Chief Inspector Kaldis sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about what makes him tick. Let’s see what he has to say.

What is your full name?
Andreas Kaldis.

How old are you?
Forty-four.

What is your profession?
Chief Inspector, Special Crimes Unit, Athens Central Police Headquarters.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes, wife.

What is their name and profession?
Lila Vardi, Public Relations Director of Athens’ Museum of Hellenic Art, and co-founder of “Fresh Start” working to save trafficked young teenage girls.

Do you have any children?
Yes, two. Tassaki (son) and Sofia (daughter).

Do you have any siblings?
Yes, Gavriella (sister).

Are your parents nearby?
Mother yes, father was Greek police captain who committed suicide.

Who is your best friend?
Detective Yianni Kouros.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
No.

What town do you live in?
Athens, Greece.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
We own a full-floor penthouse apartment across from the National Gardens and next door to the Presidential Palace.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The main living room’s unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
A traditional Greek taverna meal replete with such dishes as Greek choriatiki salad with local cheese and olives; pureed fava beans topped with onions and capers; fresh baked bread; creamy, spicy dips of tzadziki (yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and dill), melitzanosalata (eggplant), and skordalia (garlic); grilled octopus; black-eyed peas with smoked mackerel and fresh tomato; beets and local soft cheese; eggplant baked with fresh tomatoes, cheese, and spices; chickpeas and spices baked in a clay pot; fried calamari; grilled sardines; and oven-roasted goat with vegetables and herbs. For dessert, after that much food I’d go for panacotta-style local cheese custard topped with vyssino sour cherry preserve––and, of course, melon to finish off the meal.

Do you have any hobbies?
My 24/7 duties as Chief Inspector of a unit charged with investigating matters of national concern and official corruption, have caused me to put aside my once avid participation in competitive sports such as football (soccer) and in fishing the Aegean Sea as a free diver. These days, I dedicate my free time to playing with my children and pleasing my wife…or at least trying to.

What music do you listen to?
It’s eclectic. Whatever suits my mood, with an emphasis on the basic forms of Greek music and their modern interpretation by artists such as such George Dalaras and Manos Hatzidakis.

What is your favorite color?
Aegean Blue.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
The Greek islands.

Are you a morning or night person?
That depends upon the night before.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Hanging out with family and friends at a beach, catching our own fish, cooking it on a fire made of driftwood, and hopefully not drinking so much booze––tsipouro or otherwise––as to qualify for a DUI arrest.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Make Father Proud.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Professional. I work with (a) Detective Yiannis Kouros as my right hand, (b) Administrative Assistant Maggie Sikestis as my professional conscience, and (c) Tassos Stamatos, Chief Homicide Investigator for the Cycladic Islands, as my guide to the dark side of Greek life.

What is a typical day in your life like?
When I’m in Athens, rather than off to other parts of Greece on official business, I’m up when my children get up for school, and we have breakfast together. I’ll arrive at Athens Police headquarters (known as GADA) around 9 AM and learn from Maggie what “fresh hells” have developed overnight. I then meet with Yianni and we discuss what’s new and what’s happening with the old. Depending on the needs of a particular investigation, I may ask Tassos to reach out to his contacts for information not otherwise available to cops. On new matters, Yianni and I discuss where to start, and generally undertake those initial steps together, hoping for a joint read on the situation and its potential players.

No matter where I am in Greece, I’m forever chasing down leads, confronting potential witnesses, analyzing evidence for possible keys to the mystery befuddling us, and running interference for my Unit against meddling, politically sensitive superiors. When in Athens, though, I try to make it home in time to tuck my children into bed and read them a bedside story. My evenings in Athens are often committed to accompanying my wife to society events, what with Lila the scion of one of Athens oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families.

Thank you for the interview.

Andreas

At Any Cost, A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery Book #13
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: February 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Greece is burning . . . and Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is determined to save his country from disaster in the new novel in Jeffrey Siger’s critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling mystery series.

Chief Inspector Kaldis is initially dismayed to be asked to investigate a series of suspicious forest fires that took place last summer. In Greece, forest fires are an inevitability, and he fears he and his team are being set up to take the political blame for this year’s blazes.

He quickly becomes suspicious, though, that the forests were torched for profit – and for a project on a far grander scale than the usual low-level business corruption. There are whispers on the wind that shadowy foreign powers intend to establish a surreptitious mega-internet presence on the island of Syros, with the intent to weaponize the digital world to their own dark ends.

Can Kaldis and his team stop the hostile foreign takeover of the idyllic island – or will the rise of the metaverse set not just Greece, but the whole world, on fire?

With its gorgeous Greek locations, engaging characters and fast-paced plotting, this international crime series is a perfect pick for fans of Donna Leon, Louise Penny, Martin Walker and David Hewson.

About the author
Jeff fled his career as a name partner in his own NYC law firm to live and write mystery thrillers on a Greek island. The New York Times picked him as Greece’s thriller novelist of record, and Reader’s Digest Select Editions described him as one of its “new favorite authors.” He’s received Lefty and Barry “Best Novel” nominations, been Chair of Bouchercon, and served as adjunct professor of English at Washington & Jefferson College teaching mystery writing. Jeff blogs Saturdays on murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com. Connect with Jeff at Jeffreysiger.com.