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Quercus imprint MacLehose Press will publish The Stoning, the first in a new "vivid, pacy and brilliantly plotted" Australian crime series by Peter Papathanasiou, which will feature Greek-Australian detective George Manolis.
Publisher Katharina Bielenberg acquired world rights (excluding ANZ and US) including audio, from Australian publisher Transit Lounge and Shaw Literary. MacLehose Press and Transit Lounge will publish simultaneously on 7th October 2021.
Bielenberg said: "Peter’s beautifully achieved, issues-driven crime novel has an international relevance that immediately appealed, and as such it fits so well with our list. The pleasure of The Stoning, set over a few unpredictable days in a small, tangibly hot outback town, is as much in the vivid writing and superb characters as in the clever plotting."
Papathanasiou commented: "First and foremost, I wanted to write a compelling crime novel inspired by the vast Australian outback. But I also wrote The Stoning to be more than a whodunit. The plight of asylum seekers in detention is under intense scrutiny worldwide, with many countries considering the hardline Australian model. I feel the voices of Australian writers exploring this subject matter through literature may be especially resonant at this time. As the child of migrants and grandchild of refugees, it is also a topic close to my heart."
Papathanasiou has previously published a memoir, Son of Mine (Salt Publishing, 2019), about his adoption as a Greek baby by an aunt and uncle who he was led to believe were his biological parents until his twenties. It is now being filmed as a major drama series in Australia.