El problema es que empecé a leer las novelas del comisario Jaritos más o menos por la mitad de la serie, cuando el personaje ya está bastante asentado. Aquí aún le falta algo. No sé si es la discusión con su mujer, demasiado violenta, o la relación entre ambos, que hoy se me antoja demasiado turbia, o los recuerdos de su época de poli de la dictadura, demasiado negros, o el escaso sentido del humor. No sé, pero como que le falta evolucionar. Gracias a Dios, la trama está bien (aunque el malo se hace evidente a las cien páginas), quizá algo farragosa en algunos puntos. Veremos qué pasa a partir de ahora. ( )

Poco después del asesinato de un matrimonio de inmigrantes albaneses, un hombre, también de origen albanés, se confiesa autor del crimen. El caso, en apariencia cerrado, se desvela mucho más sórdido y complejo cuando una periodista especializada en sucesos, Yanna Karayorgui, aparece asesinada. Kostas Jaritos, comisario de la policía ateniense, es el encargado de la investigación. Genuino antihéroe de novela negra, Jaritos recurrirá a su intuición, cinismo y experiencia para desentrañar una trama de comercio clandestino, muy turbio, en el que están en juego intereses económicos de importantes organizaciones griegas y albanesas.

Set in Athens in the 1990s, this book opens with the murder of two Albanians. Inspector Costas Haritos’ homicide division is called to investigate. A news commentator with information related to the case is also murdered. The focus shifts to the murder of the news anchor, and the Albanians are all but forgotten in the media circus.

This story introduces Haritos and is the first book in a series. Haritos is a great character. His hobby is reading dictionaries. He has a gruff exterior but an empathetic heart. He and his wife have a dysfunctional marriage. He tells the story in first person, so we follow his thoughts as he examines the evidence and decides what to do, while juggling challenges introduced by his superiors and the reporters.

The mystery is intricate and multi-layered, though some of the characters’ viewpoints feel a bit dated. I do not read many detective and crime mysteries, but I very much enjoyed this one.
( )

Er liebt es, Souflaki aus der Tüte zu essen, dabei im Wörterbuch zu blättern und sich die neuesten Amerikanismen einzuverleiben. Seine Arbeit bei der Athener Polizei dagegen ist kein Honigschlecken. Im Trubel um den Mord an der Reporterin von ›Hellas Channel‹ gelingt es Kostas Charitos dennoch stets, er selbst zu bleiben – ein hitziger Einzelgänger, ein Nostalgiker im modernen Athen.

I love reading mysteries written by international authors: Fred Vargas, Andrea Camilleri, Henning Mankell, Ragnar Jónasson, Karin Fossum, and Jane Harper are just a few. It goes without saying that I picked up Deadline in Athens with a great deal of anticipation.

The mystery itself is strong. There's a lot going on besides the reporter's death, and the more Haritos teases out clues, he finds that those clues lead to solving all sorts of cases. If I were the type of reader who concentrates on solving the mystery to the exclusion of all else, I would've been happy with this book. But... I'm not. I'm a character-driven reader, so those all-important fictional people mean a great deal to me. I don't have to like every character in a book. Sometimes it can be therapeutic to loathe one or two and even cheer on their demise. But sometimes what drives a character can mean a great deal to my enjoyment of a book, and those found in Deadline in Athens seem to luxuriate in being mean-spirited jerks.

Costas Haritos has two hobbies: (1) collecting and reading dictionaries, which would be interesting if he did more with them than lay across the bed, crack one open, and then (2) concoct his latest scheme to get even with his wife. According to Haritos, "The first stage of family life is the joy of living together. The second is children. The third and longest stage is getting your own back at every opportunity. When you get to that stage, you know that you're secure and nothing is going to change." At least it's a good match-- his wife sits on the couch, remote control in hand, watching soap operas and scheming how to get back at him. I won't even go into the morning ritual Haritos performs with his junior officer.

One reason why I enjoy reading mysteries written by international authors is the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. There's scarcely any of that to be found in Deadline in Athens. Markaris adds "authentic Greek flavor" by naming each and every street Haritos travels down, how bad the traffic is, and how long it takes him to get to his destination (usually in the pouring rain). Ho hum.

If I weren't so interested in the solution to the mystery, I would've stopped reading within the first fifty pages. In the end, I was very happy with the solution and thrilled that my time spent with the grim Costas Haritos was over. For anyone who wants to experience Greek culture, intriguing mysteries, and solid characters, you'd be well advised to read Jeffrey Siger's excellent Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series instead. ( )