ELENI KYRIACOU
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ELENI KYRIACOU
 

A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO DIE

From the author of the Between the Covers book club pick, The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou

 

YOU’RE EITHER BORN A STAR
OR YOU’D KILL TO BE ONE

A dark historical mystery that’s inspired by the true crimes, glamour and depravity of the early film industry

PLAY THEIR GAME
Hollywood, 1953. Young actress Ginny Watkins is turning heads. Even the legendary – and married – actor Max Whitman can't resist the allure of the hottest new starlet. He promises Ginny the world, in return for the right favour.

DO WHAT THEY SAY
London, 1954. Stella Hope, once the most famous actress in Hollywood, has been ousted to Ealing Studios after her divorce from the powerful Max. Just as she accepts her fate, she receives a letter, blackmailing her for a mistake she made many years ago.

OR THEY'LL BURY YOU
Two women on either side of stardom find themselves in the orbit of the same beguiling man. And one night, in the shadows of a glamorous Oscars afterparty, their lives are changed forever…

Praise for A Beautiful Way to Die

'Shocking, moving, furious and ultimately hopeful.' 
Nicola Rayner, author of The Paris Dancer

'Evocative, tense, seductive. Combines Hollywood razzmatazz with murder and deception in one compelling star package.'
Tammy Cohen, author of The Wedding Party

 ‘Superb’
Prima 

'Dark and gripping... Eleni's compelling story may be set in the past but it is just as relevant today.' 
Nikki Smith, author of They Had it Coming

'Both dazzling and devastating.' 
Clare Whitfield, author of Poor Girls

 ‘Another deeply atmospheric slice of 1950s noir from Eleni Kyriacou. From movie star glamour to the rotten core of fame, I couldn't put this down.'
Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

‘An addictive noir thriller which had me hooked from the first page. Beneath the glitz and glamour of 1950's Hollywood, lay a dark underbelly, which Kyriacou exposes with panache. Beautifully drawn and complex characters, impeccably researched and written, I adored every moment.'
Louise Fein, author of The London Bookshop Affair

 ‘Immensely evocative and entertaining.’
Tom Benjamin, author of A Quiet Death in Italy

'Outstanding... A compelling thriller with a beautiful twist to die for.' 
Trevor Wood, author of The Silent Killer

'A gorgeously dark slice of Hollywood noir.' 
Louise Mumford, author of The Festival

 'I was utterly gripped.'
Lesley Kara, author of The Rumour 

'A pacy, addictive noir thriller.' 
Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife

‘Both a page-turning, exciting, glamorous thriller and a clever commentary on the dark underbelly of Hollywood and its treatment of women. I loved every minute. Outstanding.'
Charlotte Levin, author of If I Can’t Have You

Pre-order NOW

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THE UNSPEAKABLE ACTS OF ZINA PAVLOU

Chosen for BBC2’s BETWEEN THE COVERS Book Club

THEY SAY SHE’S A MURDERER

SHE SAYS NOTHING

A dark, addictive historical crime novel, inspired by the true story of the penultimate woman to be hanged in Britain

London, 1954. Accused of brutally murdering her daughter-in-law, Greek Cypriot grandmother, Zina Pavlou, sits in a police cell in Hampstead and awaits her fate. She speaks no English and can read and write no Greek.

A few miles away, after her shift at the glamorous Café de Paris, Eva Georgiou is roused in the early hours and summoned to her second job – as a translator for the Metropolitan Police. She’s appointed Zina’s official translator.

The proof against Zina is overwhelming, but Eva’s concern grows when she witnesses the woman’s erratic behaviour, and begins to wonder if she was in her right mind at the time of the murder. And if she should be facing a trial at the Old Bailey at all. Then Zina drops a bombshell – she’s been accused of murder once before, years ago in Cyprus.

Praise for The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou

‘An impressive novel…worthy of Sarah Waters.’
The Times

'Atmospheric and gripping...speaks so movingly about the experience of being an immigrant.'
Sarra Manning, Red Online

‘A hugely powerful book. Easily one of the best books you’ll read this year.’
Emma Christie, author of Find Her First

‘Tense. Moving. Morally complex. Zina Pavlou is wholly unforgettable.’
Rachel Rhys, author of Dangerous Crossing

‘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

‘Loved this. Impossible not to feel desperately sympathetic for the accused as she waits to find out her fate at trial.’
Clare Whitfield, author of  People of Abandoned Character

‘Prepare to become obsessed with Zina Pavlou! I was hooked from the start.’
Louise Mumford, author of The Hotel

‘A terrific reimagining of a historical true crime case, Eleni has a real knack for bringing the fifties back to life, mixing glamour and grime in perfect proportion to produce a gripping thriller.’
Trevor Wood, author of You Can Run

‘Storytelling of the highest order.’
Leonora Nattrass, author of Blue Water

‘This delves deep under the skin of a shocking domestic murder, unravelling characters and events in a gripping true-crime drama that kept me immersed throughout.’
Philippa East, author of I’ll Never Tell

PAPERBACK OUT NOW

FRIENDSHIP, SECRETS, BETRAYAL…

Slip into the smoggy world of 1950s Soho.
Just take care you don’t get lost…

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‘A compelling page-turner’
Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker’s Gift

‘Brilliantly evokes the violence and grime beneath the sequins and glamour of 1950s Soho’
Rachel Rhys, author of Dangerous Crossing

‘A gripping, enthralling story’
Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

‘Utterly convincing. A real gem of a book’
Gill Paul, author of The Lost Daughter

‘An atmospheric page-turner set in the smoke and glitter of a vanished world’
Erin Kelly, author of He Said/ She Said

‘Full of memorable characters who stayed inside my head long after I had finished reading’
Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl

Longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize
Amazon #1 Best Seller
One of Woman & Home’s Best Historical Fiction Reads, 2020

paperback out now

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