MURDER WITH A GLASS OF MALVASIA

In Marriott’s mystery sequel, a retired homicide detective reluctantly investigates a murder in Greece.

Vathy, on the Greek island of Ithaca, has been Virgil Colvin’s home for two years. He left the Chicago Police Department after his wife died and has since fallen in love with Eurydice Pantakalas, to whom he’s now engaged. However, Vathy police chief Costas Pantakalas, Virgil’s friend and Eurydice’s cousin, gets married first, and the newlyweds’ honeymoon includes meeting up with Virgil and Eurydice in the Greek peninsula town of Monemvasia. They dine at a local restaurant with a large group arranged by a Greek billionaire, and the meal turns into a politically charged debate involving climate activists and a journalist. The next day, one of the dinner guests, Theodoric Künz, the chair of Byzantine history at Harvard University, is found dead, his body badly burned. Just because Virgil investigated a murder last year on Ithaca—as chronicled in the previous series entry, The School of Homer (2023)—doesn’t mean he wants anything to do with this latest one. However, Costas and Eurydice’s coaxing, and his own growing interest, causes him to look closer at the case, with the aim of unmasking a killer. Initially, Marriott’s sophomore series installment moves at a slow, deliberate pace, not unlike the quieter island life that Virgil seems to enjoy. The extended dinner scene deftly introduces characters who go on to become suspects or potential future victims, and the killer’s motive isn’t immediately clear. It’s entertaining to watch Virgil in detective mode, sleuthing with Costas, who’s technically still on his honeymoon, and Monemvasia chief inspector Spyros Liourdis. Due to the fact there’s not much evidence, aside from one key element of the crime scene, the three investigators lead a string of interrogations, and piece together, or pull apart, developing theories. Greece, meanwhile, isn’t merely a backdrop—its rich history and culture, and its memorable sites, continually fuel the narrative. The final act culminates in a satisfying revelation, followed by a delightful tease for the third installment.

A well-established setting enriches this unhurried but worthwhile whodunit.