Budapest, February 12, 1985. In the bitter cold, the river freezes over and a prophecy that sounds like a croak marks the birth of Janos: ‘bad seed, bad tidings’. Twenty-seven years later, the man who the oracle confirmed as ‘Janos the Hungarian’ is arrested in Athens as the chief suspect in the murder of famous painter Miltos Andrianos. Could this be another crime typical of the sex intrigues of male prostitution rings?
Journalist Stratos Papadopoulos begins to unravel the thread of history, delving into the lives of other people, whose paths sometimes lead to and cross in the margins of Athens’ new reality. Amongst the key figures in this mystery: a 60-year-old widow involved in a love affair with the Hungarian man, his wife, with whom he has a son, the offspring of a powerful political family associated with the painter, a secretive police officer and a shady figure from the underworld.
In Stavros Christodoulou’s novel, no one seems above suspicion, while the truth is hidden, as always, in the details. As the mystery unfolds, the grey waters of the Danube carry away the stories of those whose only desire was to be loved.
This project has been funded with support from the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.