Book Review – Salted Away

Salted Away – Espionage, Murder, and Mystery on the Exotic Island of Cyprus

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author: Gina Drew
Format: Kindle, Paperback

When a Russian Orthodox priest from northern Europe is found dead in a monastery on the island of Cyprus, Greek Chief of Cypriot police Takis Koniotis is called in to investigate the murder.  Across the green line, or buffer zone, separating the Greek and Turkish sides of Cyprus, Safa Ziya, the Turkish Cypriot police senior investigator, is brought in to investigate a similar murder; both victims foreigners and found stabbed multiple times.  However, neither investigator is aware of the other’s research given the physical, political and cultural barriers that separate the two.  As bodies being to pile up on both sides of the island, Koniotis and Ziya’s lives intersect, the only question is will they work past their historical cultural differences to cooperate or search in vein for the killer – a killer who can manipulate them both.

Gina Drew’s  “Salted Away” is an intriguing and engaging well paced read that looks at the world of espionage and what happens to those involved years after end of the cold war.  Drew leverages her experience as a foreign service officer investigating international crime and espionage to create a complex and believable set of characters.  Who to trust?  What are their motivations? And how does one ensure they are not “retired with prejudice”?  I especially enjoyed how Drew wove in the political and cultural history of Cyprus and its ongoing conflict through her marvelous descriptions of the island, its iconic architecture, and the influence of British colonialism, Greek and Turkish cultures and UN oversight.

“Salted Away” is the second in Drew’s Koniotis Mysteris Series of six books.  Having not read book one, I can say that it in no one detracted from my enjoyment of this second installment as it stands on its own.  Quite the contrary in fact, I look forward to reading more of the series.  Fans of international espionage and political intrigue are sure to enjoy Salted Away.