Nick and Julia are only in Tarpon Springs a short while (they haven’t even checked into their hotel) when they witness a runaway car plunge into a river. Nick dives in, and with the help of others, is able to save one victim. The driver, unfortunately, drowns.

With this unpleasant welcoming behind them, Nick and Julia try to immerse themselves in the pre-wedding festivities. Kate’s father, Manolis Papavasilakis, owns a Greek restaurant and plans to entertain his out-of-town guests in grand style, while they stay in the grand luxury of Christos Kyriakidis’ Mediterraneo hotel. Rounding out the cast of characters is Christos’ superstitious mother, Pagona, her nurse-companion, Xanthe, Christos’ assistant Eva Paradissis, Rula and Lucky, a very flirtatious man and woman who manage to put Nick and Julia at odds with each other, and Aristotle, a former business partner of Manolis.

To the superstitious grandmother, a curse that arrives disguised as a wedding gift and a needle found in bread that should have contained an inexpensive gold coin are omens that mean the marriage will be cursed and the wedding should be called off. When a rare coin disappears from the groom’s family’s heirloom necklace that Kate is to wear on her wedding day, Xanthe is suspected, but Julia’s suspicions go further than the obvious, and eventually lead to a more sinister plot than even she suspected.

There Lies a Hidden Scorpion is a wonderfully complex tale that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Indeed, you will need to read until the end to see how the Iakovous neatly tie together all the loose ends and seemingly unrelated incidents.

The only negative aspect to this otherwise intriguing story is that it takes awhile to get used to the unfamiliar Greek names, and since some characters are tied to both sets of in-laws, the relationships are a bit murky at first. Once you have the characters and their relationships sorted out, prepare to immerse yourself in this delightful mystery with a rich, Greek heritage.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry