There Lies a Hidden Scorpion
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
When Nick and Julia Lambros hang the "Closed for Vacation" sign on their Delphi, Georgia, restaurant, what they've planned is a joyful trip to Tarpon Springs, Florida, for the wedding of Nick's godchild Kate to Alex Kyriakidis, the son of a wealthy hotel owner. A reunion with Greek friends and family and a week's stay at the beautiful Mediterranean-style hotel couldn't be more needed--or deserved.
But from the moment Nick and Julia arrive in Florida, it seems like rest and relaxation are just not in the cards. First they witness a car swerving out of control and into the bay, forcing Nick and his cousin Spiros to rush to the sinking passengers' rescue. Then, as a series of ominous warning signs and small disasters begin to close in on the wedding party, superstitious family members insist the pending nuptials are cursed and must be canceled. Nick and Julia, responding to a desperate plea from Kate's father, once again resume the role of detectives as they try to uncover which of the young couple's family or friends will stop at nothing--not even murder--to stop Kate and Alex from exchanging vows.
For Nick and Julia, it's a race to clear the innocent, expose the guilty, and hopefully save a wedding that seems destined for catastrophe. Takis and Judy Iakovou's colorful cast of characters and authentic Greek atmosphere make There Lies a Hidden Scorpion a captivating mystery that promises to keep readers spell-bound until the very last page.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Departing from the seriousness of their previous novel, Go Close Against the Enemy, which dealt with the lingering effects of racism in the South, the Iakovous' latest cozy takes a light, romantic turn in the sunny state of Florida. When Nick and Julia Lambros are invited to the wedding of some Greek friends, they decide to leave their Georgia restaurant to relax at the Tarpon Springs luxury resort owned by the father of the groom. On their first night there, however, they witness a fatal car accident that looks like murder. Adding to the ominous atmosphere, Kate and Alex, the bride and groom, have been receiving several Greek curses (a severed rooster's head among them) from an anonymous ill-wisher, prompting Alex's superstitious grandmother to plead for the wedding to be called off. Kate's father suspects an ex-business partner looking for revenge, but there are other possible culprits, and when a murder occurs inside the hotel, Nick and Julia begin to sleuth. Though the story is filled with possibility, it's marred by roughly drawn characters and a predictable ending. What sparkles, however, is the Iakovous' fascinating but unobtrusive detailing of Greek culture. Julia, an American in the midst of a Greek family celebration, feels like an outsider, especially when her Greek husband is pursued by a beautiful young compatriot. It's likely that many readers will be more interested in her feelings, and in the outcome of this romantic aside, than in the solution to the crime.
