Book Review: The Nameless Dead

Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro

An arresting mystery about a murder in small-town Greece and the detective whose life is at stake

Chief Inspector Yiannis Patronas has received a call about the discovery of a dead girl in Souda. The victim was found with her throat slit. Unfortunately, Souda is not unfamiliar with violence, as it has become a focal point for aggression against migrants.

Yiannis notices the stark beauty of the victim, along with the ghastly violence committed against her. Yiannis is a veteran police investigator, but the assaults against the refugees are starting to wear on him, especially as elements of the radical right (i.e., The Golden Dawn) begin to attract more followers.

Patronas is a man who can command a crime scene, yet initially has doubts about his abilities. His team is a motley crew of police officers composed of the washed-up, tactless, and over-the-hill. The young girl was Syrian, and her name is Raina.

While her murder was in Greece, the motive for her murder might reside in her home country of Syria. The intricacies of the investigation begin to collide with Patronas’s personal life as his wife Lydia believes the job is putting a strain on their marriage. In addition, Patronas has decided to take in a young migrant boy into his house and is considering adoption. If this weren’t enough, his ex-wife is sick and is making demands on his time.

Patronas has spent nearly his entire life in Greece, but the Greece of his youth has faded into a quaint memory. The intolerance shown toward the migrants is disquieting; the rise of hate groups is alarming. The violent murder of Raina is soon followed by another vicious murder, and Patronas is hard-pressed to find a definitive suspect. The search for the killer(s) will prove to be the test of Patronas’s life.

Yiannis Patronas is a fascinating main character, and he is the heart of this story. A sagacious but weary veteran, he is full of compassion for the victim and the plight of the migrants. The author infuses his character with an unflappable resolve that is able to withstand the criticism and doubts of superiors, along with the occasional assault from a killer or two.

Patronas’s job matters to him, but he also doesn’t want to lose those closest to him because of it. Despite pondering retirement, he counsels a fellow officer on why they should remain on the job and keep fighting the good fight. Patronas’s indomitable will makes for one of the salient and positive impacts of the narrative.

The Nameless Dead is a riveting whodunit rich in compelling characters. A great detective novel hinges on a case with resonance, along with a lead character with gravitas—and author Leta Serafim has done just that. This modern detective novel comes with great emotional depth and humanity.

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