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A review by cornerofmadness
The Lady of Sorrows: A Seven Deadly Sins Mystery by Anne Zouroudi
3.0
I won an ARC from Goodreads (which doesn't impact my review) and the way it's listed in GR, I thought it was the first book in a new series but actually it's several books into a series. Luckily, as with many mystery series, you often get enough of the back story to catch up. In this case, not so much but that's because of how the detective Hermes Diaktoros is presented. We're rarely that deep into his head. He's almost a vehicle for the story telling, almost an outsider in a sense.
I'm not sure who he works for (he neatly dodges that question in the story) and he definitely feels like a nod to Hercule Poirot and Nero Wolf with his quirky affectations and his weight. In fact the author chooses a strange way of handling Hermes's scenes, which adds to that distance the reader has from him. He is never referred to by his name in exposition. He is only ever called 'the fat man.' I'm not sure I liked that, even though I did like the character.
The mystery is slow to unfold sort of echoing the slow paced small Greek island it is set on. Hermes is visiting this island whose one claim to fame is the Lady of Sorrows icon, the miracles she (Mary) grants and the legend of how the icon painter transfers his skills to his eldest son magically at the end of his life. Hermes, because his father was a collector, realizes some things about this icon and calls in a friend who is a specialist. The icon is a both a fake and Russian, not Greek in origin.
Then the icon painter dies mysteriously and Hermes is left with an island full of secrets, especially held by the family in charge of maintaining the Lady's church.
I did enjoy the story and would like to see more of this series.
I'm not sure who he works for (he neatly dodges that question in the story) and he definitely feels like a nod to Hercule Poirot and Nero Wolf with his quirky affectations and his weight. In fact the author chooses a strange way of handling Hermes's scenes, which adds to that distance the reader has from him. He is never referred to by his name in exposition. He is only ever called 'the fat man.' I'm not sure I liked that, even though I did like the character.
The mystery is slow to unfold sort of echoing the slow paced small Greek island it is set on. Hermes is visiting this island whose one claim to fame is the Lady of Sorrows icon, the miracles she (Mary) grants and the legend of how the icon painter transfers his skills to his eldest son magically at the end of his life. Hermes, because his father was a collector, realizes some things about this icon and calls in a friend who is a specialist. The icon is a both a fake and Russian, not Greek in origin.
Then the icon painter dies mysteriously and Hermes is left with an island full of secrets, especially held by the family in charge of maintaining the Lady's church.
I did enjoy the story and would like to see more of this series.