“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 catch: Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.

They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home resident: 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 begins 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?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Pit by Peter Papathanasiou. The Pit is published by MacLehose Press today (that’s 14th September 2023) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow next year. I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Pit but that has in no way influenced my review.

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.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Pit. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Pit by Peter Papathanasiou was published in the UK by MacLehose Press on 14th September 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Peter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece in 1974 and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His debut book, a memoir, was published in 2019 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.