1st September 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-52942-442-3 (HB)
DS George Manolis of the Sydney police has come back to his roots in the north of Greece. His childhood friend Stavros asks him to find “Lefty”, an itinerant worker who lives without a scrap of paperwork. Reluctantly, he agrees – but he soon finds that grudges run deep in this tiny village, and some past events might be better left buried...
Manilos is the sort of detective you’re happy to spend time with: committed to his profession, yet personally vulnerable because of his recent past, his father’s death and an arrest gone wrong, which gives him flashbacks. He’s divorced with a young son, Christos, and the experience of being a father himself makes him particularly aware of his Greek heritage. He’s interested in other people and sympathetic to them, especially in this rural setting, where you can meet a variety of characters: Kostas the taverna owner and his waitress, the attractive Roze, who, like Lefty, is an ‘invisible’, having walked illegally into Greece from Albania. There’s Sofia, the village witch, who had a feud with Lefty, and her strong young gardener, Zain, a Syrian refugee. Elderly couple Angelos and Anna aren’t all they seem – in short, the village is filled with secrets, and everyone, even the parish priest, Father Petros, would prefer to say that Lefty often goes off, and will return in his own good time.
The novel’s setting is a vivid presence throughout, both landscape and culture. This isn’t the Greece we all think we know, tourist beaches and tavernas. The Prespes region shares borders with Albania and North Macedonia, and Manolis has to deal with venomous snakes, wolves and bears as well as unfriendly locals. To my shame, I knew little of the post-war politics of Greece, and learned more of her darker past through this novel. There’s a lot of humour in the book too, like Manilos’ reactions to Stavros’ driving, and his various attempts to get to the island on the lake between three countries. The plotting’s clever, with several unexpected twists and a final surprise.
A
very readable crime novel set in rural modern Greece. Papathanasiou’s first
novel featuring Manilos, The Stoning,
is equally good, shining a spotlight on the darker side of rural Australia, and
although it’s not a sequel plot-wise, The
Invisible carries on from it, so you might like to begin with The Stoning.
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Reviewer:
Marsali Taylor
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Peter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece in 1974 and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His debut book, a memoir, was published in 2019 as Son of Mine by Salt Publishing (UK) and Little One by Allen & Unwin (Australia). His debut novel, a work of crime fiction, was published in 2021 as The Stoning by MacLehose Press (UK). He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from City, University of London; a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences from The Australian National University (ANU); and a Bachelor of Laws from ANU specialising in criminal law.
Marsali Taylor grew up near
Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently
a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and
two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is
fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive
dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a
keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of
her local drama group. Marsali also does
a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.
Click on the title to read a review of her recent book
A
Shetland Winter Mystery
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