Dead Point

Book excerpt: Winner, Ned Kelly Award, Best Crime Novel, 2000 It takes a lot to rattle Jack Irish but, as Melbourne descends into a cold, wet winter, his mood is on the same trajectory. The woman in Jack's life has reconnected with an old flame. He has gambled and lost massively and seen a champion horse put down. It's not surprising that Jack's mind is not fully on the job he's being paid to do: find Robbie Colburne, occasional barman. But when Jack does get serious, he finds the freelance drink-dispenser is of great interest to some powerful people, people with very bad habits and a distinct lack of respect for the criminal justice system...Any lapse in concentration could prove fatal. Peter Temple is the author of nine novels, including four books in the Jack Irish series. He has won the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction five times, and his widely acclaimed novels have been published in over twenty countries. The Broken Shore won the UK's prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger for the best crime novel of 2007 and Truth won the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award, the first time a crime writer has won an award of this calibre anywhere in the world. Temple's first two novels Bad Debts and Black Tide have been made into films with Guy Pearce starring as Jack Irish. They screened on the ABC in August, 2012. 'Another world-class crime novel from Peter Temple.' Canberra Times 'Temple writes...with enough insight and passion to make the reader ask exactly where the boundary lies between genre fiction and serious literary fiction.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Temple is as dark and mean, as cool and as mesmerising, as any James Ellroy or Elmore Leonard with whom you might kill the small or sad hours.' Peter Craven, Age 'Temple's work is spare, deeply ironic; his wit, like the local beer, as cold as a dental anaesthetic.' Graeme Blundell, Australian 'It's clever, funny, exciting and exceedingly well written. The author weaves multi layers of plot, life, characters and emotions into an exceedingly satisfying narrative that grips from first to last page. If you haven't yet discovered Temple, track down his books. He's premier class.' Daily Examiner UK