DEADLINE IN ATHENS: An Inspector Costas Haritos Mystery by Markaris, Petros - 2004

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Grove Press, 2004. 1st American ed. Light stain at page edge else near fine in dust jacket. Hard-nosed yet ultimately endearing, Costas Haritos is a veteran junta-trained homicide detective on the Athens police force. He is uncomfortably married, can't stand his daughter's boyfriend, and after a day of constant gridlock and smog, tight-lipped witnesses, and the relentless crush of the media, he relaxes by reading dictionaries. When an Albanian husband and wife are found dead in their home, Inspector Haritos is called to what seems to be an open-and-shut case. For the Greek police, two dead Albanians are hardly a matter of concern, and after the primary suspect confesses under duress, the case is closed. But when the country's celebrity TV news reporter, Janna Karayoryi, hints that there may be more to it, Haritos becomes unnerved. He doesn't exactly like the ambitious young journalist, much less the ruthless way she has risen to the top; but could she be right in thinking the murder has something to do with babies? Before Haritos can find out, Janna is silenced suddenly and chillingly, moments before she is to go on the air with a startling newsbreak. Did her mysterious report have something to do with the murdered Albanians? Who wanted her out of the way and why? Caught between a bumbling junior officer and higher-ups all too easily influenced by news executives who are determined to protect their own, Costas Haritos sets out to get to the bottom of the matter-and ends up exploring a dark underworld of post-dictatorship capitalism.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Fine. Book.