The second DS George Manolis novel sees the lead character travel to Greece and get caught up in the disappearance of an undocumented man. The author conveys a strong sense of place, explores the darkness beneath ordinary life, and confronts themes of justice and retribution.

Every once in a while a writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do . . . Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside

A policeman suffering from guilt over killing a teenager goes back to Greece where his family is from to search for a friend, Lefty. Lefty is an invisible no paperwork and so the hunt to find him is almost impossible. The book described the region, the people and myths beautifully but the story was sometimes confusing. It may be a book I read a second time to really understand it because clearly a lot of love has gone into it.

My thanks to Quercus Books MacLehose Press for an advance review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Invisible’ by Peter Papathanasiou. I was also invited to take part in their publication week blog tour.

This is the sequel to his 2021 debut crime novel, ‘The Stoning’, set in the Australian outback and featuring Detective Sergeant George Manolis.
While I hadn’t read ‘The Stoning’, this works fine as a standalone as a brief overview is provided before Manoilis boards a plane for his holiday in Greece.

So a few plot details: after the events of ‘The Stoning’, DS George Manolis is suffering from burnout and in need of a break. He flies from Australia to Greece where he hopes to connect with his roots and heritage. On arrival, Manolis learns from his friend, Stavros, of the disappearance of Lefty, a local man who is an ‘invisible’, someone who lives outside of society without any identifying paperwork.

There are a variety of theories about Lefty’s disappearance, including the possibility of foul play. Manolis is persuaded by Stavros to go undercover in order to locate Lefty. Away from the stresses of modern life, he also has an opportunity to heal.

Yet Manolis’ quest for the Invisible means that he has to navigate the complicated relationships of the tiny village of Glikonero where grudges run deep and the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the present. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Even though set in Greece rather than Australia I felt that ‘The Invisible’ retained the ambiance of Outback Noir. Admittedly I have only read a handful of this sub-genre of crime fiction, yet find that they tend to be slow burns with a focus upon characterisation and the challenges an investigator faces in an insular community in which they are perceived as an outsider. In addition, the landscape usually plays an important role. All these factors were present here.

Peter Papathanasiou also weaves into his narrative aspects of the turbulent history of Greece in the 20th Century as well the rich traditions, folklore, and mythology of the Prespes region.

Overall, I found Peter Papathanasiou’s writing excellent. ‘The Invisible’ was a fascinating novel that proved very immersive. I now plan to read ‘The Stoning’ and look forward to DS George Manolis’ return in the future.

After a drug bust goes horribly wrong, DS George Manolis takes an enforced holiday in the remote Prespes region of northern Greece, the homeland of his late father before he emigrated to Australia, where the borders of Greece, Albania and North Macedonia meet. Although Manolis has been cleared of any wrong doing the incident has left him with PTSD at a time when he is coping with his recent divorce and in mourning for his father, but he hopes this trip will ground him by allowing him to connect with his roots.

When Manolis arrives in the rugged Prespes region, he discovers that Lefty, one of the old friends he has come to visit, has gone missing and he is reluctantly persuaded to work undercover to see if he can find him. Lefty is one of the 'invisibles' who lives his life without the benefit of official paperwork, which makes finding out what he has been up to very difficult. Manolis begins to realise that this is an area that has its own codes and customs that have nothing to do with the law, and he needs to tread carefully in these tiny villages where feuds run deep and the old ways hold sway if he is to find his friend.

I absolutely loved Peter Papathanasiou's stunning debut The Stoning, which told the gripping story of DS Manolis' complex investigation in Cobb, the tiny Australian Outback town of his childhood. so I could not wait to see what lay in store in this follow-up The Invisible.

Instead of Outback Australia, this time around Papathanasiou sends Manolis, after a brief catch up with his city troubles, into the wilds of northern Greece, for an unofficial investigation that appears on the surface to be very different to the one which consumed him in The Stoning. Manolis must now keep his identity as a police officer secret if he is to make any headway with the search for a man that has not only lived his whole life outside of the law, but who seems to have made a lot of enemies along the way. He has to learn to bend his police procedural skills to fit a new set of values, the result of which allows him to unexpectedly connect with the history of his father's homeland in ways he could not have foreseen.

This is an area of Greece I am not familiar with and I really enjoyed how Papathanasiou creates the most delicious 'bad lands' atmosphere throughout the story, making the absolute best of the geographical location, landscape, history, wildlife, and insular ways of its people to conjure up an unsettling backdrop for an investigation that is just as complex as the one Manolis had to solve in the first book, even if it has a different feel. There are similarities to the first book in the way the small town residents here do not take kindly to outsiders, and the links to Manolis' own family heritage, which allows Papathanasiou to explore the themes of belonging, identity and immigration in the way he did so well in The Stoning. There is a lovely dimension in this book too that plays up the wealth of history, hardship and sorrow that has shaped the people of this region of Greece that is really poignant, and I would love to wax lyrical about it, but to do so would lead to spoilers so I will leave you to discover it for yourselves.

My favourite thing about Papathanasiou's books is the way he wraps you up in a compelling story that twists and turns in the most spellbinding of ways, mixing a darned good crime story with a hard look at human nature. He has a striking ability to force you to think about the things that motivate people to behave as they do, which gives surprising insight into their actions - even the most disturbing ones. There are layers upon layers of themes here, some beautiful interplay with many facets of 'invisibility', and references to discomfiting past events that often pulled me up sharp and sent me down fascinating rabbit holes. This combination of intelligent writing and story craft is really addictive, and I cannot wait for more!

I was incredibly impressed with this author’s debut ‘The Stoning‘ a while back and was really looking forward to more. It all started incredibly well, with the reintroduction of Sparrow which put a smile on my face, and an exciting raid. The latter unfortunately didn’t end so well and DS Manolis has been diagnosed with suffering from PTSD and has kindly been asked to take a long vacation. Manolis decides to go back to his roots, to the Prespes region in Greece, where his father emigrated from. Upon his arrival, he learns of the disappearance of a man known as Lefty. Lefty is what they call an invisible. Someone who lives without a shred of paperwork. And also someone who is of little interest to the local police. How do you even look for a man who doesn’t exist?

Well, apparently Manolis doesn’t know either and this is where I’m sad to say ‘The Invisible‘ started to lose me. It felt like I was on holiday myself. It’s all rather calm and laid-back. There’s a lot of food and drinking. What you’d maybe expect from a break in Greece. But that also means, a severe lack of tension and suspense that I so desperately need in my crime fiction.

Lefty’s disappearance seems extremely secondary in the storyline. It’s a mystery that needs solving but I almost completely forgot about it at some point as Manolis is far more interested in the lifestyle, his heritage and maybe possibly finding a trace of his aunt Poppy. That said, Papathanasiou really brings Greece to life with delightfully vivid descriptions of the landscape, the smells and the sounds.

Just like in ‘The Stoning‘, Papathanasiou lays bare some of the worst things humanity has to offer. Some of the topics make for uncomfortable reading, some are thought-provoking. There is more than one way to be invisible, after-all. While these villages may look all idyllic from the outside, they often hide secrets, feuds and conflicts. There is also a certain undeniable sense that this way of life is dying out. More than anything though, where are all the children?

I think I kind of understood what the author was trying to do, but I also feel the story became a little too bogged down by an abundance of historical information. This region of Greece is not a good place to be. It has a very turbulent history, there’s a lot of poverty and it’s geographical position makes it rather dangerous. This also lends itself to plenty of myths and legends, passed on from generation to generation. Or could there possibly be some tiny sliver of truth to these tales?

I find it hard to determine how I feel about ‘The Invisible‘. It was most definitely informative and educational. I feel I’ve learned a lot about the Prespes region and its people. However, I look for a bit more than that in my crime fiction. I didn’t find the story to be compelling, or tense, or thrilling. In an odd sort of way, it almost feels like an interlude of some sort. True, Manolis needed this break and maybe I would have felt differently if the mystery element had featured more. As it is though, I’ve been left somewhat underwhelmed. Still, based on ‘The Stoning‘, I’m giving Papathanasiou the benefit of the doubt and I’ll be right here for more of Manolis with the next book in the series.

After the events in Cobb, Manolis is back on duty in the city and has Sparrow working with him.
When a homeless teenager is shot on a raid, Manolis, although cleared of any wrongdoing, is told to take his leave and go on holiday. He goes to Greece to see his friend Stavros and gets roped into looking for Lefty who has disappeared.
The village he has disappeared from is at the very north of Greece and an isolated area. He goes under the guise of helping Stavros maintain a property he has there and does his best to extract information from the villagers. As time goes on, he finds out more about each of the people around him and each of them have something that makes them a suspect.
The climax of the story is interesting and reflects some of the history of the area. Very readable.

I am a huge fan of Australian crime fiction, it's become a bit of a passion of mine. This may come as no surprise to regular readers of the blog as I do tend to mention it fairly often . The Stoning, the first book in this series, was a highlight of my reading year in 2021 so I was very much looking forward to being reunited with Detective Manolis once again for his second outing. The Invisible is a very different book to the first in that Manolis goes back to his Greek roots, his parents having emigrated from Greece to Australia prior to George's birth. The book had a very different flavour, a different feel which I appreciated.

Following a traumatic event at work and suffering from PTSD, DS Manolis is ordered to take leave for a few weeks and give himself time to start healing. He decides the best thing to do is to leave Australia altogether and books a flight to his parent's homeland, Greece. Upon arrival he discovers one of the locals, a man he was familiar with from previous visits, has gone missing. The only problem is Lefty is an invisible. He has no paperwork, no passport, no bank account. The local police force have been made aware of Lefty's disappearance but what can they do? According to their records, Lefty never existed. Working undercover, Manolis immerses himself in the Greek lifestyle and begins to ask questions of the locals. But how do you find a man who doesn't exist...?

The Invisible is a well-written slow burn mystery which I enjoyed reading. The first chapter is fraught with danger and tension as Manolis and a favourite character of mine, Constable 'Sparrow' Smith, chase down a drug dealer. Their pursuit ends in tragedy with Manolis holding a smoking gun and reliving his ordeal time and time again. When his boss, Paul Bloody Porter, insists he take some vacation Manolis reluctantly agrees and boards a flight to a country which will forever be in his blood, Greece. From here things take a more sedate pace. Manolis is introduced to old friends and new. Fellow Greek-Aussie, Stavros, asks Manolis to investigate Lefty's disappearance believing his friend to be more efficient than the local police. Working undercover Manolis begins to investigate but soon realises he's been set an impossible task.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. If you're looking for a fascinating slow burn mystery featuring some outstanding characters and a dramatic, vivid setting then you will enjoy The Invisible. I learnt so much about the Greek way of life; culture, food and drink, religion, history and practices. The mystery aspect of the story is present throughout the book. The reader is initially introduced to Lefty in the prologue and he is referred to throughout the text by the other characters, which helps build a picture of the character in your mind. But how do you go about finding someone who doesn't exist? This is exactly Manolis's problem. Every direction he takes, every new lead fizzles out and becomes a disappointing dead end. I was very intrigued about what had happened to Lefty so the denouement came as a surprise. I'm a fan of the Detective George Manolis series so I hope there are more books to come in this fantastic series. No matter what, I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Recommended.

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

I didn’t realise that this was the second book in this series when I requested it so that is my mistake. I while I did enjoy the story and the scenery of Greece, I found this book to be very slow and hard going for a crime novel. I had high hopes after the opening chapters, but once the main character arrived in Greece, the story went into Greek time.

Thanks to Quercus for the advanced copy of this book to read.

I think this book pace reminds me of the Mediterranean life pace: take it easy an slow. I enjoy it and found the plot fascinating and unusual.
Well written and realistic.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Invisible, the second novel to feature Detective Sergeant George Manolis of the Sydney Police.

Suffering with PTSD Manolis flies to Greece for a bit of R&R. He returns to the remote Prespes region, only to find that friend he came to see has disappeared. Lefty is an “invisible”, a man with no papers, no discernible source of income and a hidden history. At the urging of his cousin he goes undercover to find him, but it gets difficult as no one knows what happened to Lefty and Lefty himself seems to have muddied the waters. Then there’s the grudge filled villagers.

I enjoyed The Invisible, which has a strong sense of place and a very slow burning crime element. It is told entirely from Manolis’ point of view and seems as much an exploration of his roots as his search for Lefty. In this respect, I assume, that it is personal to the author as he was born in the region.

The novel is interesting. Until the last 10% of the novel there is no sign or even hint of Lefty, who appears to have vaporised, although this is not impossible, given the wild, untamed terrain. This makes it a story of Manolis’s failure to locate and his adventures along the way, some more terrifying than others. Still, there is enough going on and sufficient tantalising details of Lefty’s activities to keep the reader turning the pages until the bombshell final pages. I was impressed by the fairly low key narrative in most of the novel turning into an impactful shocker of a finale.

The author is able to present an evocative picture of a forgotten corner of Greece, which sounds beautiful physically, but is mired in poverty, neglect and an ageing population with few services or amenities. Blended in to this is the terrible history of the region, pummelled in both WWII and the civil war. It’s heartbreaking to read.

The Invisible is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Very different style of novel from the first in the series - not an “outback noir” but a laidback Greek mystery after the initial opening chapter in Australia. Not what I expected, but no less enjoyable for that.
Fascinating insight into the cultural and political issues associated with living at the border point in an underfunded and undeveloped area, alongside the long hangover from the Greek civil war.
The central mystery unspools slowly, building atmosphere along the way. The denouement when it comes is relatively low-key, and has a nice touch of ambiguity (it’s not all wrapped up with a bow).

Really interested to see what comes next from Papathanasiou.

It's always good to find a crime novel set in a different and interesting part of the world. The Invisible is set in the far north of Greece, close to the borders of Albania and North Macedonia, and well away from the tourist areas of southern Greece. The Greek born Australian author understands the customs, history and social problems of these remote towns and villages. This fascinating culture is seamlessly woven through the novel as the investigation progresses into the disappearance of a so-called invisible (a man with no official records) who has a dubious past. The book is populated with well rounded characters - many with interesting backstories. Compared with some crime fiction this one is quite slowly paced but the reader is kept immersed by discovering the culture of the region. My only real criticism is that the crime and motives, when they are exposed, are rather unbelievable - but isn't this often the case in crime fiction?
This engaging crime novel is the sequel to The Stoning and works well as a stand alone.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for the chance to read and review this book.

The whole feel of this novel is very Greek. What I mean by that is, it’s very unrushed and laid back. It’s certainly not going to be hurried along, and the whole thing feels very languid. It makes for a relaxing read, and a very atmospheric one. You can feel the heat and the lethargy as you turn each page. If you’re looking for a seat-of-your-pants, fast paced thriller, you’re on the wrong continent, my friends.
Manolis, our investigator, spends the vast majority of the book chatting to local residents, exploring the countryside and drinking coffee. You feel like you’re getting to know the entire village but progress is slow. We’re no clearer (and nor is Manolis) as to the fate of the missing Lefty (the ‘invisible’ of the title - someone who’s been living life completely off the grid).
In all honesty, this reads more like an anthropological study than it does a mystery novel. In its own way, it’s very interesting, but it definitely feels like it’s trying to escape its supposed genre.
There’s no balance to the pace of this story, as things don’t really pick up until the final 10%, and the final reveal or resolution arrived on the last few pages. By then, I was so ambivalent about the whole thing, I wasn’t especially invested in the outcome. There were several last minute twists which felt miss-timed.
The storytelling lacked suspense and intrigue, but it was an interesting and insightful read into the post-war history of northern Greece.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read an ARC in return for an honest review.

This new book from Peter is very different in style to his first novel The Stoning. which is a very page-turning and addictive Australian crime. This is much slower and more a mystery than a crime. There is a lot of detail about Greece and its people, especially those in the smaller and remote border villages which while interesting, I found myself putting it down regularly and picking up again later.

Having said that, I did finish it and enjoyed learning about a region of the world I am not at all familiar with, but there was just a lot of that and less about the actual disappearance of one of the locals. A good book for those who like a slow burn of a story.

Having loved The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou, this follow up came as a surprise to me, it is not set in Australia. Instead it has DS George Manolis suffering from burnout and PTSD after the tragic consequences of a inner city police raid, this has his boss, DI Paul Porter, insisting he take a holiday break. This provides George with an opportunity to reconnect with his family roots and travel to Greece, to his little known family rural hometown region of Prespes, with it's two lakes, bordering Albania and North Macedonia, where locals exist in what now seems to be a bygone era, without the internet and mobile phone signals, and little interaction with the outside world. This provides George with the opportunity to live a simpler, slower existence and find some healing, particularly as he finds himself immersed in the life of a labourer, as he works undercover trying to discover what happened to the missing Lefty.

It is possible in this part of Greece, for a person like Lefty to be an invisible, almost impossible in today's modern world, living without a scrap of official paperwork, and relying on the fakelaki, the stuffed envelope that greases palms to secure services and whatever else is required. This makes it difficult for the local police to launch an investigation into his disappearance, as far as they are concerned, he does not exist. As George makes his inquiries, Lefty turns out to be formidable in both his presence and his absence, with people believing he has either left under his own steam or that there is a more sinister explanation. George finds himself becoming more closely acquainted with the history of the region, the terrors of WW2 and the even more devastating impact of the horrors of the Greek Civil War that deprived the region of an entire generation of children and from which it has never recovered. Will George find the truth of what happened to Lefty before he returns home?

Papathanasiou provides fascinating insights into a part of Greece I have virtually no knowledge of, its history, culture, villages that appear to be idyllic but below the surface are a hotbed of long held feuds and conflicts, and a way of living that is fast dying out,. There is the abundant wildlife, including deadly snakes and dangerous bears, the folklore, the Romani that believe the land to be cursed. There are illegal immigrants, like Roze and the Syrian, Zain, in search of a better future, blackmarket smugglers, treasure hunters and secrets buried deep. It was good to see George gain some recovery from the crushing weight of his guilt and PTSD. This was a wonderful, if unusual, addition to this series, and one which I found informative and educational. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was a very slow read, to be honest read the first chapter and the last and you won’t have missed any of the story. I think what was missing was any chance of figuring out ‘whodunnit’ as the eventual bad guys hardly featured. The rest was just filling and in the end was totally unrelated to the outcome. A shame as I did enjoy the authors debut novel but I couldn’t wait to get to the end of this one. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy all the same,

Well written with an engaging storyline and well developed characters, I also loved the setting. The book is more of a slow burning mystery and although I like a faster paced mystery more than a slow burning one, I stil found this enjoyable.

Rounding up to 3 stars

I've read through previous book with this character, and was pleases to get the next in series. Unfortunately the pacing of this book didn't really suit me. It felt far too slow for far too long.
Looking back once finished, it set up the characters and scenes very nicely, and I felt I learnt a few things about the Greek way of doing things.