Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts

Susan Fotopoulos, the heroine of this taut thriller from Christodoulou (the Greek Island mysteries), has been left bereft by the sudden, mysterious death of Eugene, her almost two-year-old son. She gets a chance for a reset when Andrew, her husband, suggests that they and their three other children travel from England to Greece, to spend the summer renovating the mansion his mother, Penelope, has inherited. In addition, Andrew wants to care for Penelope after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Susan goes along with the idea, despite her misgivings, but the break proves anything but restorative. Her teenage daughter, Sophia, sees a ghost, and Susan herself has visions of Eugene. The stakes rise after Penelope goes missing, and the other Fotopoulos children have unsettling experiences, possibly linked to the legend of the Looker, an evil spirit haunting the family mansion. Christodoulou doesn’t pull his punches, building up to a gut-wrenching but appropriate denouement. He engages the reader by investing all his characters with depth. Fans of Riley Sager will be pleased. (Self-published)