By Martina Simos
On July 25 (Australia) and August 17 (UK) this year, the third book in Peter Papathanasiou’s outback noir series is set to be released. Titled The Pit, the book sees Detective Sergeant George Manolis on leave and Senior Constable Sparrow is left to investigate a murder allegedly committed by a 65-year-old man 30 years earlier. There’s plenty of twists and turns along the way.
In an interview with The Greek Herald ahead of the book’s release, Peter – who was born in Florina in 1974 and now lives in Canberra – speaks about the first two books in his outback noir series, The Invisible and The Stoning, and the influence of his Greek heritage.
How did you create the main character of your series – Detective Sergeant George Manolis?
Manolis is loosely based on my brothers, but he also has many of my own characteristics. I think that combining a number of real people into one fictional creation makes for a more interesting character.
Do you want to reconnect to your Greek background via the main character in your series?
I wanted to take Manolis on a different kind of adventure in the second instalment and one that was true to his background as a Greek Australian. Because the first book was set in Australia – the country with which I’m most familiar – it only made sense to ground the second one in Greece, which is where I was born and the culture and language with which I grew up.
How would you describe The Invisible?
Detective Sergeant George Manolis returns to his ancestral home in northern Greece to help locate a family friend who has gone missing. This individual is described as an ‘invisible’ in Greece – someone who lives off the grid, without any official paperwork, no drivers licence or phone records or lease or even a library card.
Manolis has to adapt to the old world in order to locate a man who, for all intentions and purposes, doesn’t want to (ever) be found.
Why was Northern Greece the chosen setting?
Partly because of my own background, being born in Florina, and also partly because it is an area of Greece that is not largely seen by tourists, so it was an opportunity to reveal it new readers.
How much research did you do on the area of Prespes?
The Prespes is an area with which I’m very familiar, having visited many times. It is such an interesting region due to its people, history, landscape, wildlife, and border connections with Albania and North Macedonia.
A reviewer described The Invisible as ‘very Greek’ and another reviewer mentioned she learned a lot about Greece. How do you feel about both comments?
I think the reference as ‘very Greek’ reflected the pace of the book as something more relaxed and atmospheric. I always try to help people learn something new in each of my books; given how unfamiliar people are with Northern Greece, I imagine they would certainly learn a lot about it after reading.
How do you find inspiration for crime novels?
I’m often inspired by real world events. For example, the missing man in The Invisible is inspired by a good friend of my brothers in Northern Greece, who lives without any official paperwork.
What do you like about Manolis that you think endears him to readers?
Readers tend to like Manolis because he’s a bit of an everyman trying to fight the good fight in an overwhelming world where bad things can happen.
The Pit will be released on August 17 this year.
