoyed the books. Lovely setting, and Hermes is one of those memorable literary detectives.

It is evident from her writing the author loves Greece. Her physical description of the island, the villages, and its people made me want to visit. The reason for us to be on the Island of Thiminos is for a mysterious person, nominally referred to as the fat man, to investigate a death. The local police ruled it to be a suicide but someone who knew the victim questioned the determination. The fat man, who resembles detectives like Hercule Poirot or Sam Spade, proceeds to cajole information from the tight-lipped residents.

The author uses several characters' point-of-view to tell the story. Each scene provides a clue to what happened and it's up to us to figure it out. Without issuing a spoiler alert, several surprise events wrapped up the intriguing tale. Real mystery lovers should not skip over this tale of the Greek islands.