A classic edition of the first novel in Peter Temple's beloved Jack Irish novels-now a major series on ABC TV starring Guy Pearce
Peter Temple is widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest writers, and his novels have been published in twenty countries. During his lifetime he worked extensively as a journalist and editor, before teaching editing and media studies at a number of universities. His novels, among them the Jack Irish series, Truth, The Broken Shore and An Iron Rose, are celebrated as some of the best crime writing in English.
Temple died in March 2018.
‘Bad Debts is wonderful, quintessentially Australian stuff, full of
authentic, diehard types, old culture cops, backstreet humour and
inner-city dialogue you can overhear in the bars of certain hotels,
the ones with framed pictures of horses on the walls. It is the
genuine article and an absolute pearler of a read.’
*Australian Book Review*
‘Like his characters, Temple has a spare, funny delivery, and a
sharp eye for a target...Temple writes with the urgency of someone
who wants to disrupt an official investigation, and his story is
kept up like taut wire. Brothers and sisters in crime, worship at
the Temple.’
*Australian*
‘The prose is tight, the pace breathless, the dialogue inspired,
and Temple’s take on the Victorians’ football mania hilarious.’
*Sun-Herald*
‘Temple can be as tough as nails, but also displays a wickedly
droll sense of humour which, like the work of, say, the American
writer Joe R. Lansdale, frequently has the reader holding his sides
with laughter even while immersed in some particularly unpleasant
scenario...With Bad Debts Temple has created a world-class
novel.’
*Sydney Morning Herald*
‘Unlike many good crime stories, this one can be related to our
immediate environment. It incorporates icons and mediums which are
very much part of most Australians’ lives...These are the elements
which make Bad Debts such a good crime novel. From the
unforgettable cast of characters to the events which pre-destine
their lives, the story literally explodes off the pages.’
*Geelong Advertiser*
'One of the world’s finest crime writers.’
*The Times*
‘Having read the new novels of Michael Connelly and Martin Cruz
Smith, I have to say that Temple belongs in their company.
Australia is a long way off, but this bloke is world-class.’
*Washington Post*
‘Fortunately, Text Publishing last year began the welcome and
long-overdue project of ensuring that Temple’s entire backlist,
which includes four Jack Irish novels and five stand-alones, is
available on these shores...Irish is tough and resourceful, yes,
but it’s the way Temple brings out his fear, desire, humor, and
self-doubt that ranks him among the most interesting series
heroes.’
*Booklist US*
‘Temple’s ear for dialogue and the vernacular was quite
something—and had him compared to the masterful Detroit-native
Elmore Leonard.’
*NZ Metro*
‘The late Peter Temple was arguably one of our finest crime writers
and an entertaining chronicler of Australian psyche…Bad Debts was
the first book in the series and is a witty and tense journey
through the backstreets of Melbourne…an excellent read and a good
introduction to the series.’
*Canberra Weekly*
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