Broken by his last case, homicide detective Joe Cashin has fled the city and returned to his hometown to run its one-man police station while his wounds heal and the nightmares fade. He lives a quiet life with his two dogs in the tumbledown wreck his family home has become. It's a peaceful existence - ideal for the rehabilitating man. But his recovery is rudely interrupted by a brutal attack on Charles Bourgoyne, a prominent member of the local community. Suspicion falls on three young men from the local Aboriginal community. But Cashin's not so sure and as the case unfolds amid simmering corruption and prejudice, he finds himself holding on to something that it might be better to let go. The relentless story of a town with a hidden past versus a man who is trying to forget his, "The Broken Shore" delivers powerful, lean writing, pumping more muscle and feeling into one paragraph than other writers can muster in a page. A masterpiece of insight and passion, Peter Temple's UK debut announces the arrival of a talent to rival Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin.
From the Publisher
Winner of the Crime Writers Association Duncan Lawrie Dagger
Award for Best Crime Fiction 2007
From the Inside Flap
Broken by his last case, homicide detective Joe Cashin has fled the city and returned to his wet and wintry hometown in South Eastern Australia, running its one-man police station while his wounds heal and the nightmares fade. All he has to do is play the country cop, repair the tumbledown family home and walk his two dogs.
His recovery is interrupted when a local man is brutally attacked and left for dead. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, suspicion quickly falls on three young men from the local Aboriginal community. But Cashins not so sure
The relentless story of a town with a hidden past versus a man who is trying to forget his, The Broken Shore delivers powerful, lean writing, pumping more feeling into one paragraph than other writers can muster in a page. A masterpiece of insight and passion, it is definitive proof that Peter Temple is one of the best novelists writing in any genre today.
From the Back Cover
"Its hard to know where to start praising this book. Plot, style, setting and characters are all startlingly good
The Broken Shore is one of those watershed books that makes you rethink your ideas about reading." Sydney Morning Herald
"Put simply, Temple is a master, and The Broken Shore is a masterful book." John Harvey
"It might well be the best crime novel published in this country." The Australian
"If you only read one crime novel this year, read The Broken Shore." The Age
"Read Peter Temple for his plots. Read him for his characters and atmospherics. But most importantly just read him. Youll be hooked." Limelight
"This is as good as it gets." The Sunday Age
"Every word in The Broken Shore contains meaning. Its all killer, no filler." Courier-Mail
About the Author
Four-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction, Peter Temple is Australia's most acclaimed crime and thriller writer. He is the author of four Jack Irish novels: Bad Debts (1996), Black Tide (1999), Dead Point (2000) and White Dog (2003). He has also written three other standalone novels: An Iron Rose (1998), Shooting Star (1999) and In the Evil Day (2002).