The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou

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'Tense. Moving. Morally complex. Zina Pavlou is wholly unforgettable.' Rachel Rhys They say she's a murderer. She says nothing. London, 1954. Eva Georgiou has just returned from her shift at the glamorous Caf de Paris, when shes summoned to her second job: Greek interpreter for the Metropolitan Police. There, she is tasked with representing Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot woman who has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law who has been bludgeoned, strangled and then set alight. Eva gets to work as Zinas translator, but her concern grows that the case may be more complicated than it seems. Then Zina changes everything when she reveals shes been accused of murder once before, years ago in Cyprus. While Evas obsession with the case deepens, so does her bond with Zina. And soon she will discover that when you lend your voice to an accused murderer, it comes at a devastating cost. A compelling historical crime novel set in the Greek diaspora of 1950s London that's inspired by a true story The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is perfect for fans of Sara Collins, Eve Chase and Jessie Burton. Praise for The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou: 'A brilliantly crafted story of two women... and an absolute page-turner.' Louise Hare 'Prepare to become obsessed with Zina Pavlou!' Louise Mumford 'You know those books where you read a bit and then you have to stop to do life stuff but the characters are still in your head and you cant wait to get back to it This is one of those.' Frances Quinn 'A gripping true-crime drama... Kyriacous complex, perceptive and moving narrative brings these devastating events vividly to life.' Philippa East 'Storytelling of the highest order... Really powerful.' Leonora Nattrass Eleni Kyriacou is a writer of immense talent... A captivating and important story written by an author at the top of her game. Victoria Dowd 'Glamour and grime in perfect proportion to produce a gripping thriller.' Trevor Wood

Reviews

Based on a true crime, this is a brilliantly crafted story of two women, Zina the accused and Eva her translator. So evocative of 1950s London and an absolute page-turner. * Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City *
Tense. Moving. Morally complex. Zina Pavlou is part monster, part victim and wholly unforgettable. * Rachel Rhys, author of Dangerous Crossing *
'You know those books where you read a bit and then you have to stop to do life stuff but the characters are still in your head and you cant wait to get back to it This is one of those and its brilliant.' * Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man *
A gripping true-crime drama... Kyriacous complex, perceptive and moving narrative brings these devastating events vividly to life. * Philippa East, author of Little White Lies *
Eleni Kyriacou is a writer of immense talent and she handles this complex, passionate subject matter with stunning results. A captivating and important story written by an author at the top of her game. * Victoria Dowd, author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder *
Storytelling of the highest order, and a fascinating re-imagining of a real-life case from the 1950s. A really powerful novel. * Leonora Nattrass, author of Black Drop *
A terrific re-imagining of a historical true crime case, Eleni Kyriacou has a real knack of bringing the fifties back to life, mixing glamour and grime in perfect proportion to produce a gripping thriller. * Trevor Wood, author of The Man on the Street *
Prepare to become obsessed with Zina Pavlou! I was hooked by this story from the start. Gorgeously dark, gorgeously addictive, a rich and very moving mystery written with elegance and aplomb. * Louise Mumford, author of Sleepless *
Eleni Kyriacou has a gift for capturing time and place perfectly while captivating the reader with her convincing and memorable characters. An excellent and emotional page turner. * Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing girl *
Stunning. Eleni Kyriacou brilliantly evokes the true case of the second from last woman to be hung in a fictionalised account that will have the reader equally gripped and outraged. * Tom Benjamin, author of A Quiet Death in Italy *
An absorbing tale of race and class, discrimination and prejudice It will be a long time before I can get Zina Pavlou out of my head. * Sam Baker, author of The Shift *
A propulsive and fascinating story that hooked me from the very first page. Kyriacous writing is confident and assured. I loved it. * Nicola Gill, author of The Neighbours *

Author Bio

Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. Shes the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and her debut novel, She Came To Stay, was published in 2020. Her latest novel, The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou, is inspired by the true-crime story of the penultimate woman to be executed in Britain.