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The Stoning

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The Stoning

By: Peter Papathanasiou
Narrated by: Todd Boyce
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About this listen

A small town in outback Australia wakes to an appalling crime.

A local schoolteacher is found taped to a tree and stoned to death. Suspicion instantly falls on the refugees at the new detention centre on Cobb's northern outskirts. Tensions are high, between whites and the local Indigenous community, between immigrants and the townies.

Still mourning the recent death of his father, Detective Sergeant George Manolis returns to his childhood hometown to investigate. Within minutes of his arrival, it's clear that Cobb is not the same place he left. Once it thrived, but now it's a poor and derelict dusthole, with the local police chief it deserves. And as Manolis negotiates his new colleagues' antagonism, and the simmering anger of a community destroyed by alcohol and drugs, the ghosts of his past begin to flicker to life.

Vivid, pacy and almost dangerously atmospheric, The Stoning is the first in a new series of outback noir featuring DS Manolis, himself an outsider, and a good man in a world gone to hell.

©2021 Peter Papathanasiou (P)2021 Quercus Editions Limited Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Small Town & Rural Fiction Crime

Critic reviews

"Outback noir with the noir dialled right up. I loved it." (Chris Hammer)

"It's hard to believe this is Peter Papathanasiou's first novel.... Outback noir has a new star." (Mark Sanderson, The Times)

"Outback noir has a new star." (Mark Sanderson, The Times)

"Political crime fiction of the highest order." (Joan Smith, The Sunday Times)
All stars
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got this book after reading a review would definitely read more by this author and about the detective.very interesting characters and absorbing plot

very good story

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Perfect for fans of Garry Disher and Chris Hammer. A great outback crime novel with both heart and action.

Great read!

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I’m a great lover of Australian noir and this has gripped me from it’s terrible beginning. I loved the narration, the storyline kept me hooked, and I couldn’t wait to find quiet moments to listen a bit more. Believable characters came to life and I found myself caring about what would become of them. One of my absolute faves.

Atmospheric, gripping, tragic

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Enjoyed the book though not overly exciting. The narrator was a little inconsistent but his character voices were very good.

Quite enjoyable

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Really liked this, another author for my favourites list. A haunting story set in a relentless environment, it had me right there the whole way - a long way from my damp green muddy England home. Also, I really liked the narration.

Dark, gripping, great listen

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