Preamble
If you’re interested in reading my academic work about detective and crime fiction (free PDFs available), check it out here. Or you can take a look at my short story collection of cosy mysteries featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Review
I read this in January but it took me a little while to get around to writing a review. As someone deeply interested in both Greek myth and detective fiction, I came on the verge of buying this novel several times when it was in hardback on all the bookshop tables, even though I usually avoid hardbacks (for the space they selfishly take up from other books!). I didn’t because I remembered the mildly disappointing experience I had reading Alex Michaelides’ Covid novel, The Maidens. I’m glad I restrained myself, as I felt similarly a little disappointed by this one too.
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why. The plot is fairly well done if one describes it overall. A wealthy actress is apparently murdered on a Greek island that she owns, while on a short holiday with a small selection of family, friends, and staff:
- (philandering, gold-digging) husband,
- (moody) son,
- (jealous) female actress friend,
- (jealous, obsessive, besotted) male writer friend,
- (devoted) servant,
- (ornery, besotted) groundskeeper.
Which of them killed her, and why? And who is deceiving whom?
There were some good twists here, competently plotted, although some elements I could have used more information about. If we are digging into a back story that will explain a character’s motivations and experiences, we might as well get some additional depth. Some of this keeps with the country-house/deserted island tropes, with lots of people running around behind each other’s backs and other bodies possibly dropping at any moment. The setting should, in theory, be ideal, but it is hard to appreciate the drama of the setting fully when it often functions as an over-determined stand-in for the characters and their interrelations. There are tones of ‘a dark and stormy night’ to how the landscape and setting are played with here.
Similarly, there are some echoes too of some Point Horror teen stories in the twists and turns, which I dimly remembering reading when I was younger, with people running around on a camping trip and murderous teens working at summer camps. The relationships themselves are, somehow, a little juvenile, something that I think was also true of The Maidens (which at least had the excuse of largely featuring young adults).
See also
These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!
- The Maidens (Alex Michaelides)
- Knives Out: Glass Onion (film)
- Jonathan Creek (TV series)
Take a look at my short story collection featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Dominique Gracia 
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