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Dolman Scott LTS:  Thatcham, UK
2023 (PB)

Classical archaeologist and “TV presenter” Martin Day returns in this, the fifth installment in Vanessa Gordon’s charming “Naxos mystery” series.  Readers of any of the previous entries will recall that Day had chosen a more relaxed existence in the Greek Cyclades on the bucolic island of Naxos over the rigors of a traditional academic life. 

The narrative opens as Martin pines for the company of his beloved Helen Aitchison, who is in London for an extended period tending to her writing and publishing obligations—Martin fears for their future as a romantic couple.  At just the right moment, Martin is hired by Greek born, retired New York entrepreneur, Stelios Ioannides, to deliver several lectures on Greek archaeology at his ancestral home, Villa Myrsini.  The lectures are to be complimentary to the inaugural Naxos Festival of Cycladic Wine, which is to be underwritten by Stelios and directed by vintner Stefanos Patelis of Santorini. 

The select audience for the lectures will include Stelios and his two adopted adult children, Maria and Yianni; Stelios’ friend and failed businessman, Vassos Nikolopoulos; niece Christina; Stefanos Patelis and his wife, Klairi; Stelios’ older sister Eleftheria and her shipping magnate and art collector husband, Theodoros Kakouris; and Theodoros’ friend and international art dealer Pierre Ridgeway and his French wife, Elodie.

But prior to delivering his first lecture, Martin is approached by his old friend, recently promoted to Helladic Police chief inspector Andreas Nomikos.  He has been assigned to the International Antiquities Fraud Agency (IAFA), headquartered in Athens.  He suspects, and is investigating Kakouris and Ridgeway for their involvement in the smuggling and illicit sales of ancient art and artifacts.  Having worked with Martin on previous cases, Andreas wants Martin to observe the situation at Villa Myrsini, to report anything of note—only to him, Andreas—and above all else, stay out of any danger!

Martin’s first lecture is delivered and received with polite enthusiasm. The only slightly puzzling episode was Theodoros’ invitation to Martin to visit his magnificent luxury yacht and to ostensibly give his opinion of regarding a replica of a kylix—an ancient drinking cup—that he wishes to award each year for the best contribution to the Cycladic Wine Festival.  Martin is left puzzled why he was even invited on the yacht.

Tragedy strikes the festival “family” when Martin, following up on an invitation to purchase some favorite wines, finds Stefanos and his wife Klairi brutally murdered.  A telltale clue left at the scene of the crime suggests that the victims knew their killer.

Under such somber circumstances, Stelios prevails upon Martin to deliver his second lecture to the understandably shaken guests at Villa Myrsini.  Following the lecture, Stelios and Vassos invite Martin to assess the authenticity of a potentially very rare and nearly priceless vase called a lekythos—designed to hold scented oil-- kept in the villa’s securer safe.  Martin suspects that this assessment, rather than his lectures, was the real reason for his invitation to Villa Myrsini.  From Martin’s limited perspective, the vessel appears to be a genuine artifact from the fifth century BCE, not a reproduction. But he wishes to share photos of the lekythos with friends and acquaintances in the world of Classical studies to establish its authenticity.  Martin, once he makes the presence of the artifact known to Andreas, who in turn is in the final stages of planning a raid on both the Villa and the yacht, is convinced that the presence of this rare treasure is the real reason for the presence of Theodoros Kakouris and Pierre Ridgeway at the Festival.

But interrupting the smooth execution of the raid is the sudden discovery of the body of Vassos Nikolopoulos floating in the villa’s swimming pool.  Suddenly Martin is suspect Number One in the mind of the Naxos police chief for murders of three victims and he finds himself handcuffed and charged with multiple murders and the illegal trafficking of antiquities!

The reader will need to follow Martin’s struggle to exonerate himself from the charges and to bring the real culprits to justice.  As in previous Martin Day mysteries, the plot is well conceived and executed, but much of the appeal of the series lies with the author’s beautifully rendered descriptions of sights, sounds and smells of the lush environment that is Naxos, and in the case of this novel, the ambiance of the Festival of Cycladic Wine.

Four trowels for The Reach of the Past.