The Singer from Memphis
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A historical murder mystery adventure that stretches from Classical Athens to Egypt in the footsteps of the first historian, Herodotus
Nicolaos, the only private investigator in Athens, discovers that helping a writer with his book research can be very dangerous. Would-be author Herodotus has hired Nico and his priestess wife, Diotima, to accompany him to Egypt to research that ancient country’s history. Unfortunately, Egypt happens to be in the throes of a rebellion against its overlords, the Persian Empire. Pirates infest the sea route. Three different armies roam the Egyptian countryside. The river is full of crocodiles. Everywhere Nico turns, there’s a secret agent ready to kill him, and possibly worse, he can’t find a decent cup of wine anywhere. A simple historical investigation turns into a dangerous adventure of international espionage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Early in Corby's exceptional sixth novel set in ancient Greece (after 2015's Deus Ex Machina), Pericles, the most powerful man in Athens, asks Nicolaos, "the only private agent" in the city-state, to accompany the historian Herodotus on a trip to Egypt. Ostensibly, Nicolaos will serve as a bodyguard, but his real mission is to aid Egyptians rebelling against Persian rule. The rebels' leader, Inaros, who claims to be descended from the last pharaoh, has asked for a "man of cunning and resource" to help take the city of Memphis, the last stronghold controlled by the enemy. Pericles shares his suspicions with Nicolaos that Herodotus may be a spy in the employ of the Persians. Later, pirates almost scuttle the journey to Egypt, and Nicolaos nearly loses his client to a master Spartan assassin. Eventually, Nicolaos must solve a murder, but this is more spy thriller than whodunit. Corby's trademark blend of humor, fascinating historical detail, and accessible presentation of the politics of the time has never been better.
