Armored giants Book

332 B.C. The young Athenian, Stephanos, is trying to clear his cousin, Philemon, of a murder accusation. Since Philemon has been exiled for manslaughter, Stephanos feels he wasn't even in Athens at the time of the murder. He consults Aristotle, who philosophically and logically tries to figure out the solution. For the most part, Stephanos does the running around and interviewing while the philosopher offers advice and deductions. A red clay pot, an heirloom from the victim's house, and a piece of horn from a Cretan bow found outside are the first clues. After red herrings, attempted murder of Stephanos, and a trip by Aristotle to Corinth, an ingenious solution to the mystery is found and brought out in a courtroom drama.

Ms. Doody wrote this novel in 1978, long before the current trend of mysteries set in ancient Greece. I felt this is one of the better in the genre; Ms. Doody also set me down right in the middle of Greek culture of those times. Workings of the Greek legal system and of Aristotle's rhetoric [in our modern expression: public speaking] lessons to Stephanos were fascinating.

Highly recommended.