The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou By Eleni Kyriacou
Hardcover published by Head of Zeus 9th November 2023
ISBN 9781837930340
Pages 384
THEY SAY SHE’S A MURDERER.
She says nothing.
THEY HAVE TOLD SO MANY LIES ABOUT ME.
London. 1954. Zinc Pavlov, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan Police. She can’t speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks means. She has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law.
Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina’s translator, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer. Sinai can’t speak for herself.. she can’t clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the word to decide.
IS SHE A Victim?
OR IS SHE A KILLER?
MY REVIEW
I found The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou unputdownable.
This is the fiction suspense crime book I’m 100% proud to be shouting loudly about. This is definitely your next book to read!
Although the events really happened, the author has done a splendid job turning it to a fictional story where, no one will able to take their eyes off the pages or know the ending!
Zina Pavlou is a Cypriot grandmother, who came over from Cyprus in 1953, to London, to live with her son and his wife, Hedy.
Zina, needed money to pay off a debt, so she looked after their house and children. It was a well known fact that Zina had some difficulties with Hedy, her daughter-in-law.
Zina claimed that after her son left to go to work one evening, leaving Hedy and the children and Zina in the house.
The story Zina tells is, she found her daughter-in-law, Hedy, lying on top of a fire in the garden.
Without Zina speaking English, she flags down a car, with a man a woman inside all Zina can say in English is Fire.
In able for the woman and man to phone for the fire brigade they need the address. Zina doesn’t know how to say the address in English so she finds a letter with the address on. The man and woman phone the police. Where Zina is arrested, accused of killing her daughter-in-law.
Without speaking English Zina, cannot answer questions, so an interpreter, Eva has to translate the police questions to her, with telling the police Zina’s answers.
Zina is sent to Holloway prison waiting for her court case to go before the Old Bailey.
Eva finds out something about Zina, that she withholds from the investigation.
This is an absolute page turner. The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is the most interesting story that holds twist.
You can find out more about this book on the upcoming TV book show on BBC2 Between The Covers.
Eleni Kyriacou is an award winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. She the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrants parents, and her debut novel, She Came to Stay, was published in 2020. The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is inspired by the true-crime story of the penultimate woman to be executed in Britain. https://www.elenikwriter.com
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