The Mask of Zeus by Desmond CoryMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Mask of Zeus by Desmond Cory is the second in the series which focuses on mathematics professor John Dobie. As you will find out quickly, Dobie's wife was murdered in the previous book and he was accused of the crime. This story begins with Professor Dobie trying to go on with his life as well as he can while his fellow professors and University administration conspire to rid themselves of the negative publicity he courts. He is sent to the island of Cyprus as a visiting professor, replacing a faculty member, Derya Tuner, who it appears was recently murdered by her husband, Adrian Seymour. The stage is now set for a new murder mystery mixed with some humor and wit.
Professor John Dobi is not your average academic nor is he your average literary hero. He is as whip smart as he is socially awkward. The other island residents are all offbeat, original, and utterly entertaining which fleshes out the story perfectly. Even the dead characters were given full character power and added wonderfully to the story.
It did take a bit to really get into the flow of the story, maybe because I hadn't read the first book but it was worth the effort to bring myself up to date. There is a lot of mythology throughout the book which may be a difficult mesh with a murder mystery. It worked for me though.
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