Book Release for
The Athenian Murders by Jose' Carlos Somoza

Title: The Athenian Murders
Author: Jose' Carlos Somoza
Publisher:Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Place and Date of Publication: N.Y. 2002
ISBN: 0-374-10677-0
Price:$24.00
Description: Hardcover; 262 pgs
Availability: www.fsgbooks.com




A translator begins to work on an old text, a story set in ancient Athens....

One of the pupils of Plato's Academy is found dead, apparently savaged by wolves. A verdict of
accidental death is reached, but the boy's idealistic teacher, Diagoras, remains unconvinced.
Tramachus had been behaving oddly in the month before his demise, and Diagoras believes
the boy was living in fear of someone or something. He asks Heracles Pontor, the famous
"Decipherer of Enigmas," to investigate.

Several more corpses are found, and two of the men find themselves drawn into a dangerous
web of intrigue as their quest for the truth leads them from the back streets of Athens to the
terrifying underworld of its most powerful citizens.

Simultaneously, a second plot unfolds: that of the modern-day translator of the ancient text, who
becomes convinced that the original author has hidden a second meaning in the story, one which
can be interpreted through certain repeated words and images. As his work progresses, the
translator is alarmed to discover references to himself in the narrative-references which seem
to address him personally in an increasingly menacing fashion.

About the Author

Jose' Carlos Somoza is a psychiatrist and the
author of six novels. In 2000, he was short-listed
for the Nadal Prize, one of the most important
literary awards in Spain. The Athenian Murders
 is his first novel to be translated into English. He
lives in Madrid.



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