Once again, Jeffrey Siger taps into the world’s politics in order to scare us to death. I’ll admit, I find some of the metaverse discussions tedious in At Any Cost. My eyes glazed over. But, the ending was as fast-paced and engrossing as always. And, of course, there’s that delightful cast of Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, his wife, Lila, his administrative assistant, Maggie, chief detective Yianni Kouros, and Tassos Stamatos on Syros. It’s always a treat to return to Greece and spend time with Kaldis’ team.
The story actually starts in New York where Jacob (Jack) Diamantopoulos grew up. Kaldis’ niece, Anna, meets him there when she’s a freshman in college, and she terrifies her mother when she says she’s marrying this man no one ever met. But, Andreas’ latest case might be right up Jack’s alley. The teacher and software engineer may have knowledge that Andreas’ can tap into in a case involving multiple nations who want to invest in Greece. Jack just might know why it has been beneficial for burned out property on some of the islands to become hot commodities for sale. There’s big money in global computing infrastructure.
Kaldis and his team are actually tasked with investigating the wildfires from the previous summer. But, it’s never a simple case for the Special Crimes Unit. Instead, there’s computer technology, murder, and kidnapping. And, in Greece, politics and greed go hand-in-hand.
As I said, the last quarter of At Any Cost is as exciting as always. As important as the metaverse is, I had a difficult time getting through those conversations, and the New York parts of the book. But, those reading for Greece will still be rewarded with gorgeous descriptions and a gripping climax.
Jeffrey Siger’s website is http://jeffreysiger.com
At Any Cost by Jeffrey Siger. Severn House, 2024. ISBN 9781448312108 (hardcover), 272p.
FTC Full disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley in order to review the book for a journal.
This has been from the beginning one if my favorite series. It never disappoints. So far my library doesn’t have it on order. The cast of characters always find trouble and then solve the trouble.
I love Jeff’s cast of characters, Jeannette. I hope your library orders it!
It annoys me when the library doesn’t get these books, or when it takes months, and I’ve ended up having to buy several of them. But there is no doubtr I will get this one too. Great series.
The smaller the publisher, the less likely it is that libraries will order its books.
When Jeff switched from Poisoned Pen Press to Severn House, it madwe it more difficult to get his books. Severn House books are expensive, and not carried in bookstores. Sandra is right about small publishers.
Dearest Lesa,
I always treasure your wisdom and have passed along your observations on my book’s availability to my new publisher, Severn House–an absolute joy to work with from an author’s perspective. While on my recent coast to coast tour for “At Any Cost” all the hosting booksellers were able to obtain books in time for my events, though there was a brief hiccup period when “At Any Cost” sold out its first printing…a mixed blessing moment. 🙂 Thanks for the heads up. Best, Jeff
I just put the first book in the series on hold. I love a series with a good supporting cast alongside the main character.
Susan, The cast also gets better as the series proceeds. It just takes time to develop the characters.