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La caverna de las ideas / The Atenian Murders
Novel , 2000
Penguin Random House
The Macallan Gold Dagger For Fiction 2002
In classical Athens, one of the pupils of Plato's Academy is found dead. Suspecting this wasn't an accident, his teacher asks Herakles, the 'Decipherer of Enigmas', to investigate. A second plot unfolds in parallel through the footnotes of the translator of the text.
“Extremely subtle and intelligent . . . totally absorbing” Evening Standard
“It works, superbly” Independent on Sunday
“This fascinating story, which reads like an authentic classical translation, is both a work of scholarship and a thriller of great originality, with a detective in Heracles to rival Chief Inspector Morse as one of the cleverest in crime fiction” Sunday Telegraph
“This cerebral murder mystery, which will appeal to fans of Eco, is brilliant . . . [Somoza] weaves suspense, gore, a particular corner of Plato’s philosophy and layer upon layer of tantalizing reflexivity with ease and obvious relish.” The Times
“One of Plato’s pupils is found dead. Heracles Pontor, the Decipherer of Enigmas, moves through the underworld of Athenian aristocracy to investigate this and other fatalities. Meanwhile, a modern-day translator of the text who tells this story uncovers signs that the author has hidden another meaning in his writing. Worse, the text seems to address the translator personally — in an increasingly alarming fashion.” Terrified Observer
“An ingenious ancient-Greek whodunnit from this Cuban-born, Madrid-based author – but one with several handles to its vase . . . A delightfully paranoiac read on both ancient and modern planes, with enough literary cunning to satisfy fans of Nabokov’s Pale Fire as well as of The Name of the Rose.” Independent