A human shadow, standing at the back of a three-wheeler, who fatally struck the MP Grigoris Lambrakis with a wrench under the apathetic gazes of the Gendarmerie and Security, was destined to haunt the Greeks for many years.

In retrospect, this murder seemed like a foretaste of what awaited Greece when the Junta was imposed in April 1967, brutally putting an end to all democratic illusions of society.

Through the use of written and oral sources, this book weaves a narrative of the life and death of Grigoris Lambrakis, a track champion, pioneering doctor, charismatic figure of the peace movement, and above all, the most dedicated defender of democracy in the post-civil war years.

It describes the fate of a people at significant historical junctures, explores their long-standing political divisions, the obstacles to peace due to the long shadow cast by the Civil War and the Cold War, as well as the roots of the underground state.

It highlights how, as the fear of communism intensified, this paramilitary power began to establish itself, gain strength, acquire increasing autonomy, and ultimately take the lead in the murder of an MP.

Furthermore, it scrutinizes what Mikis Theodorakis called the "Medieval era of Karamanlis," referring to a regime whose contradictions provided fertile ground for a state of complete lawlessness, as revealed by the murder of Lambrakis and the shocking investigation that followed.