I confess that I didn't even get halfway through. It is incredibly predictable, as if I'm reading it for the fifth time and I know what will happen. I like Mrs. Manta but her books now seem more suitable for a fifteen-year-old who is just starting to read adult books. The writing is very good as always but very predictable. The fact that she wrote in the prologue that she isolated herself from her family for months to write this book makes it even more comical in my eyes. If I didn't know who wrote it, I would easily believe it was written by a talented teenager. We probably have to accept that contemporary Greek literature only goes so far, just good writing and far-fetched stories meant to shock rather than entertain or teach. At the same time, British authors like Pilcher, Willett, Riley, and others of similar style deliver masterpieces with simple stories that calm, teach, and entertain. If you are used to Manta and Dimoulidou, it's time to look for the ones I mentioned and you will see the difference.

Three men! Three aces! A policeman, a night boss, and a priest. The friendship that binds them from their childhood is based on eternal vows of commitment. The paths each of them chooses are difficult, different, but inseparably connected as seen through the story. A woman will play a crucial role in their lives. A dame will turn the world upside down to achieve her goals! Can a woman break a friendship?

"The Three Aces" by Lena Manta is a book that cannot be characterized as romantic, detective, or thriller. It is a social book that contains elements from all of the above genres. This, combined with the well-structured writing of the author, produces a good contemporary social book.

It is not an extraordinary book! It is a simple story that, however, evokes wonderful emotions in the reader! It is an anthem to male friendship! The author portrays the characters of the book in the best way possible, from when they were children, which allows us to get to know them better. Even the secondary characters have their significance within the work. Although illogical for me, I even sympathized with Lydia, despite her being the villain of the story. It is one of the few times I sympathize with a negative character in a work, and that is because I got to know her from her childhood and became attached to her no matter how much destruction she caused around her!

I quite liked the story, and the three heroes kept me company for a long time even after the end of the book. However, the outcome seemed somewhat lukewarm and rushed to me. I expected something stronger, something that would leave me in awe. I suspect that the story was already fully structured in the mind of the author from the beginning and that there was no twist in the course of the work or any purpose for a change.

It is a simple but enjoyable social and detective story that celebrates male friendship in the best possible way, but without promising tremendous and shocking developments.