Cassie Fortune is on a politically sensitive mission, this time to Delphi. This is Julie Anderson’s follow-up crime thriller after the excellent Plague, published last year. A splendid fast paced ‘who dunnit’ leaves the reader compelled with intriguing plot twists and the lives and demise of a group of characters at a European Conference Centre in the mountains. Many of these people have hidden stories and dubious motives and join, what appears to be, a high profile but rather dull Ministerial event. Trade relations, tax policy, environmental demonstrations are shaken by murder in the mountains, played out in the unforgiving November climate and isolation.

Cassie is, again, the unexpected sleuth asked to help. She is still reeling from the impact of the action in Plague and we learn more of her motives, her ambition, her fears and her pain as she niftily navigates the inter-personal and political issues that complicate her enquiries. Will these impact on her secret mission?

And that itself would make for a great thriller. But Julie Anderson’s maturity as a writer is that the themes of this novel are as timeless and also as ‘in the moment’ as great contemporary fiction; the political context of Greece under the Colonels, the dangers still present today with Golden Dawn’s grip on the police, the lack of trust in the judicial system and the ‘behind the scenes’ influencing and everyday low level corruption that is the business of government.

These themes resonate widely but the setting in Delphi draws the reader into a setting not only of history and politics but also mythology. Julie Anderson is deft and insightful in drawing parallels from Ancient Greece into the lives of those that visit and work near the Temples and the centre of Apollo’s world.

This is an exceptionally well-crafted novel that makes the reader anguish at the wait for the final novel in this trilogy, Opera, due out next year. It also puts Delphi firmly on a ‘must see’ list of destinations, so glorious were Julie Anderson’s descriptions of the stunning Greek countryside. And the perfect setting for a truly European murder mystery.

An enjoyable book. However, I didn't enjoy it as much as Plague. Anderson spends a lot of time describing the scenery, which is important, but tells the reader very little about the victims until the end. I was hard to care who killed them. It lacked the spark of the first book. Maybe I've read too many novels in lockdown. I do, however, look forward to the next one in the series.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

With the publication of Oracle, Julie Anderson has not only met but exceeded the high expectations created by the first Cassandra Fortune novel Plague, which came out last year. The author again combines her flair for characterisation, intricate and well crafted plot lines with fast paced action sequences to give us a thriller which is also a traditional who-dunnit.

The novels setting transfers us from Plague’s seedy back room intrigues of Westminster to underworld of Thorney Island to Delphi, the mythical centre of Ancient Greece. While the presences of deities, mysticism and the other world seep into the storyline the author plays a beautiful line of allowing them to create an edge to the novel’s atmosphere without allowing the supernatural to over-shadow the plot. We are soon pulled back to the modern and recent Greek political scene in what is a really well thought out and intriguing plot line.

Perhaps it is down to the location but Julie’s wonderful description of the mountains, Delphi town and the historic sites really pulled me in and put me very much in mind of Anita Brookner’s description of the of the out-of-season Swiss Lake resort in Hotel du Lac. High praise perhaps but totally deserved in my opinion. The sense of isolation, danger and intrigue wrapped up in the cloak of ancient and recent history make this an absorbing and eminently enjoyable novel.

Can’t wait for the third and final instalment in this series however this will all have to wait as I’m now planning a trip to Delphi. Be assured though, it won’t be for an conference on taxation policy!

I don't know about everyone else but I read Julie Anderson's mysteries for the great female character. She's got to the best female character in literature now. Cassie is spikey yet diplomatic, smart but overthinks things and so gets them wrong, fearless to the point of being reckless, hungry but kind of broken.
She's making me consider applying to the civil service. Whichever dept she's in, I want to be in it too.

“At the top they saw why the motorcade had stopped. A large herd of goats was being driven down the mountain, bells clanging. The animals at the front had already crossed the road and were heading down to the valley, but the rest of the herd was following behind, walking and trotting across in front of the outriders and the convoy. A young boy and an older shepherd, carrying a staff, were chivvying them along.”

I think the above may be my favourite image from Julie Anderson’s Oracle, though what I love about it is not only the way in which, as the protagonist Cassie Fortune identifies it, “The Homeric meets the twenty-first century”, but more specifically the weaving of themes of politics which make connections across millennia – it is after all the motorcade of the Greek finance minister which is stopped by the goats. In Oracle questions of justice, corruption and the violence of power are a background to a gripping murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the prequel Plague, so am not surprised to have also loved Oracle. They are different, but it in the best way. Cassie’s story has moved on and we discover a new host of characters in more of a cosy mystery format rather than a thriller like Plague. In a way you don’t notice these changes, however, as they fit so well with the way Cassie changed over the course of Plague, and of course with the setting.

That brings me to my final point(s): there are two things Anderson does particularly well which set her above the average crime writer, setting and female characters. I must say I am a sucker for good writing of setting (its why I love science fiction for example), but it does also mean I want that setting to be both vivid and meaningful and Anderson does both. The place-hood of her novels is always integral, it doesn’t take over, but it is an important background which informs and grounds the fast-paced plots she writes.

Onto the second – female characters: her’s are consistently complex. It was really great in Oracle to see more women in the wider cast of characters. Not that they are all nice people, many can be annoying, even pathetic but they do that in the way that real women are and male characters almost always are. The women Anderson writes about are ambitious, jaded, caring, contradictory and above all compelling, which is why I am looking forward to the next Cassie Fortune mystery Opera.

I love anything Classical inspired. Add in a murder mystery - this book had me hooked.

Oracle takes place in Delphi, Greece where the main character, Cassandra Fortune, has just arrived as a representative for the Prime Minister of the UK. She is set to give a presentation on tax policy, but almost as soon as she arrives, dead bodies start turning up and Cassandra is suddenly tasked with the responsibility of solving these murders.

This book seamlessly combined Ancient Greek religion and mythology with modern-day Greek political issues. I was especially intrigued by the inclusion of the Erinyes, the goddesses or vengeance and retribution.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, going into it I was not aware that this was the sequel to another book. It did not explicitly state that in the synopsis or on the cover. The novel made some references to Cassie’s recent past that eventually clued me in that it must be a sequel. However, I was still able to read this as if it were a standalone without being too confused about Cassie’s backstory.

Thank you Netgalley, Claret Press, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Julie Anderson’s Plague was gripping and original, and Oracle is a masterful sequel. Our doughty protagonist, Cassie Fortune, is transported from underground London to Delphi in Greece on what appears to be a straightforward diplomatic mission on behalf of the British Prime Minister. No sooner has Cassie arrived than she is plunged full-tilt into a murder mystery which gradually unveils a tangled web of misinformation and shady personal histories. This is not hot, travelogue Greece but a cold, thundery, November one, and the weather is used cleverly to heighten the tension as the drama unfolds.
The plot keeps us guessing right to the end as the intriguing cast of characters are handled with skill and care. The environs of Delphi, the Temple of Apollo and the Cultural Centre are expertly realised and the author’s obvious love of, and thirst for history and politics shines through in Oracle as they did in Plague.
Fearless, frightened and foolhardy, the brave and clever Cassie Fortune is rapidly becoming one of my favourite literary heroines
Julie Anderson did well to get this follow-up to Plague out so quickly. Apparently, there’s a third instalment in the offing. Can’t wait.

"Oracle" was everything I hoped for and more - excellent characters, perfect setting, brilliant writing. It was so, so good to catch up with Cassie (the main character from "Plague") - and what a situation she finds herself in this time! This is a really fast read, and I was disappointed to come to the end. I can't wait for book 3 (please don't let it be the last!!).

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This review is from The Book's Delight by Jean M. Roberts.
'Having read Julie Anderson’s Plague, I was excited to catch up with Cassandra Fortune and see how she recovered from the traumatic ending of the story. In Oracle, we find her arriving at Delphi in Greece on a mission from the Prime Minster of England. The setting is wonderfully described but I had to geek out and google the Temple of Apollo and surrounding countryside to get the full effect. Once again, Cassie is involved in solving a murder. The case is complex and slowly unwinds with lots of clues and questions. There are more twists, turns and unexpected revelations in this story than the path leading to the Corycian Cave and they will keep readers guessing until the unexpected end. The characters are all well drawn with loads of hidden agendas and personal secrets that keep Cassie guessing. The plot is tight, the pace is fast, the story well written and edited. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the story as well as the modern day geo-political concerns. I am sure this is not the last we’ve heard of Anderson’s Cassie Fortune and I look forward to more of her adventures.'

international-crime-and-mystery, Greece, murder, murder-investigation, historical-places-events, historical-research, myths-legends, political-intrigue, suspense, stalker, PTSD, thriller*****

The publisher's blurb is a really good hook! The sense of impending menace and difficulties pervades and seems backed up by Greek myth and legend. Don't want to summarize or do the spoiler thing, but it really is a riveting story (even though I had not read the previous Cassandra Fortune thriller). It grabbed and held my attention throughout.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Claret Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder mystery that actually uses Greek imagery and stories. I actually really like this book a lot it’s an extremely interesting story and I was really into the setting as well. I highly recommend this one.