Torn Apart by Peter Corris

Peter Corris' books are unmistakably Australian in its characterisations and settings.  Torn Apart (2010) is the thirty-fifth book out of thirty seven in the Cliff Hardy detective fiction series.  Written in a unique and simple style, it is an enjoyable and entertaining read.  The protagonist is a semi-retired and ill of health private detective but is as resolute as ever in fighting for justice and tracking down wrongdoers.  If you are interested in PI stories and all things Australian, then I highly recommend this excellent piece of fiction.  Don't forget to check out the others in the series too.  I bought Torn Apart from Kinokuniya in Sydney.  

Blurb:  Hardy has never been much of a family man, so when he meets his second cousin Patrick Malloy it's like being hit with a left hook to the solar plexus - Malloy is his double.  Cliff and his cousin become friends and head overseas to attend a gathering of the Irish Travellers - the gypsy-like folk from whom they are descended.

On their return, a shotgun blast shatters their camaraderie.  But who was the bullet aimed at, Malloy or Hardy?  And why is Malloy's ex-wife, Sheila, now making her presence known to Hardy?

Hardy has his enemies and Malloy's to consider as he searches for a killer.  Clues point in many directions - to Sheila's motives, to Malloy's suspect business dealings, to old scores being settled.  The search takes Hardy to a paramilitary training camp and to a meeting of Traveller descendants in Kangaroo Valley;  everyone seems to have an interest and the playing style is ruthless.

Hardy is de-licensed and out of work...but this investigation is personal.


About the author:  Peter Corris is known as the 'godfather' of Australian crime fiction through his Cliff Hardy detective stories.  He has written in many other areas, including a co-authored autobiography of the late Professor Fred Hollows, a history of boxing in Australia, spy novels, historical novels and a collection of short stories about golf.

In 2009, Peter Corris was awarded the Ned Kelly Award for Best Fiction by the Crime Writers Association of Australia.  He is married to writer Jean Bedford and lives in Sydney.  They have three daughters.

Rating:  5/5