In which one of the perils of series novels is illustrated: James Pibble, the British detective hero of Peter Dickinson's [The Lizard in the Cup], is apparently beloved for his past adventures in previous novels, but the author has forgotten to re-create his character in this current episode, set on a Greek island. We find Pibble reluctantly hard at work there among the highly exotic entourage of Thanassi Thanatos, an Onassis-type zillionaire who is, perhaps, about to be murdered…. Dickinson … weaves all [his] plots and counterplots with skill, and with an obvious passion for his setting, which is lovingly conveyed here. Yet my own response was to sit idly by, enjoying the scene but indifferent as to whether or not Thanatos was safe because I was never sure just who Pibble was: He is clearly in the low-key, even depressed tradition of [Per Wahlöö's and Maj Sj...