In these stories, Detective Haritos is not the only one battling crime. An old painter who lived through war and hunger has to fight off hostilities and invents a game of fear. And finally, we meet a Greek and a Turk, two competing restaurant owners at daggers drawn. Yet when they happen to sit down at the same table to eat, they discover a few delectable similarities.

The Greek crisis and its impact on the people – told and interpreted by Petros Markaris, one of the sharpest observers of Hellenic society. In twelve articles and an interview, he observes and commentates the new Greek tragedy, in expectation of the bitter end – and a new beginning. He saw the crisis coming. Even before the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, at a time when the building boom seemed never-ending, Petros Markaris was already posing the following question in his novel ›Live!‹: And who is supposed to pay for all this? In his articles for German-speaking media such as ›Die Zeit‹ and the ›Süddeutsche Zeitung‹, he writes about big politics and little people, about perpetrators and victims, about Brussels, Berlin and Athens. They appear here in one volume for the first time, offer a comprehensive and multi-faceted picture of the situation.

Seven stories about travellers and seekers, about displaced and homeless persons in Greece, Turkey and Germany.
The stories are highly topical yet timeless.
Including two crime stories featuring Costas Haritos – proving once again that dark days can only be survived by means of humour and solidarity.

Petros Markaris brings back the myth of the Odyssey to our times. These stories are about people travelling in unfamiliar territory, like the ancient hero, constantly facing new tests, listening to the siren song of hope and at the mercy of brutal opponents. Many Greeks shared the same experiences when they left their country, fleeing the dictatorship of 1967 and poverty. But does that make them more welcoming to the strangers washing up on their shores today?

Commissar Haritos would rather be out on the street with all the other Athenians, celebrating Greece's victory in the European football championships. But he is otherwise engaged. Everywhere he looks, there's something afoot – and even a detective of Haritos' ilk cannot enforce the law everywhere. Most of the characters in these ten stories have to do that themselves – in their own way. They have come from the Balkans in search of a better life: of work, money, a little bit of luck. Hardly any of them dares to dream, however, of finding a new home. Certainly not the young girl who is dropped off in the park every morning and picked up again each evening. And yet she manages to do precisely that of which most of the adults are incapable – to make contact with a local. A xenophobic old man, in whom, in spite of all his bitterness, something has remained: curiosity.
With a good dose of black humour and a complete lack of sentimentality, Petros Markaris paints the picture of a society in which the lines between good and evil, between justice and injustice, have become blurred. All that remains are people – left to fend for themselves.

His daughter Katerina is the apple of his eye: Costas Haritos would do anything for her. But now he cannot do anything. He has to stay out of it. Because Katerina is in danger, her life in the hands of terrorists. And if they were to discover that her father is a policeman, Katerina would undoubtedly be even more firmly in their sights. Are they Islamists? Palestinians? Chechnyans? For several days, there is no word from her kidnappers, turning all of those involved into nervous wrecks. At work, the Chief Inspector is busy with another case. A man working as a photographic model has been murdered. By a killer who has it in for homosexuals? But the case is not that simple. In his usual measured and thorough way, Costas Haritos attempts to get to the bottom of it. And he discovers a story whose roots lie deep in the past…

Rich Greeks do not pay taxes. Poor Greeks are either outraged by that, or just despair about their own hopeless situation. But an unknown man does neither one nor the other: he takes action. With threatening letters, hemlock poison and arrows – in the name of the state. In crisis-shaken Athens, everything is upside down; the only place where things are calm is in the homicide division. There are no murders for miles around, just tedious paperwork. When a body is found on the ancient Kerameikos cemetery, Inspector Haritos is almost relieved. But not quite. He is under pressure: his boss has alerted him to the possibility of a promotion, so he has to avoid treading on anyone's toes. But Haritos is unable to avoid some uncomfortable questions. The dead man was a well-known surgeon who profited from mismanagement in the health care system. Everyone knew that. Even the anonymous tax collector, who has recently been blackmailing tax evaders – and, if necessary, resorting to ancient murder methods.

What does a superintendent from Athens do in Istanbul? That question is also on the mind of Costas Haritos. Holidays have never been his cup of tea, and this time as for family reasons, they are not even exactly voluntary. But his police work soon catches up with the superintendent, freeing him from guided tours through Hagia Sophia and similarly useless activities. As a liaison officer to the Turkish Criminal Investigation Department, Costas Haritos is put on the case of a Greek lady in her nineties who by all appearances has killed her brother and fled to Istanbul – the city where she spent most of her life. It seems that this Maria Chambou has a few old scores to settle. On theTurkish side, Superintendent Murat Saglam is in charge of the case – a young colleague who was brought up in Germany and with whom Haritos soon forms a bond of mutual distrust.

An earthquake on a Greek island: Some of the islanders are buried under the rubble, but a mysterious, long buried body resurfaces through the tectonic movement. Reason enough for Inspector Haritos to cut short his holiday in the Aegean and return to Athens with the body in tow. Another case is already waiting for him there: the murder of Koustas, unofficial king of the red-light district. Haritos buries himself in work, but soon he has to pay the price for not looking after himself: His heart goes on strike, and Haritos is taken to hospital. His only consolation: His daughter Katerina comes from Thessaloniki to be at his bedside. She too suffers from heart problems – if of a different kind …