Mystery readers love the genre because it involves putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Mystery authors love to write mysteries because it involves designing the puzzle and then mixing it up for the reader to put together. Author Lonia Lalousi has taken her turn at creating and mixing up the puzzle with her crime novel, The Last Symphony. Below is my interview with Lalousi about writing her book.
About the author and book
Author links (links will open in a new tab)
Book Title: The Last Symphony
Genres: Crime fiction, detective, mystery
The Last Symphony book summary
Back cover of the book The Last Symphony:
Who is more likely to commit a crime?
Someone who was forced to leave the top?
Someone who is looking to reach the top?
Or someone who is afraid of being at the top?
Criminologist Peter Deligiannis is called to investigate
the murder of a prominent politician’s daughter.
Her father tries to find the truth in the lie.
Her brother tries to hide the lie in the truth.
Α leading Russian composer comes to the fore as the main suspect.
A crime with a signature
A melody without applause
A killer is trying to reach perfection
Writing one Last Symphony
Excerpt of the book: The Last Symphony
Ildar proceeds to the left edge. The stage welcomes a soft white light, and the speakers are playing a melody by the composer Ilya Beshevli. Ildar passes his arm around his neck and brings it forward, while he is throwing his weight on one leg, lifting the other high. He falls on the stage, opening widely the lower limbs. He gets up making a sharp turn around his axis and steps backwards.
He touches the void. He is chasing it. He is seeking the light within a vast zero. He touches the floor; he supports himself on one hand and pulls his limbs giving a counter push upwards.
He extends his arms forward, forming an angle of ninety degrees with his elbows, and removes his trunk repeatedly on the left, as if someone is pushing him in that direction. A palette of emotions and colours spreads on the stage. A complete oscillation expresses the fullness of his soul.
He stops. He is immobilized. The music continues to play a melody that wakes up every dead cell. His gaze is lost. It is sinking into the vortex of the universe. He is sighing. He is suffering. His lips are trembling. His forehead is cloudy. His heart is struggling to tame its irregular beats in a battle preparing to show off only one winner.
His hands are armed with force. His gaze is filled with courage. This time he is lost in the abyss of power. He falls on his back, resting his hands on the floor and spreading his legs in a perfectly straight line. He swirls his body again and again, following the steps of the melody.
The Last Symphony review excerpt
A powerful detective novel with a complex plot that combines political scandals, social messages, philosophical concerns as well as the author’s love for art and dance. The psychographs create living heroes who pulsate dynamically in the notes of the words, while they range from the absolute self-confidence of the main character to the anxiety disorder of one of the main suspects.
Congratulations to the author for her mastery in managing sensitive social issues, for the spirited dialogues and for the adaptation of her writing to the chaos of art but also to the objectivity of the police investigation. 5/5 and I am anxiously waiting for her next work! It has a lot to give to detective fiction!
For others, success is a goal and for others it is a nightmare. This is what the author deals with in the second adventure of the criminologist Peter Deligiannis. With an even stronger pen. Her characters each fight with their demons. Deligiannis has to solve a mystery which it seems unsolved as wherever he tries to find a beginning, he falls into a dead end.
The answers will be given through a trip to Russia. We walk in the Red Square and we feel the cold of Moscow on our face. The stormy action, the unsolved mystery, the brilliant descriptions and the fast flow are just a few of the elements that do not let you leave the book. You read breathlessly until you reach the last page, where essentially all the questions are solved, both for the reader and for her heroes.
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I want to convey the message about the diversity of people in different challenges and goals and specifically towards glory, victory and confirmation. Also, I want to emphasize the fact that in our life we must always seek our own top and fight with ourselves to reach our personal goals.
What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?
The best compliment I ever received it is about my protagonist, the criminologist Peter Deligiannis who reminded to a reader the figure of Sherlock Holmes.
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
I started writing short stories when I was studying biology at University, at the age of 22. My first drafts had a very low literature content, so I read more and more books to train myself in a professional level. The best learning is the exersice. I reached a level that let me give a master class about creative writing to Greek student writers a few months ago.
Are any of your characters inspired by real life people?
For the character of the dancer, I got inspired by a famous Russian dancer, Ildar Gaynutdinov, whom I discovered through his work on Instagram. The way he perceives art, made me turn images into words, creating emotions hidden in the secret language of dance. Through this hero, I highlighted the value of the emotional and psychological equilibrium, when someone is on the top.
What skills have you acquired or information have you learned from writing?
When you are writing crime fiction you have to do a thorough research on the course of the investigation of a crime, of the laws, etc. Therefore you somehow become a police officer! Through the writing of my books, I consider I have acquired knowledge of the subject of criminology.
What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?
The most fun part is when my heroes guide me to make decisions I have never thought them before and create a different path for them than the first one I had in my mind. The most difficult part is the editing process and I think that almost every writer should agree with me.
“What If” Scenarios
If your book ever becomes a movie and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?
It is one of my dreams. If it ever happens, I would like Douglas Booth for the role of my protagonist, Mr. Deligiannis. I think that his attitude is so suitable for my hero.
If you could be in a writer’s group with up to four famous writers, who would they be?
Agatha Christie, Gillian Flynn, Sebastian Fitzek and Sandrone Dazieri.
Your favorite character that you’ve written comes to life for one day. What do you do together for 24 hours?
As you have understood, my favorite character is my criminologist, Mr. Deligiannis, but our ‘’relationships’’ is a little ‘’weird.’’ If he comes to life I think that we are going to keep fighting all day, because he ‘‘thinks’’ that his investigation stories had to be written by a famous writer and not from an upcoming talent, as I am. Yes, I have some problems to deal with him.
You are transported into your book for one day. What role do you play? How do you alter the events of the story?
I think I would like to take on the role of secret observer and follow my heroes in their investigation. It would be really exciting!
Would you rather own your own bookstore or your own publishing house, and what would you sell or publish?
I would rather to own my Publishing house to find new ‘‘voices’’ from writers from all over the world. I would like to give an opportunity to young writers who want to come to the writing fore. Of course, I would publish all the genres.
Just for Fun
A movie or a piece of music that changed your life.
The series The Fall made me leave the romance’s fictions writing and proceed to the genre of crime fiction. The psychographs of the heroes of this series and especially of the murderer, inspired me and since then I decided to start writing a crime book series.
Your favorite genre to read.
Mystery, detective and psychological thrillers.
Old books or new books?
Old books are classic and timeless, but I prefer new ‘‘voices.’’
Your most unrealistic dream job.
My biggest dream is to become a director one day!
When time travel is achieved, do you go forward or backward?
Maybe I would prefer to stay in present. I don’t pay attention to the past and I don’t want to know the future.
Pin it!
I like this book because it has a lot of suspects and I like to try to see if I can solve the mystery before I finish the book and find out who really did it.