Review: Blood runs deep and memories are long on the Island of Crete.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
A mystery unfolds around a Scottish ex-pat who runs a kafenion in Crete as she is pulled into the story of a member of the Crete Resistance in 1942 and his love. 62 years after the English Woman married to Kapetanios Michaelis is betrayed to the Germans, a woman appears in Crete who is her duplicate. Death, kidnapping, betrayal, bribery, and even love are found in this story of a family vendetta that Kirsty finds herself dragged into.This book started out a little slow to me, but picked up about 30-35% of the way in and after that I wasn't able to put it down. I think the turning point was when Kirsty decides that she can't solve the mystery and potentially help her friends (if help is actually needed) by herself. The interactions with the characters along with the doubt, fear, and guilt are well-portrayed in this storyline... In too many books, you find people who seemingly (and brainlessly) trust the person who ends up being the hero. This novel is more complex and it's not necessarily obvious who the hero is, or if there actually is a hero.While I can't give this novel a 5 star rating because of the slower start, I will clarify that a slow start isn't a death knell for a book, especially this one. The slower start gives you more time to learn about the characters and get a feeling for their reactions and relationships before the action starts. Once the action begins, the information you have learned about the characters clicks into place to help solve the mystery. While it may not be a happy ending for everyone, I think the ending of the story fit what the author was trying to tell.NOTE:  I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. I am very pleased that I was given a chance to read this, and I will certainly look for other books by this author.