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Start giftingBleak Spring
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreWhen local solicitor Will Rockne is found in his car by his wife—shot through the head—it seems a baffling and motiveless murder. However, Scobie Malone, newly assigned to the case, has his suspicions. Despite his daughter Claire's shy romance with young Jason Rockne, Scobie and his wife Lisa's encounters with Will and Olive Rockne at school functions have always been a little disconcerting … Will had been determined to convince them that he was more than just a suburban lawyer.
But when a huge amount of cash is found in a safe in Rockne's office, Scobie discovers that he wasn't just boasting; he would seem to have been caught up in something big—big enough to involve Bernie Bezrow, Sydney's largest bookmaker, the mysterious Shahriver offshore bank, and an elusive, undoubtedly dangerous Russian.
Somewhere in this labyrinth lies the key to a ruthless murder, and Scobie is determined to pursue it to the end … until his investigation is thwarted by an unexpected source and he is met with a wall of deceit and evasiveness. To break it down will demand all of his skills and experience and will put the lives of young Claire and Jason in terrible danger.
Jon Cleary (1917–2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including The High Commissioner, the first of a long series of popular detective novels featuring Sydney police inspector Scobie Malone. Several of his works have been adapted for television and film.
Shaun Grindell, actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator, was born and raised in Southampton, England. His training includes the Calland School of Speech and Drama and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in London. He has been seen on stage in London and Las Vegas.
Reviews
“With his latest Scobie Malone case, after Dark Summer, Cleary confirms his standing as Australia’s Ed McBain…Cleary’s sure grip on the brisk plot is equaled by his grasp of psychological motivations. This is first-rate storytelling.”
“Scobie Malone is one of the most likable, witty, intelligent cop-heroes in the current crop, and Cleary is one of the most entertaining writers in the genre today. Highly recommended.”
“Mature YAs will enjoy the suspense of this well-crafted crime story and will be on the lookout for further Scobie Malone mysteries.”
“A steadily absorbing plot with some untraditional facets, a clutch of well-drawn characters, and a detective who continues to be warm, intelligent, and unsmug make Bleak Spring one of Cleary’s best.”
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