This is a remarkably good book.... the characters, the locations, the plotting, the dialogue... all outstanding. Most of all, this is one of the most remarkably well-written crime novels you will ever read. In fact, skip "crime novels"...it transcends the genre by the distance between the goalposts at the 'Gee'.

This is an absolutely terrific read. It is fast-paced, so much so that I had to go back occasionally to keep the characters straight, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In my defence there are a lot of characters; policemen, politicians, journalists and criminals, and all of them pretty sleazy. Not only a lot of characters but a lot of plots and Peter Temple keeps them all in the air like the master that he is – and remembers to tie them all up by the end. There are a lot of surprises here but none of them contrived. The picture of Melbourne that Temple paints is not one that is likely to appeal to the local tourist board but there is a real sense of place in his writing. Whether his protagonist is drinking a long black or a bottle of Cooper’s, thinking about the bushfires or discussing the nature of supporting a football team, he can make you feel as if you are there – or would like to be. Well, perhaps not in the case of the bushfire. If you are new to Peter Temple then I envy you. I would recommend starting with The Broken Shore and then moving on to this. Better still get hold of both and start reading now, you won’t be disappointed.