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Start giftingTruth
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Learn moreInspector Stephen Villani, head of homicide in Melbourne, Australia, has a full agenda: a murdered woman in a penthouse apartment, three men butchered in a sadistic rampage, a tattoo-faced drug dealer corrupting his rebellious daughter, and a crumbling marriage. As these seemingly unrelated events begin to unfold, Villani finds himself immersed in an unfamiliar world of political scandal and ethical ambiguity. He must navigate the inept bureaucracy that is the police department, all the while maintaining a solid front and trying to keep the press, his family, and his own past from breaking him completely. With each twist and every turn of this taut crime novel, Villani is forced to question whom he can trust.
Peter Temple is the author of eight crime novels, five of which have won the Ned Kelly Award for crime fiction. He has worked as a journalist and editor for newspapers and magazines in several countries. He lives in Victoria, Australia.
Michael Carman has worked in film, television, and theater in Australia, including the international film Nim's Island, the ABC television series MDA, and others. He has appeared with the Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth theater companies. He has performed in many ABC radio plays and narrated many books for audio.
Reviews
“Truth is a fascinating crime puzzle presented before an urban backdrop of futuristic projects that don’t work and a landscape of wildfires that seem to burn forever. It conveys an authentic feel of violence, pain, and corruption, but also displays wit, remarkable insights, and even moments of beauty.”
“I’m a great fan of Peter Temple, and his new novel does not disappoint; in fact, I think it surpasses The Broken Shore in many ways. Temple’s writing is so uncompromisingly Australian—raw and visceral—yet despite the terseness of his prose and the almost exclusively masculine world that his characters inhabit, there is something desperately poignant and affecting in the way he reveals their emotional lives. His intelligent dialogue invites the reader to understand the intelligence and subtlety at play. I love his style.”
“A brutal tale of corruption, greed, and revenge…Temple’s elliptical storytelling—the past and the present are often interchangeable—fits the slippery subject of deeply ingrained police corruption and one man’s determination to uncover the truth.”
“Rich dialogue, filled with Australian idioms, is bought to life by Michael Carman. His characterizations of the key players help listeners to follow the complex plot in this tense thriller about power and corruption. Carman’s delivery balances straight narration and performance as he gives authenticity to the robust language and gritty descriptions of the murders. This helps to engage the listener—although non-Aussies may find some of the slang difficult to follow.”
“In this follow-up to the award-winning The Broken Shore, Temple spins a complex and powerful story with writing so top-notch that readers might be tempted to slow down and savor the prose if the plot line weren’t so compelling. Villani is an unforgettable protagonist, a miserable, conflicted cop who somehow embodies grace in a malevolent world. Already acclaimed in Australia, Temple proves once again that he deserves to be better known among American crime fiction fans…highly recommended.”
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