The Ionia Sanction

by Gary Corby

Series: The Athenian Mysteries (2)

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112	8	255,771	(3.91)	8
Athens, 460 B.C. Life's tough for Nicolaos, sole investigating agent in Athens. His girlfriend's left him and his boss wants to fire him. But when an Athenian official is murdered, Pericles has no choice but to put Nico on the job. The case takes Nico, with a beautiful slave girl, to the land of Ionia within the Persian Empire. The Persians will execute him on the spot if they think he's a spy. Beyond that, there are only a few minor problems: He's being chased by brigands who are only waiting for the right price before they kill him. He must meet Themistocles, the military genius who saved Greece during the Persian Wars, and then defected to the hated enemy. And to solve the crime, Nico must uncover a secret that could not only destroy Athens, but will force him to choose between love, ambition, and his own life.… (more)

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After a mysterious scroll warning of treason arrives in Athens and the only person who read the scroll is murdered right after he read it, Pericles hires Nicolaos to track down the murderer and investigate the origins of the scroll. This mission takes Nico across the sea to Persian-controlled Ionia. Luckily, Diotima is currently serving in the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus in Ionia, which will give Nicolaos a chance to see her again. Unluckily, Nico has no idea what to say to her since his father refused to give his permission for them to marry. (

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soraki | Jul 17, 2021 |

I don't know if it was the audiobook narration or just the book itself, but I didn't think that this second book in the series was as good as the first one. (

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leslie.98 | Aug 7, 2018 |

"I ran my finger along one foot of the corpse, then the other, making the body swing with a lazy, uncaring rhythm."

An Athenian official is murdered, Nicolaos, the main character is sent to Ionia within the Persian Empire.... If caught as a spy he'll be executed.

Don't bother, the protagonist is whiny and the rest of the characters; even Pericles sounds like twenty-something...... I ended up not like the characters, despite the fact that the story had an interesting premise.

The writing is simple and did not hold my interest..... I found the writing style & characters' voices to be incongruous with any type of historical style. (

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Auntie-Nanuuq | Jan 18, 2016 |

Fast, furious, and fun exploration of family and loyalty set in Greek Ionia in 460 BC. Nico and Diotima must solve several murders, deal with the genius Themistocles, save Athens, and save their own lives.

This is the second in the Nico series by Australian author Gary Corby. He does a decent job of staying with the political facts of history while employing a breezy style of dialog. I recommend this book for mystery fans. (

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barlow304 | Aug 23, 2014 |

I'm enjoying this series. The world of Classical Athens is very far removed from ours, even if we can see clear lines of descent. (

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MikeRhode | Feb 21, 2014 |

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Canonical title

The Ionia Sanction

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2011-11-08

People/Characters

Nicolaos (Son of Sophroniscus)

Thorion (Proxenos for Ephesus)

Socrates

Pericles (Leader of Athens)

Diotima (A priestess of Artemis)

(show all 31 items)

Important places

Athens, Greece (Ancient)

Ionia, Anatolia

Piraeus, Greece

Ephesus, Turkey

Temple of Artemis, Ephesus, Ionia, Anatolia

(show all 7 items)

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Helen, Catriona and Megan

First words

I ran my finger along one foot of the corpse, then the other, making the body swing with a lazy, uncaring rhythm.

Quotations

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

823.92

Canonical LCC

PR9619.4.C665

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▾Book descriptions

Athens, 460 B.C. Life's tough for Nicolaos, sole investigating agent in Athens. His girlfriend's left him and his boss wants to fire him. But when an Athenian official is murdered, Pericles has no choice but to put Nico on the job. The case takes Nico, with a beautiful slave girl, to the land of Ionia within the Persian Empire. The Persians will execute him on the spot if they think he's a spy. Beyond that, there are only a few minor problems: He's being chased by brigands who are only waiting for the right price before they kill him. He must meet Themistocles, the military genius who saved Greece during the Persian Wars, and then defected to the hated enemy. And to solve the crime, Nico must uncover a secret that could not only destroy Athens, but will force him to choose between love, ambition, and his own life.

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