Simulated war games morph into the real thing when a crime wave hits a
Greek island in this fast-paced mystery by CWA Gold Dagger winner Peter
Dickinson The West Indies island of Hog's Cay is soon to open for
tourism, but the money behind the deal comes from the Mafia, which is
ready to turn the island into the next Vegas. And the politicos in
charge have given Greek tycoon Thanassi Thanatos the contract. That's
where James Pibble comes in. The former Scotland Yard superintendent has
come to Thanatos's hideaway on the Ionian island of Hyos to protect the
Greek tycoon from the Mob, which doesn't like anyone muscling in on its
territory. Rumor has it the crooks are eyeing Hyos for their booming
drug-smuggling trade. Throw in British intelligence and a clandestine
American operation, and you've got an international free-for-all. The
mystery deepens when Pibble uncovers a monastery led by Fathers Polydore
and Chrysostom, who may be the richest men on the island. And why is an
English artist named Nancy living in a primitive hut? The answers may
lie in a myth about a lizard called the samimithi, a harbinger of
violent death. With superstition and distrust running rampant, Pibble
races to stop a conspiracy set in motion by an obsessive love with the
power to kill. "[Dickinson's] best yet." -The Times (London) "The most
original crime novelist to appear for a long, long time." -The Guardian
"Coruscating." -Books and Bookmen "Peter Dickinson's crime novels are
streets ahead of others for interest and ingenuity." - The Sunday
Telegraph "The story is, as might be expected from Peter Dickinson, a
beautiful and bewildering set of complications taut with breathtaking
suspense." -Louis Untermeyer "Among the authors who can be relied upon
to hit the jackpot time and time again Peter Dickinson's place is
secure." -The Times (London) "Your wits are needed. . . . This study of
trust is his best yet." -The Times (London) Peter Dickinson was born in
Africa but raised and educated in England. From 1952 to 1969 he was on
the editorial staff of Punch, and since then has earned his living
writing fiction of various kinds for children and adults. His books have
been published in several languages throughout the world. The recipient
of many awards, Dickinson has been shortlisted nine times for the
prestigious Carnegie Medal for children's literature and was the first
author to win it twice. The author of twenty-one crime and mystery
novels for adults, Dickinson was also the first to win the Gold Dagger
of the Crime Writers' Association for two books running: The Glass-Sided
Ants' Nest (1968) and The Old English Peepshow (1969). A collection of
Dickinson's poetry, The Weir, was published in 2007. His latest book, In
the Palace of the Khans, was published in 2012 and was nominated for the
Carnegie Medal. Dickinson has served as chairman of the Society of
Authors and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was made
an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 for services to
literature.
