'My mother was a very difficult person, Inspector, and not always a very nice one. I can think of any number of people who would want her dead.’
The shocking murder of the archaeologist, Stephanie Michaels in the new Leotakis Gallery in Cambridge is clearly going to be a troublesome high-profile investigation from the outset. But to track down the killer, DI Pam Gregory has to travel to the Greek island of Crete where she finds herself on a journey she never expected, one which will change her life for ever.
Antoinette Moses takes the reader (and DI Pam Gregory) on a trip to Crete in her fabulous crime fiction debut. You don't need to pack your Factor 50 for this trip but it sure does heat up and reach fever pitch towards the end; I simply couldn't read it fast enough.
When Jen Nichols' cat and then her mother are brutally slain, it certainly tells you something about the human victim when she is more upset about her cat. Stephanie Michaels seems to have more enemies than friends so DI Pam Gregory and her team definitely have their work cut out for them. The manner of Stephanie's murder is hugely inventive (although pretty gory) and it's clear from the staging of the scene that this is more than a mindless murder, which means that Jen could also be in danger.
As the police would usually be present at the funeral of their victim, Pam gets permission to attend Stephanie's funeral in Crete. It's not exactly a holiday but it's a well deserved break for Pam who has a very intriguing and disturbing back story, although not all of her team see it that way. I really love Pam! There's a moment when she overhears a member of her team talking about her and she deals with it so professionally; I was absolutely furious and I'm not sure I would have been so restrained if I had been in her shoes.
Antoinette Moses is on to a winner with DI Pam Gregory; I'm an instant fan and I can't wait to read what happens next. The storyline is incredibly well plotted and it really makes you think about the snowball effect of miscommunication. Having seen the brutal effect of one-sided communication in a work environment, I've always held on to the belief that there are two sides to every story. Assumptions don't just make an ass of you or me, they make murderers in this book!
Incredibly well written, thrilling and surprising, A Public Murder is a fantastic start to a new crime fiction series. I can't wait for more!
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.
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When I was young, your passport included your profession. I put writer. ‘Why writer?’ asked my then boyfriend, ‘You never write anything.’ ‘But I’m going to,’ I said.
About the author: Antoinette Moses a life
I always knew I was going to be a writer. It just took a while to get going. I kept getting distracted by other things.
First distraction: Editing. Journalism
I had to earn my living and so I got jobs in journalism, publishing and as a staff writer for a photographic news agency. I also took time off to travel. That’s when I first lived in Greece which was on and off between 1973 and 1978.
Second distraction: Festivals.
I first helped run a festival in 1970. It was the Oxford Animation Festival, and it was a huge success. It ended with Yellow Submarine and the Beatles singing ‘You’re such a lovely audience’… I was hooked. Both on audiences and festivals.
When I came back to England in 1978, I re-founded the Cambridge Animation Festival, and was its director for six years. I also helped set up the Hiroshima Animation Festival, and worked for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. In 2013 co-founded the Festival for Literature for Young people (FLY) at the University of East Anglia (UEA). I was its producer until I retired in 2018.
Third distraction: Teaching:
I started writing fulltime in 1994 and had several books published. Then I began writing plays which led to my getting an MA in creative writing at UEA, followed by a PhD on verbatim theatre, and ten years teaching as a lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature.
And so we come to the writing:
My first published book was a guidebook to Athens, then I wrote a cookbook for dieters and then I wrote a number of short fictions for young people learning English. These were published mostly by Cambridge University Press and have won three Extensive Reading Awards; Jojo's Story' was described by one critic as ‘a classic for all time’. Several became bestsellers. I’ve also published essays and stories.
I wrote my first play when I was 9. It was an adaptation of The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Graham and I performed it with my father at the family Christmas. (Poor family)
I’ve written a number of plays which have been produced in Norwich and Cambridge and Heidelberg, and have received rehearsed readings in Ipswich, London and Paris. A few have won prizes and awards.
And now it’s crime fiction.
And finally I’ve launched the first Pam Gregory novel, A Public Murder.
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