Complex tough thriller

Complex characters and an even more complex plot. Beautifully written and performed. Not quite Broken Shore but still far better than most.

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A crime classic

The best kind of bleak crime novel. Terse, literary writing. No flowery nonsense. It has a little of the manic energy of David Peace’s Red Riding trilogy, though Temple is much more in control of his craft.

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Gritty, dark and utterly brilliant!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes and without hesitation. A thriller with NO unbelievable characters, NO implausible plots with gaping holes and NO quarter given in the relentless impact of the language used and the sheer grit of the delicious Aussie prose. Peter Temple is wonderful and so is Michael Carmen the narrator.What an unbeatable combination.

What other book might you compare Truth to, and why?

So hard to find any other books to compare with Peter Temple. He writes in such a distinctly 'different' way to any other author. For sheer quality of this genre, I would look to James Lee Burke and his Dave Robicheaux novels narrated by Will Patton or James Ellroy.

What about Michael Carman’s performance did you like?

I loved the whole presentation of this book by a very, very talented narrator. He does real credit to the novel and I'm sure it was pretty challenging at times,to say the least! So many different and distinct voices and he makes such a terrific job of the female ones too. Perfection!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES but it's complex and at times it does call for real concentration and occasional re-winds, or at least it did in my case as I don't keep up with pacey plots and numerous characters as well as I used to! One sitting? No not possible for this listener.

Any additional comments?

Get ready for loads of profanities and dark, dark humour. This is the authentic and every day language of men on the front line who almost on a daily basis have to deal with sordid crimes and totally ruthless villains. Add to this mix a heady dose of corruption, flawed and bent policemen and politicians and more than the odd murder....welcome to the world of Inspector Steve Villani. Just a final note if this is your first Peter Temple. Don't be put off by the clipped and dark prose or the fact that the story-line jumps about more than a bit at first. This may be challenging to begin with BUT DO STICK WITH IT. This is a great novel in every way and well worth the effort. Once you're into it you'll hopefully love it as much as I do. Get ready too for some real laughs too and they're all down to the colourful language and the inimitable Aussie way with words! Great fun.

Recommend 'The Broken Shore' by Peter Temple. Fabulous!

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5 people found this helpful

Needs careful listening.

Complicated story which is hard to follow at times and I found that I had to concentrate all the time sometimes rewinding to understand who was who.

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What a disappointment

After enjoying his first book, The Broken Shore, I eagerly anticipated this one. What a let down. Poorly written, confused, plot all over the place and before I got to the ending I neither cared nor was interested in what was happening.

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