Baker & Taylor
In a dual story set in ancient Greece and modern times, the idealistic Diagoras teams up with Heracles Pontor to solve the murders of young Pluto's Academy students, and the present-day translator of the ancient text pursues what he believes to be a hidden meaning in the words of the writer. 20,000 first printing.

Holtzbrinck
The English debut of one of Spain's most dazzling younger writers -- a postmodern murder mystery set in ancient Greece . In this brilliant, highly entertaining, and intriguing novel, Jose Carlos Somoza intertwines two darkly compelling riddles, forcing us to confront the ways in which we interpret reality. In ancient Athens, one of the pupils of Plato's Academy is found dead. His idealistic teacher Diagoras is convinced the pupil's death is not as accidental as it appears, and asks the famous Heracles Pontor, the "Decipherer of Enigmas," to investigate. As the death toll rises, the two men find themselves drawn into the dangerous underworld of the Athenian aristocracy, risking their own lives to solve the riddle of these young men's deaths. Simultaneously, a second plot unfolds: that of the modern-day translator of the ancient text, who, as he proceeds with his work, becomes convinced that the original author has hidden a second meaning in the text, one that can be interpreted through certain repeated words and images. As the story advances, however, the translator is alarmed to discover references to himself, which seem to address him personally in an increasingly menacing fashion. An original and unsettling literary mystery, The Athenian Murders introduces a beguiling new talent to an American readership.

Blackwell North Amer
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 the two men find themselves drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue as their quest for the truth leads them from the backstreets 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.

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