A Death in Malta

When Paul Caruana Galizia was at work in London, his eldest brother called to say their mother Daphne had just been assassinated. That day, he returned to their native Malta and, with his two brothers and their father, began a quest to discover who was responsible for Daphne's murder and who stood to profit from ending the life of a journalist whose courage and determination threatened the powerful with the truth. Two years later, they did.

A Death in Malta is more than an investigation into the life and assassination of Daphne by her son Paul. It's an examination of the globalisation of corruption and what it has done to a modern European country; it's about that country's escape from colonialism to another kind of arrogant power; it's a personal history of writing when the stakes are high and the intimidation is violent. Above all, it's a universal homage to mothers and their sons.

Review

Paul Caruana Galizia is a superb storyteller. His book reads at times like a thriller, at times like a detective story, and at times like the work of an investigative journalist uncovering webs of corruption, with levels of detail that will be most interesting to those who understand Malta, its systems and flaws . . . A moving testament to the life and work of an extraordinary woman and the country-changing power of journalism -- Christina Patterson ― Sunday Times

A superbly honest and very painful account. Paul Caruana Galizia has given his mother a new and even more lasting monument: a book that is unforgettable, beautifully written, and deeply honest -- John Simpson ― Guardian

A work of rare vividness and authority, devastatingly told ― Financial Times

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a trailblazer, exposing the kleptocratic practices of Malta's elite - the same practices now found all across Europe and North America. The story of her heroic life, her tragic death and its aftermath, told by her son, are essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of democracy -- Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY and RED FAMINE

A murdered mother's fight for truth and justice lives on through the words of her youngest son -- Angelina Jolie

An unforgettable profile in courage: that of a journalist who risked her life to hold power and corruption to account; and that of her family, whose fight for justice exemplifies the intensity and ingenuity we must bring to the defense of democracy wherever the tide rises against it. Riveting and inspiring -- Bill Browder, bestselling author of FREEZING ORDER

Paul Caruana Galizia's story of how his mother died fighting the mafia takeover of her country is full of anger, determination and passion. It is crucial reading for anyone worried about how dirty money is undermining democracy, and who wants to know how to stop it -- Oliver Bullough, bestselling author of BUTLER TO THE WORLD

This riveting memoir is [Paul Caruana Galizia's] rallying homage to a bravely unconventional mother whose hounding for her efforts to expose corruption left her feeling she was living in a modern-day version of "The Crucible" -- Caroline Sanderson ― The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

Read this book. An important and vital work, it not only highlights the critical role of investigative journalism but also a family's remarkable tenacity and resilience. If you liked RED NOTICE you will love this. A page turner -- Thomas Harding, author of THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE

An instant classic of political true crime that will make readers’ blood boil ― Publishers Weekly

A must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it takes to be an iconoclast and a trailblazer, but also how growing impunity in a state can mount a feeling of responsibility on an individual in ways that may be necessary for some preservation of democracy . . . a compelling and essential book -- Sally Hayden ― Irish Times

About the Author

Paul Caruana Galizia became a journalist after his mother was assassinated and since then has won an Orwell Prize special award, a British Journalism Award and other honours for his reporting. With his brothers, he has received a Magnitsky Human Rights Award and an Anderson-Lucas-Norman Award for campaigning to achieve justice for Daphne.