SUMMER 2004 and Ancient Greece is officially the hottest place to be: Wolfgang Petersen's Troy, Oliver Stone's Alexander and Baz Luhrman's Alexander the Great are set to hit the big screens.

August sees the Olympic games return to where they began in 776 BC. Who better to bring to life ancient Athens than Margaret Doody? Her latest Athenian mystery Poison in Athens is published this month, featuring the inimitable philosopher, Aristotle.

330BC and three law cases are exciting Athens. Orthoboulos stands accused by Ergokles of malicious wounding in a brothel fight, his estate will be forfeit should he lose. Favoured by the gods, Orthoboulos comes out well from the case, soon after, he marries Hermia, a rich young widow. But in the autumn, a bizarre murder by hemlock, plunges the family into disarray. Hermia is formally accused of the crime, and the ensuing trial for poisoning sets Athens at odds, as sympathies divide. Her elder stepson seems certain she has done the deed, but there are other candidates.

Stephanos, recovering from a wound and the trauma of having killed a man, treats himself to a brothel visit on an unfortunate night. Caught up as a witness to the murder, his brothel visit made public, Stephanos' future father-in-law halts the wedding until the trial concludes.

Meanwhile, the most beautiful woman in Athens, the courtesan Phryne, is accused of impiety, a charge that can carry the death penalty.

Misogyny, dangerous political fervour and the loss of rational judgement, bring affairs to a point. Aristotle is stimulated to intervene in the case of the stepmother lest the forthcoming trial breaks Athens' fragile political constitution into fragments. Aided by Stephanos and his assistant Theophrastos' botanical knowledge, Aristotle endeavours to solve the mystery that threatens to poison Athens.

Poison in Athens, by Margaret Doody (Century, £16.99)