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.