"The Beautiful Island Of Mykonos, plus Corruption And Murder"
Reviewed by Patricia (Pat) Pascale
Posted January 3, 2021
Mystery
THE MYKONOS MOB is the tenth in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery series and will keep you turning the pages learning about the Greek People, their culture, and corruption on the internationally renown Island of Mykonos. Colonel Aktipis started as a cop and rose up the ranks to become rich and powerful. He kept useful information about where the bodies were buried and friends that kept him amassing this information for future use. Presently he is in charge of all security at the big hotels and clubs on the Island of Mykonos. This spot is very popular with hard-partying mega-rich tourists looking for sex and drugs and fun in the sun 24/7. The Colonel was invited by Pepe to his restaurant in Athens to ask about helping him with security at a hotel/club venture he is planning on the Island. He is told the costs would be high for his security but he could help if the "price is right.". As he is about to get into his Mercedes after this meeting, he is murdered "hit style".
Andreas Kaldis, head of the Athens GADA, Special Crimes Unit of the Police, and his right-hand man, Detective Yianni Kouros, head for Mykonos to investigate the murder. Pepe was questioned and although he said he was at the front door of his restaurant when the "hit" happened, he did not see anything. There are two mobs on the island, Katavakis and Desotiko and it time to investigate if this is a power struggle to see which of them would control the island. Is it someone else? Who? On this island of beautiful beaches, sunsets, smelling of salt, rosemary, and thyme, there is so much corruption. The investigation begins and the two mobs are questioned. Andreas and Yianni are almost killed while riding their motorcycles by another motorcycle rider. The bodies are piling up.
THE MYKONOS MOB introduces many colorful characters. Toni, an American ex-pat, is a singer at a Piano Bar at night and during the day works hard to help the Islanders in recovering their stolen goods. She and Yianni are attracted to each other and a romance blooms. Lila, wife of Andreas and mother of his two children is seeking an important role she can play besides wife and mother. She and Toni develop a strong friendship while helping several teenage girls escape prostitution by the evil son of Katavakis, referred to as Boy Pimp.
Mykonos is the perfect setting for this wild action plot with murders, corruption lies, and betrayals. Will you guess who the villain is? I did and I enjoyed the twists and turns, fast-paced mystery on a lovely tropical island. If you can't go there in person, Jeffrey Siger who lives there paints a deft portrait of a breathtaking spot to visit and enjoy once THE MYKONOS MOB is taken care of. An enjoyable read that I enjoyed and eagerly await his next sequel. You will enjoy it too!
SUMMARY
When corruption lies deep beneath the surface, how can the truth come to light? The case begins for Athens' Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis with a literal bang when a corrupt former police colonel who runs a protection racket on Mykonos is gunned down. Suddenly, Athens' Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is face-to-face with Greece's top crime bosses on an island whose natural beauty and reputation as an international playground belies the corruption lurking just beneath the surface. While Andreas and his Special Crimes unit wrestle for answers, Andreas's wife, Lila, meets an American expat named Toni, a finder of stolen goods and a piano player in a gender-bending bar who has a zest for life and no apparent regard for rules. As Lila and Toni bond over a common desire to mentor young island girls trapped in an exploitative and patriarchal culture, they soon find that their efforts to improve the lives of the Greek girls they've come to care about intersect with Andreas' investigation in ways that prove to be dangerous for all involved... International bestselling author Jeffrey Siger delivers another heart-stopping story of corruption and intrigue in The Mykonos Mob, the latest entry in the renowned Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis mystery series.
ExcerptHe never wondered about the purpose of life or how he turned out as he had. It all just sort of happened. He became a cop because he saw it as the surest way for a kid born into Greece's working class in the tumultuous early 1960s to make a living. He got lucky when, after the fall of the Military Junta in 1974, he joined the youth movement of a left-wing political party that came to power in 1981 and remembered to reward its loyal friends.
As he rose in rank, the more friends and money he made, the more power he amassed. He kept careful track of where the bodies were buried and possessed an uncanny instinct for digging up the ones he needed to achieve his purposes. An effort by the opposition party to paint him as corrupt failed when the prosecution's main witness died in a boating accident. An investigation into the witness's death faded away soon after he announced his decision to retire from the Hellenic Police force with the rank of colonel.
That's when he began to make truly big money, capitalizing on his contacts and former position as head of police for the South Aegean Region, home to Greece's most popular tourist islands for the rich and hard-partying globetrotting crowd.
Tonight, the Colonel was far away from all that glitz and glamour. He sat in a restaurant in a nondescript, middle-class eastern suburb of Athens, virtually equidistant from downtown Athens, its port town of Rafina, and Venizelos International airport.
"A convenient place for a meeting," said the one who'd arranged it.
The Colonel leaned back in his chair and yawned. The conversation had been as boring as the meal. Everything about the place was mediocre, from its tired, thirty-year-old decor to the hookers at the bar, and the ruddy-faced, pudgy man sitting across the table from him who had yet to say why their mutual business acquaintance thought they should meet.
"Am I keeping you awake, Colonel?"
"Barely."
Ruddy-face smiled. "How do you like my place?"
The Colonel leaned forward. It was long past time to get down to business. "If this is your joint, why don't you just tell me why you wanted to meet? You sure as hell don't need my services to run this operation."
"You're right, it's a dump." Ruddy-face paused. "But I have plans."
"What sort of plans?"
"I'm buying a club on the islands. It's going to be first-class in every way." He nodded toward the bar. "Including the girls."
"Which island?"
"One you control."
"Control is a mighty big word."
Ruddy-face smiled. "Let's just say, I don't like the idea of getting involved in a business where my investment isn't secure."
"That's prudent of you."
"Can you help me?"
"If you're asking for security, the answer is yes."
"I'm talking about protection for all aspects of my business."
The Colonel shrugged. "It's all a matter of price. You tell me what you want, and I'll tell you what it will cost you."
"I hear you're pricey."
"You heard right. But I make sure things run smoothly."
"How do you do that?"
"I don't have competitors stirring things up, jockeying for business. I maintain order among the chaos."
"They might see things differently."
"If by they you mean competitors, there are no they on my island. I'm the only game in town."
"I get your point," said the man. "I'm sure we'll come to terms."
"If you want to open a club where I'm in business, I'm sure we will."
The Colonel declined an offer of coffee, and the two men agreed to talk again once ruddy-face had a better idea of what he might need from the Colonel.
He walked the Colonel to the front door, shook his hand, thanked him for coming, and wished him safe travels. "Kalo taxidhi."
But the Colonel only made it as far as the front door of his Mercedes.
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