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    Sacred Games
    Sacred Games
    Sacred Games
    Ebook412 pages

    Sacred Games

    By Gary Corby

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A murder during the Olympics may spark a war between Athens and Sparta in this historical mystery in the “consistently excellent series” (Booklist).
     
    It is the Olympics of 460 BC. Nicolaos’s best friend, Timodemus, is a competitor in the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece. Timo is hot favorite to win—his only serious rival is Parmonos from Sparta.
     
    When Parmonos is found beaten to death, it seems obvious Timodemus would be the killer. Who else could have killed the second-best fighter in all Hellas but the very best? The judges of the competition sentence Timodemus to be executed in four days’ time, as soon as the Sacred Games have finished.
     
    Complicating everything is the fact that Athens and Sparta are already at each other’s throats, in the opening stages of a power struggle for control of Hellas. If an Athenian is found to have cheated at the Games by murdering a Spartan, it will be everything the hawks in Sparta need to declare open war the moment the Sacred Truce is over. And that’s a war Athens cannot hope to win. Now Nico and his partner in sleuthing, the annoyingly clever priestess Diotima, have four days to save their friend and avert a war that would tear their world apart.
     
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 21, 2013
    ISBN9781616952280
    Sacred Games
    Author

    Gary Corby

    Gary Corby has long been fascinated by ancient history, finding it more exciting and bizarre than any modern thriller. He's combined the ancient world with his love of whodunits, to create an historical mystery series set in classical Greece. Gary lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two daughters. He blogs at A Dead Man Fell from the Sky, on all things ancient, Athenian, and mysterious.

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    Reviews for Sacred Games

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      First Line: The procession wound past the Sanctuary of Zeus. The procession consists of athletes, trainers, priests, officials, and spectators who are gathering for the Olympic Games of 460 BC. The most important contest is the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece. Nicolaos's best friend, Timodemus of Athens ("Timo"), is the favorite to win the pankration. When Timo's only serious rival, Arakos of Sparta, is found beaten to death, it's obvious to everyone that Timo has to be the killer. Timo is sentenced to be executed when the Sacred Games have finished. However, there is a political angle to this crime. Athens and Sparta are spoiling for a fight, and Arakos's death could very well be the catalyst. The politically savvy Athenian Pericles tells Nicolaos that he has four days to find the real killer of Arakos. To prevent a war, Nico and the priestess Diotima have to work fast.I was sent this book by the publisher, and I have to admit that I came within a whisker of deciding not to read it. I really haven't dealt much with ancient Greece since my college days. I have no idea why I changed my mind, but I'm glad I did. I would have missed out on an excellent story otherwise.Diving into this series at book number three wasn't confusing. The further I read, the more I wanted to read the previous two books because I was enjoying the story and the characters so much. Author Gary Corby knows his stuff. The time period and the culture came to life right before my eyes. However, Sacred Games isn't just a history lesson. The investigation kept my interest throughout, and when I wasn't figuratively sweating buckets under the Greek sun, I was falling under the spell of his two main characters, Nicolaos and Diotima, a beautiful, intelligent young woman who's Nico's wife in all but the eyes of their parents (and the law). As a team, they work together quite well-- especially since Diotima provides most of the brain power. Corby didn't let things bog down in historical detail and seriousness, either. There are wonderful bits of comedy throughout, and several of them are provided courtesy of Nico's little brother, Socrates. (Yes, that Socrates.)Have you ever read a work of fiction that is set solidly in history, that has real historical figures as members of the cast and wondered just how much of it is true? I felt this way with Sacred Games. Everything felt so right, but I still wondered. Corby was prepared for people like us. Included in the book are a cast of characters with pronunciations of their names, historical facts about the Olympic Games of 460 BC, a fascinating Author's Note, and a glossary. I don't always pay attention to such things in the books I read, but I was curious, so I read every bit of them. They add so much to the story that I would suggest that you read them all, too. Dive into this book. Immerse yourself in the entire experience. Chances are, you'll enjoy it every bit as much as I did.
    • 4/5
      As usual, I didn't pay for this book but despite that kind consideration of a free item for reading, I give my candid opinions below. It's also worth saying that I did not get this through GoodReads as is so often the case but instead through a Shelf Awareness galley drawing.Our story begins and the year is 460 B.C. From all over Greece athletes have gathered to compete in the Olympiad. All seems well, more or less, until one of the star athletes turns up dead with a blow to the head. Our protagonist must sort out the clues and find the real killer before the games end and his friend is executed for the crime he did... or didn't... commit.On the positive side, our author has done something fairly extraordinary. He's taken reasonably true history and woven it into a story that's entertaining. Complex issues of human rights, feminism, religion and spirituality are all meshed together in a manner that makes you think you're learning something but captures the reader's interest as well. I tend to be a one who will easily slip into 'skim mode' and just breeze over pages by the handful when bored but there was no temptation during any of this book's 300 or so pages. The author's also kind enough to provide a glossary of terms as well as a section detailing the real history behind some of his contrived (and not so contrived) events. To the negative side of the ledger, Corby at times made the reading too easy. The characters were supposed to have lived 2500 years ago yet they speak like the kid down the street. A bit of me cringed as some characters developed a bit of a Southern drawl. I suppose that could be author's attempt at indicating that some players in his book are more sophisticated than others but the purist in me was a bit tweaked. Also, I wanted desperately to be able to pass this book along to my 14-year-old daughter but there were just a few too many uses of the word penis. Corby's writing style is accessible to the point of being adolescent so it would be a great choice for teenage readers if not for all the references to sex. In summary, a wonderfully accessible and simply written novel about an intriguing period in history. It is at times a bit anachronistic but on the whole it does educate more than it misinforms. This would make a wonderful book for the younger set if only it contained its educational content ever so slightly to cover less sex-ed topics.
    • 5/5
      In 460 BC Athens and Sparta are on the verge of war. At the Olympic Games Arakos the Spartan and Timodemus the Athenian are expected to fight for victory in the Pankration. Yet before the fight can take place, Arakos is killed. Timodemus is the suspect and hawks in both cities prepare to fight for honour.This is Gary Corby's third book following his murder investigator Nicolaos. Following the Ionia Sanction the book is more of a husband and wife team investigating murders. The whole thing becomes a mix of the historically accurate and the anachronistic. That sounds like a mess, but what Gary Corby does is keep to history, unless it interferes with the story. For example, we have some very chatty Spartans, who could hardly be described as laconic. However, having the Spartan characters so open means the story can move on at a fair lick instead of filling the narrative with supposition. The impression of speed is necessary as the whole affair has to be concluded in a few days.In terms of absolute historical errors, I'd wager 20 drachmae that Greek days - like Jewish days - start at sunset. However, many professional ancient historians wouldn't spot that, and Corby's spot on with the actual sacrifices happening in the morning. Rigid accuracy would kill the series. So much would need explaining, and the book is at its weakest when there are raw info-dumps of detail to explain historical limits on what could be done. Fortunately the chunks are pretty small.The book, like its hero, is very likeable. I hope this will continue in the next book of the series.
    • 3/5
      While this 3rd book in the Athenian mystery series was a pleasurable way to spend my time, I again felt that there were too many modern phrases.... I love the setting (and Nico's brother Sophocles!!) but am jarred sometimes by that use of modern phraseology which disrupts my ability to sink into the historical setting.
    • 5/5
      Nico and Diotima are attending the Sacred Games at Olympia when a Spartan athlete is found beaten to death. The chief suspect is Nico's best friend Timodeus, an Athenian athlete. The Olympic judges are 99% certain that Timodeus is the guilty party but agree to appoint Nico and Markos, a Spartan knight, to jointly investigate the crime. Nico has three days to solve the case before Timodeus is executed for murder. In the meantime, will Nico's father and Diotima's stepfather ever agree on a dowry?
    • 4/5
      Delightful mystery set in 460 B.C. Olympiad. Nicolaos and his fiancée [or is she his wife?] set out to solve the violent death of a Spartan pankratist. Timo, an Athenian pankratist, and Nico's good friend is accused of the murder. To try to keep down the rivalry between Athens and Sparta, Nico the Athenian and Markos the Spartan are tasked to solve the murder together. Fluffy, light reading of only a couple of hours. I like the way Corby works in ancient Greek customs [in this case mostly athetic] and trivia.

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    Sacred Games - Gary Corby

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