Shadows of Athens

By: JM Alvey

Narrated by: Gavin Osborne

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

443 BC and after decades of war with Persia, peace has finally come to Athens. The city is being rebuilt, and commerce and culture are flourishing.

Aspiring playwright Philocles has come home to find a man with his throat cut slumped against his front gate. Is it just a robbery gone wrong? But, if so, why didn't the thieves take the dead man's valuables? With the play that could make his name just days away, he must find out who this man is, why he has been murdered - and why the corpse was left in his doorway.

But Philocles soon realises he has been caught up in something far bigger, and there are those who don't want him looking any further....

©2019 JM Alvey (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group Ltd

Thoroughly enjoyable mystery set in ancient Athens

I thoroughly enjoyed this superbly narrated novel set in ancient Athens. The plot is clever, playing as it does on the well documented tensions between Athens and the members of the Delian league who paid in effect protection money to Athens whose navy offered some defense against potential attacks on the Ionian cities by the Persian empire. Athens collected tribute from over 300 city-states creating in effect an Athenian empire. These funds not only supported the navy but also paid for much of the building in Athens under the leadership of Pericles.

The character development is also engaging. I cared about the characters and found their intelligence and bravery commendable. In this regard, the ending was very satisfying too.

I also loved the descriptions of the theater, including the hilarious comedy written by the protagonist Philocles, and its references to characters in the Iliad, Meriones and Thersites. Meriones was a Cretan who did not make it home after the Trojan war but, according to later myths, was blown to Sicily. This fits in nicely with the plot of the story. However, Thersites was supposedly killed by Achilles. This was the one gaff which I found in the numerous other historical references both to myth and history. The author clearly knows his Homer and has the most recent information about Athenian history during the classical period.

The writing is first rate and the tale so enjoyable that I listened at 1x so as not to have it end too soon! I did not find the rough language and bawdy jokes objectionable since I know these are historically accurate. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was because I do not think a description of the sexual encounters between Philocles and his mistress added anything to the story. These descriptions are in general cringeworthy, not only in this novel but in others, They distract rather than enhance the narrative.

I am now listening to the second novel in the series, "Scorpions in Corinth" and find it equally entertaining. I hope this very agreeable author/narrator team will add more titles to this series.