BOOK LAUNCH
The Stoning Peter Papathanasiou
Sunday 1 May 2022 from 2.30pm
Gang Gang Cafe, Downer Shops
Canberra ACT
Join local Canberra author Peter Papathanasiou outdoors at Gang Gang Cafe in Downer to help launch his latest book. The Stoning is an atmospheric page-turner, a brilliant crime novel with superb characters, but also a nuanced and penetrating insight into the heart of a country intent on gambling with its soul. Originally published in October 2021, the book is now being printed in its third edition.
The book will be launched by current UTS lecturer and former ABC and SBS journalist, Helen Vatsikopoulos.
The Times newspaper in the UK listed The Stoning in their 16 best crime books of 2021, and named it "the crime debut of the year". It was also named by the New Zealand Listener in their 100 Best Books of 2021, was brilliantly reviewed in Ireland, has been recognised by numerous literary awards during 2022, and is being published in Germany in 2023. It is now in its third edition and also being adapted for the screen.
"A remarkable debut... It's hard to believe this is Peter Papathanasiou’s first novel. Outback noir has a new star." – Mark Sanderson, The Times
"The Stoning is a deeply disturbing outback noir that confronts our treatment of asylum seekers, our First Nations and each other. It's a superb start to a new series, heralding Peter Papathanasiou as a brilliant new name in Australian crime." – Cheryl Akle, The Weekend Australian
About the book: A small outback town wakes to a savage murder – a popular teacher at the local school found taped to a tree and stoned to death. Suspicion falls on the refugees at the new detention centre on Cobb’s outskirts, with tensions high between immigrants and the town’s residents. Detective Sergeant George Manolis is despatched to his childhood hometown to investigate and within minutes of his arrival, it is clear that Cobb is not the same place he left as a child. The town once thrived but it's now disturbingly poor and derelict. As Manolis negotiates his new colleagues’ antagonism and the simmering anger of a community destroyed by alcohol and drugs, the ghosts of his own past flicker to life. White skin, black skin, brown skin – everyone is a suspect in this tautly written novel that explores the nature of prejudice and keeps the reader guessing to the last.
About Peter: 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. Peter’s writing has otherwise been published by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Guardian UK, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Good Weekend, ABC and SBS. He holds an MA in creative writing from City, University of London; a PhD in biomedical sciences from ANU; and a Bachelor of Laws from ANU specialising in criminal law. Peter is now working on his next novel and also adapting his books to the screen.
Note: This event will be outdoors at the Gang Gang Cafe in Downer. The Book Cow will operate a 'pop up' shop at the launch.