Best-Selling Author
CLASS OF 1966
Jeffrey Siger ’66 chose to attend Washington & Jefferson College because he had no doubt he would be a doctor. However, a strong grounding in the liberal arts combined with a lifelong affection for writing can change even the best-laid plans.
A Pittsburgh native, Siger was a biology major until a political science class changed his life. Turning his attention to law, he graduated from W&J with a double major in political science and biology. “I thought I knew what I was going to do,” he recalls. “But things can change if you’re open to it. The key was that W&J transitioned me from being a kid in Pittsburgh to one who found himself in a fully integrated fraternity. I was expanding my horizons. My experience at W&J did so much to open my eyes.”
Siger continued his education at Boston College Law School and began practicing law at a major Wall Street firm. He later helped establish a firm in New York City as one of its name partners.
But it was in his adopted home of Mykonos, the most famous of the Greek islands, that Siger found the inspiration he needed to embrace his longstanding desire to be a writer. Immersing himself in the Greek culture, Siger penned his first novel, Murder in Mykonos. That mystery thriller created Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis and received widespread international acclaim, becoming the best-selling English-language novel in Greece. His second book in the series, Assassins of Athens, followed suit as a top-ten international best seller.
“My books are mysteries that explore issues confronting modern Greek society in a way that just happens to touch upon its ancient roots,” Siger says.
With his third book in the series now complete and a fourth underway, Siger reflects on his decision to change careers with gratitude. “I walked away from my law practice and never looked back. Can you imagine how lucky I feel being able to do exactly what I always wanted?”
W&J gave him the skills necessary to find success in a number of disciplines—from law to literature. Siger says, “I wanted to go to a college that would help me transition into the modern world. W&J did that for me.”
