Book Review: THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS by Gary Corby

Herodotus, an aspiring author, turns up at Nicolaos and Diotima’s house to ask if Nico would escort him to the land of the Pharaohs. It seems he wants to write about the past, and is traveling around collecting stories, and chronicling the customs of all manner of civilizations. Given that Egypt is currently a hotbed of unrest, with the natives rising up against their Persian overlords, Herodotus needs an experienced security detail, and Nico came recommended. When Nico discovers it was Pericles who recommended him, he’s convinced there’s more to this than perhaps even Herodotus knows. Indeed, there’s a lot at stake, namely who is the rightful ruler of Egypt. Nico and Diotima will have to navigate Persians, Spartans, cats, camels, crocodiles, and secret agents to fulfill their duty to Herodotus, and also complete the secret task to which Pericles has assigned them, if they manage to stay alive.

This is the sixth in Gary Corby’s “Athenian Mysteries” series, featuring the husband-and-wife detective team (sorry–that was a spoiler if you’ve only read the first couple of books!) of Nicolaos and Diotima. I’ve reviewed a couple of the other books in the series, and it never ceases to amaze me how well Gary does his homework to get the historical details right, while never sounding like a text book. Naturally, he sometimes plays a little loose with facts for the sake of story, but he knows when he’s doing that, as is evident from his “Author’s Note” at the end.

The main new character in this book is Herodotus, known to students of Ancient History as “the Father of History.” His HISTORIES is not only the earliest history book we know of, but it also contains accounts of historical events that we would know little or nothing of otherwise. Gary weaves some of Herodotus’s stories into the narrative, as young Herodotus interviews everyone he encounters, pummeling people with questions, writing everything down on sheets of papyrus, and perhaps being a little too trusting that what he’s being told is totally factual. I think it’s great that Gary manages to take this shadowy figure from the past, known only by his one book (at least, the only one that has survived to this day), and give him life and character, making him into someone quite likable. After reading this, you might actually want to pick up a copy of THE HISTORIES!

But history aside, the strength of Gary’s books is the storytelling, and he keeps the pace going, with plenty of cliffhangers, and humor. As Nico’s interest is divided among various parties vying for his attention, the plot thickens, but never becomes too tangled. There’s also a very touching death scene, which I don’t recall the like of in any of the other books in the series. I don’t want to spoil it, but I’ll say it’s a character I came to like, and was sad to see killed off. It’s beautifully written, and liable to evoke tears–be warned!

Fans of the series will not be disappointed by THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS. If you’re new to the series, you can certainly read this without having read the others, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to go back and start at the beginning (THE PERICLES COMMISSION was the first). There’s hardly any, if any, profanity, and some very mild sexual allusions. I’d rate it PG15, and give it an easy five GoodReads stars.