Book review: Thrown to the Wolves delivers on many levels

Thrown to the Wolves
By Christodoulos Moisa
Published by One Eyed Press 2020
Paperback
Reviewed by Paul Brooks

Thrown to the Wolves delivers on many levels.

This is the third of Chris Moisa's Cyprus-set novels, featuring journalist Steve Carpenter.
Like Chris, Steve is of Greek Cypriot heritage, making this book and its predecessors personal. Set in the mid-1970s, after the conflict that turned Cyprus into a battleground and pitted family against family, the island's well-earned peace and tranquillity are still able to be broken by violent crime.

With his own experience in theatres of war, Steve is no stranger to bloodshed, but each gruesome episode is grist to the story mill.
With his cousin, Inspector Petros Zimaras, Steve helps investigate two murders, one in southern Cyprus, the other in the resort of Agia Napia. One seems straightforward, the other not so much. Indeed, nowhere near so much.

While definitely plot-driven, Thrown to the Wolves is neither straightforward nor an easy ride, although the Mediterranean scenery adds to the pleasure.
Part novel, part history tutorial, part philosophical treatise, part political commentary, the book fits an awful lot into its 450-odd pages.

The reader learns the recent history of Cyprus, its troubles and their recent resolution, with occasional forays into the island's ancient past. Background is everything. Cyprus is not just a handy location for a couple of murders, it is a way of life, with which the author and Steve — aka Stauvro — are well acquainted, meaning fact often outweighs fiction in this story.

The protagonist undertakes a lot of introspection in the guise of conversations with wise people or an imagined shouted exchange with a character from his past. Either way, his innermost thoughts and musings are vented in full view of the reader.

When we learn about Cyprus, it could be Steve talking or Chris giving us a talk from the front of the class, but whoever delivers, it's worth taking receipt. Take it slow, dear reader; absorb and learn. You will be told a good story and be enriched by the knowledge being offered.

Thrown to the Wolves might be a work of fiction, but not many of those have a bibliography at the back of the book. Recommended.