When the Devil's Idle

On the Greek island of Patmos, the murder of a German tourist uncovers a horrifying past in “the excellent sequel to The Devil Takes Half” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Death comes to Patmos when a German tourist is found murdered in the garden of one of the island’s fabled estates. Yiannis Patronas, Chief Officer of the Chios police, is called in to investigate. He summons his top detective, Giorgos Tembelos, and his friend Papa Michalis, to assist him. What the policemen discover will disturb them long after the conclusion of the case.

Only six people were at the house at the time of the murder: the gardener, the housekeeper, and the victim’s wife and three children. All appear to be innocent. But access to the isolated estate is severely restricted. Patronas can only conclude that one of the six is a killer. His probe uncovers many secrets. Some are very old, others more recent. All are horrifying. But did any of these secrets lead to murder?

Leta Serafim graduated from George Washington University in DC with a degree in political science and Russian studies. While in college, Leta worked at the Washington Post, writing obituaries and doing research for the national desk, and later joining the staff of the Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau. Following her marriage to a Greek national, Philip Serafim, Leta moved to Athens. When she moved back to the United States seven years later, she wrote for local papers and the Boston Globe. After her mother began to lose her sight from glaucoma, she began designing and launching multiple media campaigns to increase public awareness of this disease. Leta spends at least one month every year in Greece and has visited over twenty-five islands. The Devil Takes Half is her first novel and the first book in the Greek Islands Mystery series. Coffeetown Press published her work of historical fiction, To Look on Death No More. You can find Leta online at www.letaserafim.com.