Crooning into Crime, THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS, Gary Corby

I get a kick out of Australian author Gary Corby's wicked sense of humor -- but I should admit right away that THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS is not an Elvis Presley mystery! Opening in ancient Athens like Corby's preceding five Athenian mysteries, it features Nicolaos, the only private investigator in his city-state at the time. And, of course, his highly intelligent and (gulp) philosophical wife Diotima, who's already broadened his views of women, life, and theatre in preceding titles.

This time his boss Pericles (who always has ulterior motives) is sending Nicolaos to Egypt (where there's a very different Memphis) as an undercover spy. Of course Diotima will go along -- more to the point, so will the author-in-research-stage Herodotus, whose mission of fact-finding is the excuse for what Pericles wants accomplished. At stake is the path to the throne for the contenders grappling to rule Egypt. Is Herodotus also a spy? What other Mediterranean political forces are muddying the Nile's waters? Quick as a trireme can sail (what, you don't know about triremes? trust me, you're going to love them), Nicolaos discovers there are at least three armies and spies in play. And at least one of them is determined to make things personal and get rid of Nicolaos along the way. Good thing Diotima's got his back, even in negotiations:

Somehow Herodotus knew that Diotima and I had been to Ionia, a province of Asia Minor ... it seemed odd to me that he knew such a detail.

Herodotus proceeded to ask us questions about Themistocles. We were able to fend off almost every sensitive issue, since we had only met Themistocles at the end of his life.

"How did he die?" Herodotus asked. He held the brush poised over his scroll and looked up at us expectantly.

The answer to that question was a state secret. I turned to Diotima. Diotima turned to me. We had both sworn never to reveal the truth of those terrible days. ...

I said, "He died of an illness. It was natural causes."

The explanation might have held, except that at the very same instant Diotima said, "It was suicide. He drank bull's blood."

Herodotus looked from one to the other of us in surprise. "Surely it must be one or the other."

"It was both," I answered, thinking quickly. "When Themistocles learned he was dying of natural causes, he drank bull's blood to end it all."

"I see," Herodotus said doubtfully. "I didn't realize bull's blood was poisonous."

"Oh, it is," Diotima said with a straight face. "I thought everyone knew that."

"Thank you," Herodotus said. He scribbled notes.

After that we resolved to avoid Herodotus whenever he had his scroll open.

The pen (or ink brush) may be mightier than the sword, but it's a crossbow that Nicolaos will soon fear, along with spears, crocodiles, and more. Among the forces fighting for Egypt's throne are a cabal of Public Service workers determined to protect their cushy jobs and incomes, at least two potential rulers, and the massive power of the Persians and the Spartans.

Sure, I had to have my arm twisted to start reading this series (revealed in an earlier review here), but Gary Corby's dialogue and plot twists are so entertaining that it's easy to put aside skepticism about "history this old" and relax in the grins and laughter that THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS provides. Capers, politics, good old-fashioned murder and other crimes -- it's all here, like a happy bundle of papyrus fastened with a scarab or two.

Great summer reading, so add it to the stack! And yes, this is another winner from Soho Crime ... gotta love that press for lively international mysteries in all centuries, continents, and flavors.

Humor, History, and Very Very Human: DEATH EX MACHINA, Gary Corby

Sure, I was skeptical at the start -- this is the fifth Athenian mystery set by Australian Gary Corby in "Classical Athens" and it involves a group of actors, as well as the husband-and-wife investigative team of Nicolaos and Diotima. And a ghost!

But it didn't even take a chapter for Corby's breezy and quick-paced style to draw me into this 459 BC mystery. And although each chapter brings more revelations about "real life" in Athens and its surroundings, the information is deftly tucked (with smiles) into what Nico and his wife discover. There are some notes at the end of the book, and it turned out that the quirks that most raised my eyebrows came directly from Corby's research (yes, I peeked), so I relaxed and went with this very entertaining and just-complicated-enough romp through murder and mayhem.

Anyone who's heard of the way Shakespeare performers refer to Macbeth  as "the Scottish Play" already knows actors tend to be superstitious. So it's no big stretch to assume the ones in Ancient Athens would refuse to work if convinced that their performance space is haunted -- especially if accidents keep happening. When Nico and Diotima accept the task of exorcising the ghost in the city's grand theater, Nico at least is matter-of-face enough to rephrase the assignment to himself as "catch the killer," and figure out who's working to sabotage the show before the grand Dionysius festival begins.

The motives for murder turn out to hinge on employment and immigration, issues I never would have guessed were crucial in Athens "back then." As Nico and Diotima interview the newly promoted second lead actor for the show, Romanos, it's clear the actor is an eager and imperiled immigrant, and Nico assesses the situation and the actor:

I tried to estimate the age of Romanos, but it wasn't easy. He was one of those men who could be an old-looking twenty-five or a young-looking thirty-five. There were lines of experience about his eyes, but I guessed that he'd had a hard life and he could have acquired those at an early age.

Romanos looked out from our shelter, into the pouring rain.

He said, "I would like to be a citizen of Athens one day." ...

I asked, "Would it help you?"

Romanos looked surprised. "Of course it would. Citizens get all the best parts."

But what seems to be theater-motivated crime takes a new twist when Nico follows some leads into the surrounding countryside, and sniffs the trail of both beer and wine, as well as scandal.

I had a great time reading DEATH EX MACHINA and I'll be scooping up Corby's earlier work, as well. It''s a great treat for summer vacation, and reading the series will fit any time there's good reason to take a break -- for a challenge to preconceptions, a good plot, enjoyable characters, and a sense of fresh discovery. No need to read the earlier books before this one, but I'm sure I won't be the only reader who decides to invest in the whole series! From Soho Crime, and a dandy mix of caper crime fiction and amateur sleuth.