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DS George Manolis #3
The Pit
"Outback noir has a new star" Mark Sanderson, The Times
With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in.
Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.
They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow beings to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?
With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in.
Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.
They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow beings to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?
304 pages, Hardcover
Published September 14, 2023
21 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Peter Papathanasiou
13 books42 followersPeter 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) and Transit Lounge (Australia), and in 2022 by Polar Verlag (Germany). 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 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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterPapatha...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 15, 2023
EXCERPT: Sparrow considered his suspect and the situation. It felt surreal to be on the road under such circumstances. False confessions were common in criminal investigations. Some people made them to protect others, some to bolster their own reputations and earn notoriety. What did this old man stand to gain other than a clear conscience . . . ? A confession on its own was insufficient for a conviction, particularly when it came to murder; proof was needed. And if Sparrow chose to arrest Bob on suspicion of murder, the old man had made it clear he'd immediately stop cooperating. What danger was Sparrow truly in . . . ? He was armed and travelling with two relatively harmless individuals, a pensioner and a paraplegic. And so far, the trip had felt more like a fully paid summer holiday than a criminal investigation.
ABOUT 'THE PIT': With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in.
Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a condition; Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.
They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home patient, Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow beings to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?
MY THOUGHTS: A couple of pages in, I got that prickly feeling on the back of my neck, that one that says, 'this is good, better than good.' And I read more than half the book in one sitting, unable to put it down until my eyes closed and I fell asleep with it in my hand.
This is very much a character driven novel, and the outback is a dynamic character all of its own, far more dangerous than even the rage and alcohol fueled miners in search of revenge. That's not to say this is not an action-packed book, because it is, but the characters are the prime-movers.
Papathanasiou has written a fast-paced Australian crime thriller absolutely bristling with urgency. It is taut, tense and entertaining. Sparrow, although young, is enough of a policeman to know when to abandon police procedure and just go with the flow. He is also not above playing the 'Aboriginal' card when he needs to. Bob was once one of these alcohol and rage fueled miners himself; now he is an elderly man on death's door with a crime he wants to get off his conscience. But there may also be an ulterior motive spurring him on. Luke? Well Luke is a (relatively) young paraplegic banished to live out the remainder of his life in an old people's home after the deaths of both parents. This trip is an escape for him; a bit of a lark, a chance to be a larrikin again. He is totally unaware of the true reason behind the trip.
Two tales on different timelines run parallel to each other; the current timeline (2017) narrated by Sparrow, and the past, beginning in the 1960s, narrated by Bob. There's a lot of true, but not very pretty stuff goes on here in both timelines. But there's also a lot of humour - mostly black.
Port Hedland does not fare well in this telling. I have a son who lives there and rang him and read some of the passages to him. His take was, "Yep, they're still all pretty much true, but all the tents and shacks that had sprung up around the hospital were moved out to the edges of South Hedland a few years ago; it wasn't a good look. And there's a lot more drugs around these days, ice and meth, that makes things worse." Like many, he's biding his time, just waiting to get out.
Like I said earlier, this thriller is fast-paced, but it does lose some impetus when Bob is relating his life with his partner Jose. Personally, I would have left this out, because beyond showing the prejudices against homosexuals in this era, and the effect the AIDs epidemic had on fueling this, it contributes little to the story and does throw the pacing off.
So not only is this an outback mystery-thriller, it is a social commentary spanning decades.
Although The Pit is #3 in a series, it is easily read as a stand-alone.
A riveting read.
My favorite lines: "Welcome to the bloody Pilbara," grumbled one of the grounded men as he chucked his bag down. "And good bloody luck tryin' to get out."
It was just another day among Australia's drinking towns that had a mining problem.
They were on the outskirts of Port Hedland, a town where the only green was the glint of an empty Victoria Bitter can by the roadside.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#ThePit #NetGalley
I: @petepapathanasiou @quercusbooks
T: @peteplastic @QuercusBooks
#australianfiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #friendship #historicalfiction #mystery #thriller
THE AUTHOR: I was born in Florina, which is a small mountain town in northern Greece, in 1974. As a baby, I was adopted to a family living in Australia, where I was raised as an only child. I went to public schools in Canberra and enjoyed a loving, ordinary suburban life as a bookish but active kid. It wasn’t until 1999, at the start of my PhD in biomedical sciences at ANU, that I discovered the truth behind my adoption, which seemed to tear my life in two. I later journeyed to Greece to meet my biological family, which included two older brothers.
I like the storytelling aspect of a novel. Storytelling is an innate human activity, and something we nurture from a young age as children. It connects us, this desire to weave a narrative. We feel less alone in the world with stories, they speak to our hearts, to our desire to be taken on a journey. I think films do that too, visually, while music is something that comes with a harmony and can even transcend language. But for me, I’ve always enjoyed playing with the basic building block that is a word: writing it on a page, then writing another, and moving them around into the best position.
While my intention, first and foremost, is to write a compelling crime novel inspired by the vast Australian outback, I also want to write something that is more than a whodunit. A whodunit thread can help propel a plot, but mine is designed as a springboard to launch into an exploration of characters and their worlds. Through the prism of an atrocious crime, my aim is to present readers – nationally and internationally – with some important issues, which I hope they take away with them after reading my books. I write to speak to the world from the island continent down under, and the depths of its vast and ruthless outback. This is not a story of which Australia will be proud, but which I feel must be told. (Booktopia)
DISCLOSURE: Thanks to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Pit for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'THE PIT': With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in.
Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a condition; Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.
They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home patient, Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow beings to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?
MY THOUGHTS: A couple of pages in, I got that prickly feeling on the back of my neck, that one that says, 'this is good, better than good.' And I read more than half the book in one sitting, unable to put it down until my eyes closed and I fell asleep with it in my hand.
This is very much a character driven novel, and the outback is a dynamic character all of its own, far more dangerous than even the rage and alcohol fueled miners in search of revenge. That's not to say this is not an action-packed book, because it is, but the characters are the prime-movers.
Papathanasiou has written a fast-paced Australian crime thriller absolutely bristling with urgency. It is taut, tense and entertaining. Sparrow, although young, is enough of a policeman to know when to abandon police procedure and just go with the flow. He is also not above playing the 'Aboriginal' card when he needs to. Bob was once one of these alcohol and rage fueled miners himself; now he is an elderly man on death's door with a crime he wants to get off his conscience. But there may also be an ulterior motive spurring him on. Luke? Well Luke is a (relatively) young paraplegic banished to live out the remainder of his life in an old people's home after the deaths of both parents. This trip is an escape for him; a bit of a lark, a chance to be a larrikin again. He is totally unaware of the true reason behind the trip.
Two tales on different timelines run parallel to each other; the current timeline (2017) narrated by Sparrow, and the past, beginning in the 1960s, narrated by Bob. There's a lot of true, but not very pretty stuff goes on here in both timelines. But there's also a lot of humour - mostly black.
Port Hedland does not fare well in this telling. I have a son who lives there and rang him and read some of the passages to him. His take was, "Yep, they're still all pretty much true, but all the tents and shacks that had sprung up around the hospital were moved out to the edges of South Hedland a few years ago; it wasn't a good look. And there's a lot more drugs around these days, ice and meth, that makes things worse." Like many, he's biding his time, just waiting to get out.
Like I said earlier, this thriller is fast-paced, but it does lose some impetus when Bob is relating his life with his partner Jose. Personally, I would have left this out, because beyond showing the prejudices against homosexuals in this era, and the effect the AIDs epidemic had on fueling this, it contributes little to the story and does throw the pacing off.
So not only is this an outback mystery-thriller, it is a social commentary spanning decades.
Although The Pit is #3 in a series, it is easily read as a stand-alone.
A riveting read.
My favorite lines: "Welcome to the bloody Pilbara," grumbled one of the grounded men as he chucked his bag down. "And good bloody luck tryin' to get out."
It was just another day among Australia's drinking towns that had a mining problem.
They were on the outskirts of Port Hedland, a town where the only green was the glint of an empty Victoria Bitter can by the roadside.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#ThePit #NetGalley
I: @petepapathanasiou @quercusbooks
T: @peteplastic @QuercusBooks
#australianfiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #friendship #historicalfiction #mystery #thriller
THE AUTHOR: I was born in Florina, which is a small mountain town in northern Greece, in 1974. As a baby, I was adopted to a family living in Australia, where I was raised as an only child. I went to public schools in Canberra and enjoyed a loving, ordinary suburban life as a bookish but active kid. It wasn’t until 1999, at the start of my PhD in biomedical sciences at ANU, that I discovered the truth behind my adoption, which seemed to tear my life in two. I later journeyed to Greece to meet my biological family, which included two older brothers.
I like the storytelling aspect of a novel. Storytelling is an innate human activity, and something we nurture from a young age as children. It connects us, this desire to weave a narrative. We feel less alone in the world with stories, they speak to our hearts, to our desire to be taken on a journey. I think films do that too, visually, while music is something that comes with a harmony and can even transcend language. But for me, I’ve always enjoyed playing with the basic building block that is a word: writing it on a page, then writing another, and moving them around into the best position.
While my intention, first and foremost, is to write a compelling crime novel inspired by the vast Australian outback, I also want to write something that is more than a whodunit. A whodunit thread can help propel a plot, but mine is designed as a springboard to launch into an exploration of characters and their worlds. Through the prism of an atrocious crime, my aim is to present readers – nationally and internationally – with some important issues, which I hope they take away with them after reading my books. I write to speak to the world from the island continent down under, and the depths of its vast and ruthless outback. This is not a story of which Australia will be proud, but which I feel must be told. (Booktopia)
DISCLOSURE: Thanks to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Pit for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 17, 2023
Peter Papathanasiou is taking this series in surprising and fascinating directions, here DS George Manolis is in Greece, so we become reacquainted with gay Senior Constable Andrew 'Sparrow' Smith from The Stoning. Sparrow takes a call from Robert 'Bob' Cooper, a dying man with cancer living in a nursing home, confessing to a long ago murder, the body buried in Kimberley in Western Australia. However, he insists he needs to take Sparrow to the body, which involves Sparrow being his carer on a long road trip travelling through hostile country. Sparrow agrees, taking a few days holiday, only to find there is another younger passenger accompanying them, Lukas, another nursing home resident, a man who had suffered a motorbike accident, which left him a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair.
What follows is a road trip packed with adventure and grave dangers as they encounter a racist anti-refugee protest, whilst Bob and Lukas's escape is covered on the news, they are wanted people. Luke is an unpleasant bigot, a vocal man, so often bored, constantly making inflammatory, needling and provocative comments. Luke and Sparrow wonder whether Bob, whose health is deteriorating, can be trusted. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, we are informed of Bob's harrowing past from the 197os onwards, his childhood, attending Catholic school and being thrown out of his home. How he became a dumper truck driver for the remote iron ore mining industry, the close, brutal, male community displaying a prison camp mentality, the rituals, crudeness, taxing pressures of work, the chaos, death, the sheer exhaustion and his relationship with Jose. In the present, the men meet the larger than life Mouse, becoming party to highway robberies, and undergoing other trials.
Papathanasiou uses the vehicle of this eye opening novel to provide a social and political commentary, painting a picture of the horrors of Australia's past, such as the terrors experienced by the gay community, the AIDS crisis, the way the mining industry operates, the racism and treatment of Aborigines, and the reprehensible behaviour of politicians. The road trip provides the men, all different from each other, to ride through the suspicions and tensions, undergoing the kind of experiences that offer opportunities to bond over their numerous challenges as they get to know each other better. Sparrow learns of the injustices and sacrifices made by previous generations, whilst the camaraderie that springs up between Bob and Luke is a joy to observe. A wonderful read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
What follows is a road trip packed with adventure and grave dangers as they encounter a racist anti-refugee protest, whilst Bob and Lukas's escape is covered on the news, they are wanted people. Luke is an unpleasant bigot, a vocal man, so often bored, constantly making inflammatory, needling and provocative comments. Luke and Sparrow wonder whether Bob, whose health is deteriorating, can be trusted. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, we are informed of Bob's harrowing past from the 197os onwards, his childhood, attending Catholic school and being thrown out of his home. How he became a dumper truck driver for the remote iron ore mining industry, the close, brutal, male community displaying a prison camp mentality, the rituals, crudeness, taxing pressures of work, the chaos, death, the sheer exhaustion and his relationship with Jose. In the present, the men meet the larger than life Mouse, becoming party to highway robberies, and undergoing other trials.
Papathanasiou uses the vehicle of this eye opening novel to provide a social and political commentary, painting a picture of the horrors of Australia's past, such as the terrors experienced by the gay community, the AIDS crisis, the way the mining industry operates, the racism and treatment of Aborigines, and the reprehensible behaviour of politicians. The road trip provides the men, all different from each other, to ride through the suspicions and tensions, undergoing the kind of experiences that offer opportunities to bond over their numerous challenges as they get to know each other better. Sparrow learns of the injustices and sacrifices made by previous generations, whilst the camaraderie that springs up between Bob and Luke is a joy to observe. A wonderful read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
August 14, 2023
The Pit is a noir tragedy that had me hooked from the opening phone call. It’s a journey of discovery through some of the harshest, most inhospitable land on the planet. Throwing three completely incompatible men together in a clapped out Hiace is an exercise fraught with danger, particularly when the end goal is to locate a body that’s been buried in the desert for over thirty years.
Andrew “Sparrow” Smith the police constable who was a prominent character in The Stoning finds himself centre stage and taking an epic trip from Perth, through the Pilbara to Australia’s Kimberleys in The Pit.
The book is described as part of the series starting with The Stoning and continued in The Invisible, but DS George Manolis does not make an appearance. Apparently he’s still over in Greece solving the mysteries described in The Invisible. Instead, the aforementioned DS Sparrow ostensibly takes the lead however, he largely plays a more minor role with two much larger personalities sitting in the car with him.
Bob, an elderly resident in a Perth aged care home phones the WA police to confess to killing a man in a remote location in the Kimberley region. It’s Sparrow who takes the call and agrees to accompany Bob to find and recover the body. Joining them on the trip is a young paraplegic man named Luke, another resident in Bob’s care home.
As the journey continues, meeting with the inevitable hiccups and setbacks you might imagine will befall most unprepared travellers, Bob’s story is gradually revealed. The focus switches between the present and over thirty years earlier when Bob was a young gay man taking up a job as a truck driver at a massive iron ore mine. There are prejudices to endure, rituals to take part in and steps taken out of necessity to survive in a hostile environment and they’re all part of what turns out to be a rather tragic story.
The vastness and emptiness of the landscape through which the three men travel plays a significant role in the story. The sheer nothingness through which they travel plays on their minds, creates tension in the car and begins to fray the nerves. It also highlights just how isolated you are where any minor problem can become a major setback. Not surprisingly, Wolf Creek gets a mention.
I must admit, this is not the story I was expecting when I started reading The Pit but its tone and pacing ensures that there’s little chance of looking away. It turns out that this is primarily a character driven analysis that puts some significant social issues under the microscope. Bob’s story is both fascinating and harrowing and demands your sympathy and respect.
My thanks to MacLehose Press and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book to allow me to read and enjoy The Pit.
Andrew “Sparrow” Smith the police constable who was a prominent character in The Stoning finds himself centre stage and taking an epic trip from Perth, through the Pilbara to Australia’s Kimberleys in The Pit.
The book is described as part of the series starting with The Stoning and continued in The Invisible, but DS George Manolis does not make an appearance. Apparently he’s still over in Greece solving the mysteries described in The Invisible. Instead, the aforementioned DS Sparrow ostensibly takes the lead however, he largely plays a more minor role with two much larger personalities sitting in the car with him.
Bob, an elderly resident in a Perth aged care home phones the WA police to confess to killing a man in a remote location in the Kimberley region. It’s Sparrow who takes the call and agrees to accompany Bob to find and recover the body. Joining them on the trip is a young paraplegic man named Luke, another resident in Bob’s care home.
As the journey continues, meeting with the inevitable hiccups and setbacks you might imagine will befall most unprepared travellers, Bob’s story is gradually revealed. The focus switches between the present and over thirty years earlier when Bob was a young gay man taking up a job as a truck driver at a massive iron ore mine. There are prejudices to endure, rituals to take part in and steps taken out of necessity to survive in a hostile environment and they’re all part of what turns out to be a rather tragic story.
The vastness and emptiness of the landscape through which the three men travel plays a significant role in the story. The sheer nothingness through which they travel plays on their minds, creates tension in the car and begins to fray the nerves. It also highlights just how isolated you are where any minor problem can become a major setback. Not surprisingly, Wolf Creek gets a mention.
I must admit, this is not the story I was expecting when I started reading The Pit but its tone and pacing ensures that there’s little chance of looking away. It turns out that this is primarily a character driven analysis that puts some significant social issues under the microscope. Bob’s story is both fascinating and harrowing and demands your sympathy and respect.
My thanks to MacLehose Press and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book to allow me to read and enjoy The Pit.
August 27, 2023
2.5 stars
The blurb for this book sells it as a murder mystery type book. It is most definitely not that as far as I could see. We start with DC Sparrow being contacted by Bob, an ex-Kalgoorlie miner, who wants him to take a trip across country to dig up the bones of a murder victim. What's to lose? Sparrow gets the glory, Bob gets peace of mind; job done. However when Sparrow meets up with Bob he finds a third member of the party in Luke, a thirty something paraplegic confined to a wheelchair since a bike accident.
There follows a very strange road trip and its this that the book centres around. I dislike blurbs that lead you up the garden path. If this book had described itself as a road trip with three very disparate characters I'd probably still have requested it since I know next to nothing about the Australian outback or the mining "towns". However the storyline is all over the place. Luke is permanently angry, characters that appear to have very little to do with the plot come and go as the three drive across Australia and Bob tells us his history.
I got very bored with this book about a third of the way through. It told me a lot about gay sex in the outback and how to fleece people in the outback and how prejudiced Australians appear to be about anyone who isnt a red-blooded male. This book simply wasn't for me. I've read better books about struggling with sexuality/AIDS. Luke's character was simply obnoxious and Sparrow seems to spend half his time doing nothing rather than pulling up at the nearest cafe and getting his police buddies to sort out the mess.
I gave it 2.5 stars - 1 because I managed to finish it and the other because it didn't give me a headache. The half is for the final paragraphs which were funny at least.
Thanks anyway to Netgalley and Quercus Press for the advance review copy.
The blurb for this book sells it as a murder mystery type book. It is most definitely not that as far as I could see. We start with DC Sparrow being contacted by Bob, an ex-Kalgoorlie miner, who wants him to take a trip across country to dig up the bones of a murder victim. What's to lose? Sparrow gets the glory, Bob gets peace of mind; job done. However when Sparrow meets up with Bob he finds a third member of the party in Luke, a thirty something paraplegic confined to a wheelchair since a bike accident.
There follows a very strange road trip and its this that the book centres around. I dislike blurbs that lead you up the garden path. If this book had described itself as a road trip with three very disparate characters I'd probably still have requested it since I know next to nothing about the Australian outback or the mining "towns". However the storyline is all over the place. Luke is permanently angry, characters that appear to have very little to do with the plot come and go as the three drive across Australia and Bob tells us his history.
I got very bored with this book about a third of the way through. It told me a lot about gay sex in the outback and how to fleece people in the outback and how prejudiced Australians appear to be about anyone who isnt a red-blooded male. This book simply wasn't for me. I've read better books about struggling with sexuality/AIDS. Luke's character was simply obnoxious and Sparrow seems to spend half his time doing nothing rather than pulling up at the nearest cafe and getting his police buddies to sort out the mess.
I gave it 2.5 stars - 1 because I managed to finish it and the other because it didn't give me a headache. The half is for the final paragraphs which were funny at least.
Thanks anyway to Netgalley and Quercus Press for the advance review copy.
September 18, 2023
If you're expecting a hard-hitting murder investigation, this isn't it. Sure, there's a body in a pit somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But 'The Pit' is much more of a character-driven road trip. After all, the whodunnit is revealed from the beginning, as Bob confesses to this thirty year old murder right off the bat. But why is it so important for him to go back to the mining region where it all happened? And why does he insist on taking Luke and Sparrow with him?
'The Pit' is the third instalment in the DS George Manolis series but fear not. It reads perfectly well as a stand-alone and I was delighted to see Sparrow get a turn to shine while Manolis is still on an extended break in Greece. Although, to be fair, this is mostly Bob's story. Anyway! Sparrow's first introduction to the big crime league didn't go so well and he is determined to restore his reputation and make a name for himself. Being handed a murder on a platter like this will surely make him rise up the ranks?
Luke has no clue what's going on or where this road trip is supposed to lead them. Just like him, I couldn't at all figure out why he was invited on the trip. He's not a very likeable person. He's racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and downright massively unpleasant company, in my opinion. Bob must have a reason to want him there, though. As the journey continues, you start to wonder if Luke is being held against his will, and will he actually live to see their destination. What is set to happen when they arrive there?
I always come away from Peter Papathanasiou's books feeling like I've learnt something and things are no different this time around. Bob's background story plays out in the Australian mining industry, the pits. The men working there are mostly desperate, but the people they're working for are rolling in money. Bob had no intention of ending up there, but he found himself cast out by his family and vowed to run as far away from them as he could. The circumstances in which these miners live are brutal, and the harsh conditions aren't for anyone.
So many themes run through 'The Pit', and as always there is an incredible depth to the characters Papathanasiou creates. This is a story about finding yourself, about acceptance, about love and grief, and about survival. A slow-burning, atmospheric tale filled with fantastic characters from an author who seems to enjoy writing crime fiction with a difference.
'The Pit' is the third instalment in the DS George Manolis series but fear not. It reads perfectly well as a stand-alone and I was delighted to see Sparrow get a turn to shine while Manolis is still on an extended break in Greece. Although, to be fair, this is mostly Bob's story. Anyway! Sparrow's first introduction to the big crime league didn't go so well and he is determined to restore his reputation and make a name for himself. Being handed a murder on a platter like this will surely make him rise up the ranks?
Luke has no clue what's going on or where this road trip is supposed to lead them. Just like him, I couldn't at all figure out why he was invited on the trip. He's not a very likeable person. He's racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and downright massively unpleasant company, in my opinion. Bob must have a reason to want him there, though. As the journey continues, you start to wonder if Luke is being held against his will, and will he actually live to see their destination. What is set to happen when they arrive there?
I always come away from Peter Papathanasiou's books feeling like I've learnt something and things are no different this time around. Bob's background story plays out in the Australian mining industry, the pits. The men working there are mostly desperate, but the people they're working for are rolling in money. Bob had no intention of ending up there, but he found himself cast out by his family and vowed to run as far away from them as he could. The circumstances in which these miners live are brutal, and the harsh conditions aren't for anyone.
So many themes run through 'The Pit', and as always there is an incredible depth to the characters Papathanasiou creates. This is a story about finding yourself, about acceptance, about love and grief, and about survival. A slow-burning, atmospheric tale filled with fantastic characters from an author who seems to enjoy writing crime fiction with a difference.
October 7, 2023
Detective Sparrow is still recovering from a fatal shooting when he receives a phone call confessing to murder. Following this lead he ends up on a road trip to the mining heartland of Australia accompanied by dying man and a young man confined to a wheelchair. Bob has his own motivations for confessing to the crime but Luke is merely along for the ride.
I hadn't read the previous books in this series but I fell into the tale quickly and really enjoyed it. Told in the present (2017) and the past, it shows the crude underbelly of Australian life. the topics explored are unpleasant - sexism, racism and anti-Gay prejudice - and the author doesn't shy away from this. The story is essentially redemptive but is quite hard-hitting on the way.
I hadn't read the previous books in this series but I fell into the tale quickly and really enjoyed it. Told in the present (2017) and the past, it shows the crude underbelly of Australian life. the topics explored are unpleasant - sexism, racism and anti-Gay prejudice - and the author doesn't shy away from this. The story is essentially redemptive but is quite hard-hitting on the way.
September 13, 2023
I thank the publisher and Net Galley for proving a copy of this book in return for a fair and unbiased review.
"Outback" thrillers have become definite sub-genre and I have enjoyed most of those I have read to date. I had noted the author but not yet picked up his earlier books. In one sense, not having read the earlier book about the lead policeman made little difference yo following this one, although it possibly would have set a context for his decision to become involved in this adventure, which I struggled to understand. But I felt no empathy for him or his fellow travellers. The writing was good and it was a page turner but ultimately disappointing.
"Outback" thrillers have become definite sub-genre and I have enjoyed most of those I have read to date. I had noted the author but not yet picked up his earlier books. In one sense, not having read the earlier book about the lead policeman made little difference yo following this one, although it possibly would have set a context for his decision to become involved in this adventure, which I struggled to understand. But I felt no empathy for him or his fellow travellers. The writing was good and it was a page turner but ultimately disappointing.
October 20, 2023
All my reviews can be found at damppebbles.com
With his senior officer, DS George Manolis, away overseas and left under the somewhat questionable supervision of Detective Inspector Paul Bloody Porter (that's how Manolis always refers to Porter - I'm three books into this series now and I can't type his name without the 'bloody'! ) Senior Constable Andrew 'Sparrow' Smith is at a bit of a loss. That is until he answers the phone. On the other end a man confesses to a murder. But this isn't a killer with blood drying on his hands confessing to a recent act of violence. The murder happened thirty years ago and the confessor, Bob, feels it's time to turn himself in. He remembers roughly where the incident took place, it was in The Kimberley, but that's about as far as his memory serves. So Bob asks Sparrow to accompany him to the sparsely settled Australian region in the hope of finding the deceased and handing himself over. Joining Sparrow and Bob on the trip is Luke, a man paralysed in a motorcycle accident who also lives in the same nursing home as 65-year-old Bob. But it's not an easy trip and the further they trek into the Australian Outback, the more concerned Sparrow becomes. Motives become blurred, Sparrow begins to question everything Bob has told him. Why is Luke with them? Are Bob's motives more sinister than Sparrow initially thought. And what danger waits for the trio out on the open road...
The Pit is a very compelling addition to an intriguing crime series from a writer I can't help but feel wants to do things a bit differently. The Pit is the third book in the DS George Manolis series but Manolis is nowhere in sight. He is but a mere mention here and there. Sparrow takes the lead in book three and it was a joy to be reacquainted with a character I warmed to in The Stoning, the first book in this series. Bear with me and I'll explain (if I can!) how the three books in this series fit together. As mentioned, the first book is The Stoning where city cop Manolis is sent to an Outback town to investigate a brutal murder. There Manolis meets and works with Constable Sparrow Smith, an Indigenous Australian. In the second book, The Invisible, Manolis takes a much needed break and heads to Greece, his parent's homeland. Sparrow is mentioned but does not really feature (I did however miss him). The third book, The Pit, takes place at the same time as Manolis is in Greece. Hence his absence from proceedings. It's an interesting and brave direction to take a crime fiction series, where readers are used to the same character appearing in different situations time and time again. It's just something us crime readers come to expect for some reason! Truth be told, I didn't really feel this was Sparrow's story either, despite him being the main character in the book. For me, The Pit was all about Bob and as a fan of character driven tales, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey I took with Mr Robert Cooper (and entourage!). It's also worth mentioning that this is a crime fiction novel and there is a mystery element present but the mystery does tend to take a back seat. I was intrigued as to why Luke was being taken along for the ride. I was keen to find out what motivated Bob, why he had suddenly, thirty years later, decided to confess to a murder. And I wanted to know how Sparrow was going to fit into the end game? Was Bob's request for a police officer to be present as innocent as it seemed?
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed The Pit although it did take me a little while to warm to the story. As soon as I realised that this was a character-driven tale about a road trip more than a murder mystery novel, everything fell into place for me and I was drawn into the lives of these three men. The story is told from the past and the present. Year by year we get to watch Bob grow from a young man thrown out of home, to his life driving dumper trucks for the mines, and then to the present day where he's living in a nursing home, watching other more elderly residents dribble soup down their chins. Despite being a self-proclaimed killer, I loved him. The more I discovered, the more I loved him. The characters in this novel are everything and they're all so beautifully drawn by the author. All three made for an engrossing reading experience. I really should mention Luke before I sign off. Luke is quite vile. He's crass and bigoted, angry and unapologetic. He brings a darkness to proceedings and I loved that balance. Throughout the entire novel I questioned why he had been taken on the trip. Of course, it all becomes clear to the reader as you approach the end. With the final twist leaving me with a bit of a smug half smile on my face. Brilliantly done. I thoroughly enjoyed The Pit and look forward to seeing what comes next for Manolis and Sparrow. Fantastic characters, a vivid, atmospheric setting and a perfectly penned slow burn plot to draw the reader in and not let go. Recommended.
With his senior officer, DS George Manolis, away overseas and left under the somewhat questionable supervision of Detective Inspector Paul Bloody Porter (that's how Manolis always refers to Porter - I'm three books into this series now and I can't type his name without the 'bloody'! ) Senior Constable Andrew 'Sparrow' Smith is at a bit of a loss. That is until he answers the phone. On the other end a man confesses to a murder. But this isn't a killer with blood drying on his hands confessing to a recent act of violence. The murder happened thirty years ago and the confessor, Bob, feels it's time to turn himself in. He remembers roughly where the incident took place, it was in The Kimberley, but that's about as far as his memory serves. So Bob asks Sparrow to accompany him to the sparsely settled Australian region in the hope of finding the deceased and handing himself over. Joining Sparrow and Bob on the trip is Luke, a man paralysed in a motorcycle accident who also lives in the same nursing home as 65-year-old Bob. But it's not an easy trip and the further they trek into the Australian Outback, the more concerned Sparrow becomes. Motives become blurred, Sparrow begins to question everything Bob has told him. Why is Luke with them? Are Bob's motives more sinister than Sparrow initially thought. And what danger waits for the trio out on the open road...
The Pit is a very compelling addition to an intriguing crime series from a writer I can't help but feel wants to do things a bit differently. The Pit is the third book in the DS George Manolis series but Manolis is nowhere in sight. He is but a mere mention here and there. Sparrow takes the lead in book three and it was a joy to be reacquainted with a character I warmed to in The Stoning, the first book in this series. Bear with me and I'll explain (if I can!) how the three books in this series fit together. As mentioned, the first book is The Stoning where city cop Manolis is sent to an Outback town to investigate a brutal murder. There Manolis meets and works with Constable Sparrow Smith, an Indigenous Australian. In the second book, The Invisible, Manolis takes a much needed break and heads to Greece, his parent's homeland. Sparrow is mentioned but does not really feature (I did however miss him). The third book, The Pit, takes place at the same time as Manolis is in Greece. Hence his absence from proceedings. It's an interesting and brave direction to take a crime fiction series, where readers are used to the same character appearing in different situations time and time again. It's just something us crime readers come to expect for some reason! Truth be told, I didn't really feel this was Sparrow's story either, despite him being the main character in the book. For me, The Pit was all about Bob and as a fan of character driven tales, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey I took with Mr Robert Cooper (and entourage!). It's also worth mentioning that this is a crime fiction novel and there is a mystery element present but the mystery does tend to take a back seat. I was intrigued as to why Luke was being taken along for the ride. I was keen to find out what motivated Bob, why he had suddenly, thirty years later, decided to confess to a murder. And I wanted to know how Sparrow was going to fit into the end game? Was Bob's request for a police officer to be present as innocent as it seemed?
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed The Pit although it did take me a little while to warm to the story. As soon as I realised that this was a character-driven tale about a road trip more than a murder mystery novel, everything fell into place for me and I was drawn into the lives of these three men. The story is told from the past and the present. Year by year we get to watch Bob grow from a young man thrown out of home, to his life driving dumper trucks for the mines, and then to the present day where he's living in a nursing home, watching other more elderly residents dribble soup down their chins. Despite being a self-proclaimed killer, I loved him. The more I discovered, the more I loved him. The characters in this novel are everything and they're all so beautifully drawn by the author. All three made for an engrossing reading experience. I really should mention Luke before I sign off. Luke is quite vile. He's crass and bigoted, angry and unapologetic. He brings a darkness to proceedings and I loved that balance. Throughout the entire novel I questioned why he had been taken on the trip. Of course, it all becomes clear to the reader as you approach the end. With the final twist leaving me with a bit of a smug half smile on my face. Brilliantly done. I thoroughly enjoyed The Pit and look forward to seeing what comes next for Manolis and Sparrow. Fantastic characters, a vivid, atmospheric setting and a perfectly penned slow burn plot to draw the reader in and not let go. Recommended.
September 18, 2023
Having read the author’s previous book, The Stoning, I was really looking forward to another slice of outback noir crime fiction. However, that wasn’t really what I got as the blurb is misleading.
The book is well written. It starts off promisingly, with a care home resident, Bob, calling the police and wishing to turn himself in for a murder. Sparrow takes the call and he agrees to accompany Bob on a road trip back to the scene of the murder. The concept is flimsy, not least why Sparrow would go on the trip, notably when a 3rd traveller is added to the mix; Luke who is disabled following a motorbike accident.
Thereafter I found it a little odd. Flipping between Bob’s time 30 years previously and the ongoing road trip, it is more of a social commentary than a crime fiction. Added to that I didn’t find the characters particularly plausible or likeable and the plot felt disjointed.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
The book is well written. It starts off promisingly, with a care home resident, Bob, calling the police and wishing to turn himself in for a murder. Sparrow takes the call and he agrees to accompany Bob on a road trip back to the scene of the murder. The concept is flimsy, not least why Sparrow would go on the trip, notably when a 3rd traveller is added to the mix; Luke who is disabled following a motorbike accident.
Thereafter I found it a little odd. Flipping between Bob’s time 30 years previously and the ongoing road trip, it is more of a social commentary than a crime fiction. Added to that I didn’t find the characters particularly plausible or likeable and the plot felt disjointed.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
November 12, 2025
3.5 stars. Better than the second book by a long shot. But I’m still not going to read the next one
August 9, 2023
The Pit is the second book that I’ve read by Peter Papathanasiou.
This time around DS Manolis does not feature in the book, he’s on leave in Greece. Senior Constable Sparrow steps up and leads in this book.
Bob, a care homes resident, phones the police stating that thirty years ago he killed a man in the remote Western Australia. Bob won’t provide a location, rather his condition is that he and Sparrow travel up together to locate the remains and Sparrow travel as his carer not a police officer.
Despite his better judgement, Sparrow agrees and takes short notice annual leave to travel up North with Bob. Sparrow is surprised to find that Bob has brought along another care home resident, Luke a paraplegic in his 30s, who doesn’t seem to know the real reason behind the trip up North.
The story moves between two times lines. Bob’s time working the mines in the remotest parts of Western Australia over thirty years ago. Also, the present and their road trip through the Outback. The journey through the Outback really conveyed the vast emptiness of the land, the changing weather, the lawless locals, the wildlife, and the very real danger of travelling through the region.
I remember being Sparrow a likeable character from The Stoning, Papathanasiou’s earlier book. Bob was a very sympathetic character, I felt myself rooting for him early on. Luke was somewhat irritating, but I think if I’d experienced his injuries I too would be rather angry.
The book felt very well researched, particularly about the mines. I found the life on the mines interesting, it really didn’t feel too far removed from the Wild West.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Quercus Books, MacLehose Press, for making this book available to me as an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This time around DS Manolis does not feature in the book, he’s on leave in Greece. Senior Constable Sparrow steps up and leads in this book.
Bob, a care homes resident, phones the police stating that thirty years ago he killed a man in the remote Western Australia. Bob won’t provide a location, rather his condition is that he and Sparrow travel up together to locate the remains and Sparrow travel as his carer not a police officer.
Despite his better judgement, Sparrow agrees and takes short notice annual leave to travel up North with Bob. Sparrow is surprised to find that Bob has brought along another care home resident, Luke a paraplegic in his 30s, who doesn’t seem to know the real reason behind the trip up North.
The story moves between two times lines. Bob’s time working the mines in the remotest parts of Western Australia over thirty years ago. Also, the present and their road trip through the Outback. The journey through the Outback really conveyed the vast emptiness of the land, the changing weather, the lawless locals, the wildlife, and the very real danger of travelling through the region.
I remember being Sparrow a likeable character from The Stoning, Papathanasiou’s earlier book. Bob was a very sympathetic character, I felt myself rooting for him early on. Luke was somewhat irritating, but I think if I’d experienced his injuries I too would be rather angry.
The book felt very well researched, particularly about the mines. I found the life on the mines interesting, it really didn’t feel too far removed from the Wild West.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Quercus Books, MacLehose Press, for making this book available to me as an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
September 14, 2023
I’ve enjoyed the other two books in this series so was keen to read this one. This one definitely doesn’t disappoint and is possibly my favourite so far. This is a murder mystery with a difference in that you know from the beginning someone has been killed and by whom but what the story does is take you on a journey through the harsh Australian outback as the true story is revealed. I loved the ending too as it just worked so well. This is as close to literary fiction as crime fiction gets as the characters are very well written and endearing in their own way but it’s the portrayal of Australian post war politics and history that is the most compelling and interesting to read as you get a real insight to this country behind the surf and sunshine. So no this isn’t a fast faced crime thriller but it is a brilliantly written piece of crime fiction that’ll definitely makes an impact.
September 13, 2023
I’d read the author’s previous books & enjoyed, but this was awful - an apocalyptic Mad Maxesque road trip through the Pilbara - absolutely ridiculous plot & characters
October 6, 2023
4.5 Stars. This was not the straightforward mystery I expected, but it was definitely gripping Aussie Noir with a vivid atmosphere. It was a road trip through the desolate north of West Australia with three incompatible and unique men. The adventure began in Perth, was character-driven, and made uncomfortable by tension, dread, and suspicion. I found parts grim and disturbing, but I was riveted to the pages and could not look away. Read in the hardcover edition.
Sparrow, a young, gay, Aboriginal police officer, receives a phone call from Bob. Bob is 65 but terminally ill and lives in a Perth nursing home. DS Manolis is on leave in Greece, so Bob confesses to Sparrow that he killed and buried a man in the remote Kimberley region thirty years earlier. He wants Sparrow to accompany him to the area and recover the body. To Sparrow, this would be an all-expense paid holiday and the opportunity to arrest Bob when he obtains the evidence of a murder. Sparrow hopes this case would put him back on favourable terms with the police authorities. Sparrow is to go under the guise of being Bob's caretaker.
He discovers that Bob is lying to young Luke who is included on the trip. Luke is in his early 30s but confined to the nursing home with elderly, sick people. He had been paralyzed in a motorbike accident and uses a wheelchair. He is loud, profane, bigoted and tends to give inflammatory comments. Sparrow is warned not to tell Luke the reason for the trip or the destination. Luke thinks that Bob is bringing him on a fun journey to relieve the monotony and feeling of hopelessness in their care home.
As they travel, suspicions arise. Sparrow wonders if Bob's confession is authentic and made to relieve a guilty conscience. Or has he made a false confession to become notorious before he dies? Has he some other secret and nefarious purpose for the journey? Luke is angry because he has not been told their destination.
The trio passes through the isolated Pilbara region, noted for its crude iron ore mining camps, populated by volatile men fueled by alcohol, hard drugs, boredom, and large stacks of earned money on their hands. They are prey for being defrauded and robbed.
" Welcome to bloody Pilbara. And good bloody luck trying to get out." The drive is monotonous through a desert wilderness, where we are told that the only greenery is from discarded beer bottles tossed along the road.
"It is just another day among Australia's drinking towns with a mining problem."
They meet a tough, seductive woman trucker named Mouse along the way. She is luring men and robbing them of their goods and money. Bob and his fellow travellers get involved in Mouse's highway robbery. This results in some of her victims pursuing them for revenge and to retrieve the stolen goods. They also try to avoid police since the nursing home has reported them missing.
They drive through the Wittenoom area, a condemned, abandoned site where asbestos has contaminated the air, water, and land. They pass through the harsh, inhospitable land to reach the Kimberley region.
This book of social commentary focused on racism, injustices and prejudice towards the indigenous people, immigrants, the gay community, and later AIDs victims by white male society.
During the journey, we learn Bob's disturbing backstory. Thirty years ago, he was a young gay man who drove a truck for an iron ore mine, lived in a crude camp among coarse men, and followed their rituals. Later, he lived in Sydney with a lover.
Bob noticed Luke's skilled drawings at the nursing home. He assures Luke that he will send him to art school and he could work in the field of comic illustration, web design, or become a tattoo artist, among other choices. This would give him independence away from the nursing home. Bob and Sparrow leave Luke and go off with shovels to dig where Bob suggests. Do they find the body and/or something else?
We anticipate a good ending for all at this point, but there may be disappointments and unresolved issues in context and with the story's dark mood. Will Sparrow be commended for solving a murder case? Does Bob keep his promise about financing Luke's art training?
Recommended for lovers of Aussie Noir, with a grim and unsettling storyline, a transporting sense of place, and intriguing interaction by the characters.
Sparrow, a young, gay, Aboriginal police officer, receives a phone call from Bob. Bob is 65 but terminally ill and lives in a Perth nursing home. DS Manolis is on leave in Greece, so Bob confesses to Sparrow that he killed and buried a man in the remote Kimberley region thirty years earlier. He wants Sparrow to accompany him to the area and recover the body. To Sparrow, this would be an all-expense paid holiday and the opportunity to arrest Bob when he obtains the evidence of a murder. Sparrow hopes this case would put him back on favourable terms with the police authorities. Sparrow is to go under the guise of being Bob's caretaker.
He discovers that Bob is lying to young Luke who is included on the trip. Luke is in his early 30s but confined to the nursing home with elderly, sick people. He had been paralyzed in a motorbike accident and uses a wheelchair. He is loud, profane, bigoted and tends to give inflammatory comments. Sparrow is warned not to tell Luke the reason for the trip or the destination. Luke thinks that Bob is bringing him on a fun journey to relieve the monotony and feeling of hopelessness in their care home.
As they travel, suspicions arise. Sparrow wonders if Bob's confession is authentic and made to relieve a guilty conscience. Or has he made a false confession to become notorious before he dies? Has he some other secret and nefarious purpose for the journey? Luke is angry because he has not been told their destination.
The trio passes through the isolated Pilbara region, noted for its crude iron ore mining camps, populated by volatile men fueled by alcohol, hard drugs, boredom, and large stacks of earned money on their hands. They are prey for being defrauded and robbed.
" Welcome to bloody Pilbara. And good bloody luck trying to get out." The drive is monotonous through a desert wilderness, where we are told that the only greenery is from discarded beer bottles tossed along the road.
"It is just another day among Australia's drinking towns with a mining problem."
They meet a tough, seductive woman trucker named Mouse along the way. She is luring men and robbing them of their goods and money. Bob and his fellow travellers get involved in Mouse's highway robbery. This results in some of her victims pursuing them for revenge and to retrieve the stolen goods. They also try to avoid police since the nursing home has reported them missing.
They drive through the Wittenoom area, a condemned, abandoned site where asbestos has contaminated the air, water, and land. They pass through the harsh, inhospitable land to reach the Kimberley region.
This book of social commentary focused on racism, injustices and prejudice towards the indigenous people, immigrants, the gay community, and later AIDs victims by white male society.
During the journey, we learn Bob's disturbing backstory. Thirty years ago, he was a young gay man who drove a truck for an iron ore mine, lived in a crude camp among coarse men, and followed their rituals. Later, he lived in Sydney with a lover.
Bob noticed Luke's skilled drawings at the nursing home. He assures Luke that he will send him to art school and he could work in the field of comic illustration, web design, or become a tattoo artist, among other choices. This would give him independence away from the nursing home. Bob and Sparrow leave Luke and go off with shovels to dig where Bob suggests. Do they find the body and/or something else?
We anticipate a good ending for all at this point, but there may be disappointments and unresolved issues in context and with the story's dark mood. Will Sparrow be commended for solving a murder case? Does Bob keep his promise about financing Luke's art training?
Recommended for lovers of Aussie Noir, with a grim and unsettling storyline, a transporting sense of place, and intriguing interaction by the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2023
Thriller set in WESTERN AUSTRALIA
YOUTUBE review: https://youtu.be/DegTY3HTLNI
The novel opens in the South Westerly area of Western Australia, to wit Perth/Whadjuk Noongar Country in 2017. Here, Senior Constable Andrew Smith (a police office of aboriginal heritage, nicknamed Sparrow) takes a phone call from a Mr Robert Cooper (Bob) – a resident in a nursing home – and he indicates that he committed a murder at the beginning of the 1980s. The area of burial is way up north, in the Kimberley “..the northernmost region of Western Australia. Bordered to the west by the Indian Ocean, to the north by the Timor Sea, to the east by the Northern Territory, and to the south by two of the worlds largest deserts. It was the territory that was breathtakingly beautiful, seldom visited, and barely habitable.” It is the “engine room of the country’s mining boom” which attracted all kinds of scum and outlaws, as well as those hoping to make a killing (not always literally).
The focus in this novel is Sparrow, in the absence of the author’s previous protagonist, namely Sparrow’s superior DS George Manolis, who is currently on stress leave in Greece (and in fact his previous novel – The Invisible – Manolis is in Greece, investigating crime there, even though he is supposed to be taking time out).
“The brown draughty tufts of Australia blurred by, spindly trees and snappy fumes like skeletal claws reaching out of the earth, bent and twisted into mangled abstraction. In the distance, mountains loomed out of the sky, while the rumble of machines shattered the silence of spinifex country,….”
Bob entices Sparrow to accompany him on the long and interminable journey north, to dig up the skeleton of his victim. He has purloined a HiAce. Accompanying them is Luke, a young and angry paraplegic, who also lives in the care home. And thus begins the odyssey over thousands of kilometres, spanning different terrains, getting hotter and more dangerous the further North they travel.
This is real adventure fiction, where setting is a part of the storyline. There is a lightness of touch, describing the outlaws and their adventures (it transpires that Bob stole the car from the home and didn’t ask permission to take young Luke on the journey).
Part of the novel set at the point of Bob’s previous life further north, where the killing took place and it is very revealing about the hardship surrounding the mining industry back in the second half of the 20th Century: the gruelling days, the unremitting heat, the poisons (like asbestos and other ubiquitous and dangerous contaminants) and the hardened nature of those working on the sites.
This thriller bowls along at a good pace, reflecting the motion of the turning wheels as the three head north. They encounter a young woman, a very unusual character, who is driving a huge pantechnicon and she is a great help when their HiAce breaks down. Together this idiosyncratic group has quite a few adventures as they trundle along the highways…
I felt the opening of the novel left me rolling my eyes, because it seems so preposterous that some unknown dude would ring a policeman, ask him to accompany him on an adventure to dig up a body and that the police officer would agree. I almost didn’t persevere with the novel because the premise felt like a device to get the characters settled into their HiAce, so the journey could begin. Anyway, I continued and am glad I did because it is a good and well constructed story, with a good ending.
YOUTUBE review: https://youtu.be/DegTY3HTLNI
The novel opens in the South Westerly area of Western Australia, to wit Perth/Whadjuk Noongar Country in 2017. Here, Senior Constable Andrew Smith (a police office of aboriginal heritage, nicknamed Sparrow) takes a phone call from a Mr Robert Cooper (Bob) – a resident in a nursing home – and he indicates that he committed a murder at the beginning of the 1980s. The area of burial is way up north, in the Kimberley “..the northernmost region of Western Australia. Bordered to the west by the Indian Ocean, to the north by the Timor Sea, to the east by the Northern Territory, and to the south by two of the worlds largest deserts. It was the territory that was breathtakingly beautiful, seldom visited, and barely habitable.” It is the “engine room of the country’s mining boom” which attracted all kinds of scum and outlaws, as well as those hoping to make a killing (not always literally).
The focus in this novel is Sparrow, in the absence of the author’s previous protagonist, namely Sparrow’s superior DS George Manolis, who is currently on stress leave in Greece (and in fact his previous novel – The Invisible – Manolis is in Greece, investigating crime there, even though he is supposed to be taking time out).
“The brown draughty tufts of Australia blurred by, spindly trees and snappy fumes like skeletal claws reaching out of the earth, bent and twisted into mangled abstraction. In the distance, mountains loomed out of the sky, while the rumble of machines shattered the silence of spinifex country,….”
Bob entices Sparrow to accompany him on the long and interminable journey north, to dig up the skeleton of his victim. He has purloined a HiAce. Accompanying them is Luke, a young and angry paraplegic, who also lives in the care home. And thus begins the odyssey over thousands of kilometres, spanning different terrains, getting hotter and more dangerous the further North they travel.
This is real adventure fiction, where setting is a part of the storyline. There is a lightness of touch, describing the outlaws and their adventures (it transpires that Bob stole the car from the home and didn’t ask permission to take young Luke on the journey).
Part of the novel set at the point of Bob’s previous life further north, where the killing took place and it is very revealing about the hardship surrounding the mining industry back in the second half of the 20th Century: the gruelling days, the unremitting heat, the poisons (like asbestos and other ubiquitous and dangerous contaminants) and the hardened nature of those working on the sites.
This thriller bowls along at a good pace, reflecting the motion of the turning wheels as the three head north. They encounter a young woman, a very unusual character, who is driving a huge pantechnicon and she is a great help when their HiAce breaks down. Together this idiosyncratic group has quite a few adventures as they trundle along the highways…
I felt the opening of the novel left me rolling my eyes, because it seems so preposterous that some unknown dude would ring a policeman, ask him to accompany him on an adventure to dig up a body and that the police officer would agree. I almost didn’t persevere with the novel because the premise felt like a device to get the characters settled into their HiAce, so the journey could begin. Anyway, I continued and am glad I did because it is a good and well constructed story, with a good ending.
August 15, 2023
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Pit, a road trip novel featuring Senior Constable Andrew “Sparrow” Smith, set in Western Australia.
Sparrow is contacted by Bob Cooper, who wants to confess to a historic murder, but he wants Sparrow to accompany him as his carer to the grave in the far north of the state. Sparrow is looking for a boost to his career so he agrees to go with Bob and another man from the nursing home he lives in, Luke, a thirty year old paraplegic. Sparrow begins to sense that Bob has ulterior motives in heading north and that makes him uneasy.
Ostensibly a crime novel, The Pit is basically Thelma and Louise for blokes with a little criminality, a lot of blokey attitudes and some serious bonding, not to mention too much information about the mining industry. I can’t say that it held my attention or I connected with the characters as it’s all outside my lived experience, but I can appreciate the writing and what the author has done.
The timeline of the novel alternates between the present day road trip and incidents from Bob’s past. Bob won’t give up any information about the murder he committed to Sparrow and Luke has no knowledge of the mission, he is along for the adventure. This allows the author to slowly build not quite tension, but certainly curiosity in the reader about Bob’s motive. Of course, not knowing the final destination or the end game causes tension between the characters as they barrel not entirely smoothly through deserted landscapes.
Sparrow is the minor character in comparison to Bob and Luke. Luke is a foul mouthed immature lout, but it’s understandable given his disability and inability to cope with it. His final action in the novel is heavily ironic and fairly typical of his short term thinking. Bob, on the other hand, has a story to tell and it covers the full range of emotions and despite confessing to murder he is very likeable.
The Pit was not to my taste but it is a strong novel.
Sparrow is contacted by Bob Cooper, who wants to confess to a historic murder, but he wants Sparrow to accompany him as his carer to the grave in the far north of the state. Sparrow is looking for a boost to his career so he agrees to go with Bob and another man from the nursing home he lives in, Luke, a thirty year old paraplegic. Sparrow begins to sense that Bob has ulterior motives in heading north and that makes him uneasy.
Ostensibly a crime novel, The Pit is basically Thelma and Louise for blokes with a little criminality, a lot of blokey attitudes and some serious bonding, not to mention too much information about the mining industry. I can’t say that it held my attention or I connected with the characters as it’s all outside my lived experience, but I can appreciate the writing and what the author has done.
The timeline of the novel alternates between the present day road trip and incidents from Bob’s past. Bob won’t give up any information about the murder he committed to Sparrow and Luke has no knowledge of the mission, he is along for the adventure. This allows the author to slowly build not quite tension, but certainly curiosity in the reader about Bob’s motive. Of course, not knowing the final destination or the end game causes tension between the characters as they barrel not entirely smoothly through deserted landscapes.
Sparrow is the minor character in comparison to Bob and Luke. Luke is a foul mouthed immature lout, but it’s understandable given his disability and inability to cope with it. His final action in the novel is heavily ironic and fairly typical of his short term thinking. Bob, on the other hand, has a story to tell and it covers the full range of emotions and despite confessing to murder he is very likeable.
The Pit was not to my taste but it is a strong novel.
August 28, 2023
I'm originally from Western Australia and found this to be a really compelling and compact read. The mining industry has such a strong presence in the State, and this story cleverly combined the current setting with recent history to reveal a cracking tale of mystery and intrigue. The author accurately captures the State's isolation, parochialism and entrepreneurialism. The writing is excellent, at times very funny, the characters flawed, and the story moving. Bob is the quintessential Aussie character and is the real star of this book, ably assisted by Sparrow in his role as police, while Luke is a real piece of work.
I was pleasantly surprised and would strongly recommend this book to all those interested in great Australian literature, not just crime fiction. It's by no means a thrilling endorsement that Tourism Western Australia would want to support, nor the mining companies, but it'd make a great movie because it asks important and sometimes uncomfortable questions about modern society and people, and that's ultimately what great art does. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.
I was pleasantly surprised and would strongly recommend this book to all those interested in great Australian literature, not just crime fiction. It's by no means a thrilling endorsement that Tourism Western Australia would want to support, nor the mining companies, but it'd make a great movie because it asks important and sometimes uncomfortable questions about modern society and people, and that's ultimately what great art does. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.
November 21, 2023
Chapter 1
Perth / Whadjuk Noongar Country, 2017
I want to confess to a murder. I killed a man”.
The voice through the phone handset sounded reedy and weak. By contrast, the words it spoke were weighty and unambiguous. There was no more serious crime or grave confession.
The admission seemed to strike Sparrow’s ear with force, leaving him momentarily unstable in his ergonomic office chair. The constable who had taken the call on the station’s front desk was fresh out of the academy and soon realised that it was no neighbourhood noise complaint or stolen vehicle report. He patched the call through to Sparrow, who had just sat down to a shot of freshly brewed coffee. Sparrow held the hot mouthful for a moment, rolling it over his tongue as the grave words settled in his brain.
“Zat right?” he said finally. “You killed a man. You’re a bloody murderer”
“Yes, said the voice gently. “I’m a bloody murderer.” Sparrow paused for a moment. He’d never had anyone call his phone and voluntarily confess to committing a crime – let alone a murder – with such candour. He had no reason to disbelieve the claim:
Perth / Whadjuk Noongar Country, 2017
I want to confess to a murder. I killed a man”.
The voice through the phone handset sounded reedy and weak. By contrast, the words it spoke were weighty and unambiguous. There was no more serious crime or grave confession.
The admission seemed to strike Sparrow’s ear with force, leaving him momentarily unstable in his ergonomic office chair. The constable who had taken the call on the station’s front desk was fresh out of the academy and soon realised that it was no neighbourhood noise complaint or stolen vehicle report. He patched the call through to Sparrow, who had just sat down to a shot of freshly brewed coffee. Sparrow held the hot mouthful for a moment, rolling it over his tongue as the grave words settled in his brain.
“Zat right?” he said finally. “You killed a man. You’re a bloody murderer”
“Yes, said the voice gently. “I’m a bloody murderer.” Sparrow paused for a moment. He’d never had anyone call his phone and voluntarily confess to committing a crime – let alone a murder – with such candour. He had no reason to disbelieve the claim:
September 30, 2023
Discover the locations in the novel here
This is the third in a series and it is best to read the other two as you will get so much more from it if you do. Having said that, one of the main characters from the other books isn't really in this one This is not about DS George Manolis. Sparrow takes the lead in this one.
It's a departure from the feel of the other books but the story continues. I liked the fact that Sparrow - an Indigenous Australian got such a key role as it totally changed the feel of the story and I got to learn about him, the Indigenous peoples and more.
Even Sparrow is not really the lead here though as Robert Cooper is and Luke . This was a character driven puzzle and was a very unique read.
This really surprised me and unsettled me - but all in a good way. Cheers Mr Papathanasiou!
September 7, 2023
A standalone novel, The Pit by Peter Papathanasiou (2023) features the Indigenous Police Senior Constable Sparrow. It begins with him receiving a telephone call from an elderly aged care resident confessing to a murder. Keen to solve the historic murder, Sparrow agrees to take personal leave and accompany Bob on the journey to find the body. Undertaking the journey from Perth to the Pilbara, they are accompanied by Luke, a young paraplegic. The tale unfolds in two timelines: the road trip adventure and Bob’s life working in the far north of Western Australia. A slightly different Aussie noir, as it’s a character-driven road trip, full of adventures and insights into the personality characters of the traveling companion trio. Nonetheless, it’s another classic outback crime tale that is centered on the various characters and social insights with a four and a half stars read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.
October 7, 2023
Ah, where to start. I do wonder how so many early (pre-publication) reviews by those given galley copies manage 5 stars….
Anyway, this isn’t a Manolis book, it’s a sort of Sparrow book. It’s not “pacy” nor “thrilling”. There is a crime (any number really, mostly unbelievable - are the Australian Police so inept they can’t find a van, or identifier a serial thief in a huge lorry, on a limite£ stretch of road?) but it’s not really about the crime. It seems more about the treatment of gay men in Australia, then and now, than anything else. I got about 1/3 of the way through before tedium forced me to turn to more reliable authors in Mick Herron and John Connelly. A great shame as I had high hopes after reading “The Stoning” that I’d found a worthy companion to authors such as Peter Temple and Chris Hammer. I await Papathanasiou’s 4th outing, assuming our library thinks it worth buying after this lacklustre offering, more in hope than expectation.
Anyway, this isn’t a Manolis book, it’s a sort of Sparrow book. It’s not “pacy” nor “thrilling”. There is a crime (any number really, mostly unbelievable - are the Australian Police so inept they can’t find a van, or identifier a serial thief in a huge lorry, on a limite£ stretch of road?) but it’s not really about the crime. It seems more about the treatment of gay men in Australia, then and now, than anything else. I got about 1/3 of the way through before tedium forced me to turn to more reliable authors in Mick Herron and John Connelly. A great shame as I had high hopes after reading “The Stoning” that I’d found a worthy companion to authors such as Peter Temple and Chris Hammer. I await Papathanasiou’s 4th outing, assuming our library thinks it worth buying after this lacklustre offering, more in hope than expectation.
June 21, 2024
3.5 ⭐/ 5
The story conjured by the image on the cover and the story inside are two totally different things, but I'm not mad about it.
This is a book with a lot of heart and an interesting story to tell.
We catch up with Sparrow from The Stoning, now a senior constable, who takes a call from an elderly man telling him, "I want to confess to a murder. I killed a man."
Sparrow decides to accompany the caller, Bob, on a roadtrip to the location of the body. Bob has also brought along a fellow resident from his nursing home, a young man called Luke who is in a wheelchair. This unlikely trio head out into the wilds of the WA outback into the Kimberley.
They find that it is not only the weather and the unforgiving landscape that they need to watch out for.
Told in a then and now storyline we discover what lead to Bob's current predicament.
More murder mystery than outback noir, I still enjoyed this story and in particular the character of Bob and his backstory.
The story conjured by the image on the cover and the story inside are two totally different things, but I'm not mad about it.
This is a book with a lot of heart and an interesting story to tell.
We catch up with Sparrow from The Stoning, now a senior constable, who takes a call from an elderly man telling him, "I want to confess to a murder. I killed a man."
Sparrow decides to accompany the caller, Bob, on a roadtrip to the location of the body. Bob has also brought along a fellow resident from his nursing home, a young man called Luke who is in a wheelchair. This unlikely trio head out into the wilds of the WA outback into the Kimberley.
They find that it is not only the weather and the unforgiving landscape that they need to watch out for.
Told in a then and now storyline we discover what lead to Bob's current predicament.
More murder mystery than outback noir, I still enjoyed this story and in particular the character of Bob and his backstory.
March 21, 2025
A hard one to assign a value to, this one. The modern day road trip element of the story was a 2, but Bob's story was a definite 4. I'm just not sure this is the way I'd have wanted to read it.
DS Manolis is off in Greece and Andrew (or Sparrow as he is mostly known) is trying to redeem himself. So when a call comes in from Bob, a care home resident, saying he killed a man and wants to take Sparrow to the body, he's interested. I think that's the only possible reason why he'd agree to take holiday and travel hundreds of kilometres to the back of the back of beyond with a man he's never met, but it felt implausible.
Sparrow's behaviour throughout felt off, and like it was just there to enable the telling of Bob's story - and the wider history of australian miners and the gay community. Both of those elements were great, but I felt like the road trip and Sparrow were almost superfluous.
The final few chapters were excellent, though the ending frustrated me greatly
DS Manolis is off in Greece and Andrew (or Sparrow as he is mostly known) is trying to redeem himself. So when a call comes in from Bob, a care home resident, saying he killed a man and wants to take Sparrow to the body, he's interested. I think that's the only possible reason why he'd agree to take holiday and travel hundreds of kilometres to the back of the back of beyond with a man he's never met, but it felt implausible.
Sparrow's behaviour throughout felt off, and like it was just there to enable the telling of Bob's story - and the wider history of australian miners and the gay community. Both of those elements were great, but I felt like the road trip and Sparrow were almost superfluous.
The final few chapters were excellent, though the ending frustrated me greatly
August 24, 2023
This is an excellent and surprising book. It's billed as a crime thriller but has true heart and is also deeply researched, including historically. The characters are interesting and unique, the action and story compelling, and the writing exceptional and realistic (it's also very funny in parts). It's a book about haves and have-nots, about opportunities and luck, with important themes that cut across society. The author has taken his series in unexpected directions and it's certainly paying off with major dividends. I won't say too much more other than to recommend it highly. The road trip element of this book would make this a fantastic film adaptation. A filmmaker needs to make it happen!
December 5, 2023
Peter Papathanasiou's previous novel The Invisible was a terrific read but I struggled to warm to this one. I didn’t find most of the characters particularly believable and several were thoroughly unlikable. What began as an intriguing plot drifted into a sprawling tale with too much going on.
Bob was an interesting character and perhaps this could have been a better novel by just focusing on Bob's experiences in the mines and as a gay man living through intolerant times without the need for the secondary characters and the crime theme.
On saying this I'd be happy to read another by Papathanasiou especially if it's set in Greece.
Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for an advance copy to review
Bob was an interesting character and perhaps this could have been a better novel by just focusing on Bob's experiences in the mines and as a gay man living through intolerant times without the need for the secondary characters and the crime theme.
On saying this I'd be happy to read another by Papathanasiou especially if it's set in Greece.
Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for an advance copy to review
August 19, 2023
This is an excellent novel set in Australia and very well written. It's more of a social commentary of Australia's past in that it depicts the mining industry, the gay community, the treatment of Aborigines and AIDS. Set between two timescales, I felt quite emotionally involved with the three main characters whilst they embarked on a road trip from Perth to the Kimberley region. The vivid descriptions of the desert landscape were beautifully written and I loved the characterisation, especially Bob. This is a strong, well researched novel which I highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
August 24, 2023
This book is claustrophobic on two levels. The enormity of the Western Australian outback envelops and dislocates you, and the closed off interactions between the three main characters entraps you. That being said, the depth of the narrative and the flow between the long past and recent past, grips you and makes the pages turn. The characters both engage and repel you for the most part. And always the onward, onward, onward motion, hurling towards the final shocking moment.
The moment when I audibly laughed.
What an absolute cracker of a book.
The moment when I audibly laughed.
What an absolute cracker of a book.
July 29, 2023
The road trip I didn't know I needed.
At times this book had me smiling, the trio in the van, each so different, got into some trouble.
The story flits between timelines, telling mostly the story of Bob, so we get to know him well. I'm glad we did.
There's a slow reveal of his whole story, but from the off he's likeable.
It has some surprisingly emotional turns.
A very good addition to the series.
At times this book had me smiling, the trio in the van, each so different, got into some trouble.
The story flits between timelines, telling mostly the story of Bob, so we get to know him well. I'm glad we did.
There's a slow reveal of his whole story, but from the off he's likeable.
It has some surprisingly emotional turns.
A very good addition to the series.
June 15, 2024
I have mixed feelings about this one. The premise was interesting initially, but the characters were unliveable and I didn't enjoy the ending. For a short book, the plot dragged on and i struggled to finisb it. The writing was good overall with some nice descriptions of the outback, though a few too many typos crept in for my liking.
July 20, 2024
A random pickup from the public library turned out to be a good read. A crime drama that treads a slightly different path to the outback noir that Australian authors are doing so well. Flipping between past and present voice the story slowly builds and unravels until it reaches its final conclusion. A good read.
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