Modern crime stories ask why, not who
Older detective fiction was a puzzle about who the killer was. Contemporary crime fiction asks why someone becomes a murderer, which turns it into a way of examining political and social problems.
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Athens police inspector Costas Haritos investigates the murder of an Albanian couple, then of the television journalist who promised a scoop about it on air.
Teamwork and reasoning over gunfire
The investigator rarely draws his weapon and solves cases with his team. His real tool is a sharp mind, even though it leads him to one wrong conclusion after another before he gets it right.
Police and press race for facts
Police and television newsrooms chase the same information, each wanting it before the other and each for its own purposes. The result is an uneasy rivalry over who controls what is known about a crime.
Power and self-interest outrank justice
Career ambition, social standing, money and political influence routinely override the pursuit of justice. When corruption is endemic, truth gets bent wherever powerful interests are at stake.
Big political shifts spill into crime
The fall of communism and the legacy of corrupt rule leave traces that show up in ordinary criminal cases. Large historical changes in neighbouring countries feed directly into a city's local crime and corruption.