Aristotle and Poetic Justice: An Aristotle Detective Novel 9780226132037

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Praise for the Aristotle Detective series “Doody weaves the tapestry of the background beautifully and unobtrusively. And she knows how to sustain suspense.” —Book World “The best detective to come along since we said good-bye to Nero Wolfe and Hercule Poirot.” —Lewiston Journal “[Margaret Doody] not only makes Greece live but turns Aristotle into a passionate, quirky seeker of truth.” —Detroit News “This clever and original detective story set in ancient Athens should suit classicists to a T and enchant all sleuthwatchers…Doody brings the Athens of 322 B.C. to life with skill and verve…” —Publishers Weekly “…well-paced and memorable not only for its marvelous evocation of what it must have been like to sail the Aegean 2,300 years ago but for a lurking sense of menace beneath the surface detail of daily courtesies, comical misadventures, and breathtakingly beautiful descriptions.” —Roderick Beaton “The Aristotle Detective series by Margaret Doody is historically correct without being pedantic, learned but not tedious, equally ironic and attentive to details.” —Mariarosa Mancuso, Corriere della Sera “This work offers satisfactory detection, a well-proportioned story, nostalgia for lovers of Greece, and special fun for classicists. It is a bonus that it is so well written.” —Barbara Levick, TLS “Why did no one think of this before?”

—The Times

The Aristotle Detective Series Aristotle Detective Aristotle and Poetic Justice Aristotle and the Secrets of Life Poison in Athens Mysteries of Eleusis

ARISTOTLE and

poetic justice

Margaret Doody T h e U n iversi t y of Ch icag o P re ss AN

ARISTOTLE DETECTIVE N OV E L

to the memory of two georges: George Parkin Grant (1918–1988), who taught philosophy at Dalhousie University in the long ago. He spoke to me of Plato and my world changed. and George Forrest (W.G.G. Forest, 1925–1997) Fellow in Ancient History, Wadham College (1951–1977) Wykeham Professor of Ancient History, New College, Oxford (1977–1992) He shared his deep knowledge and vital love of Greece with all who came within his orbit. I am grateful for his generous enthusiasm, and for his sense of humor, as well as for his encouragement of my Aristotle on his first appearance.

The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 © 2001 by Margaret Doody All rights reserved Originally published in 2002 University of Chicago Press edition 2014 Printed in the United States of America 18 17 16 15 14    1 2 3 4 5 ISBN-13: 978-0-226-13198-6 (paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-226-13203-7 (e-book) DOI: 10.728/chicago/9780226132037.001.0001 library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Doody, Margaret Anne, author. Aristotle and poetic justice : an Aristotle detective novel / Margaret Doody. pages ; cm ISBN 978-0-226-13198-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-226-13203-7 (e-book) 1. Aristotle--Fiction. 2. Greece--History--Macedonian Expansion, 359-323 B.C.--Fiction. 3. Athens (Greece)--Fiction. 4. Murder--Investigation--Fiction. I. Title. PR9199.3.D556A74 2014 823’.914--dc23 2013042065 ∞ This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

Contents Maps vi List of Characters ix I Silver Men and an Heiress 1 II The Flower Festival and the Night of the Ghosts 22 III Goblins and Disappearances 39 IV The Ill-Tempered Man 61 V Man in a Landscape 79 VI Rural Interludes 93 VII Into the Hills 113 VIII The Slave’s Tale 129 IX Fire and Water 141 X Delphi 153 XI The Silver Singer 166 XII The Brothel at Kirrha 184 XIII The Beautiful Girl 203 XIV The Hanged Girl 220 XV The Elektra of the Cave 234 XVI The Oracle of Apollo 252 XVII The Murderer 262 XVIII Justice and an Abductor 277 XIX Silver, Gold and Virtue 291 XX Aristotle’s Poetics 310

Plan of Delphi

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