Dangerous Days

In Kanaris’s appealing third novel featuring Greek PI George Zafiris (after 2017’s Blood & Gold), George agrees to help Olli Papaspirou, to whom he’s related by marriage, recover a valuable diamond necklace, a gift from Olli’s boyfriend, stolen from her parents’ home. George is quickly able to identify the burglars responsible: the Flying Zamirs, Albanians who were once circus acrobats, and begins negotiating for the necklace’s return directly with Flamur Zamir. The deal hits a snag, but the relationship with the thieves that the gumshoe establishes proves valuable in connection with a more serious case. Lawyer Pavlos Lazaridis, a friend of George’s contact on the force, Colonel Sotiriou, who’s head of the Athens Police Violent Crimes Unit, has been gunned down in his office. The colonel suspects a cover-up is in the works after the justice minister sealed off the crime scene on a bogus pretext, preventing a genuine investigation, and wants the Zamirs to break in and look for compromising documents. George is a winning lead, well-served by an intelligent plot. Kanaris nicely mixes humor and mystery. (Aug.)