Mystery and crime books from Australia. News, views, reviews, releases and author appearances - crime fiction in Australia. Crime novels, mystery novels, detective stories, police procedural books, thrillers and soft-boiled mysteries

Friday, December 08, 2006

Aussie Noir

I got ahold of Peter Doyle's second crime novel Amaze Your Friends and am enjoying it now. This is the second Billy Glasheen novel following on from the Ned Kelly Award winning Get Rich Quick. While both are rough and tough stories filled with grifters and scammers policed by a bunch of bent cops, Amaze Your Friends has a much more noir quality about it with Glasheen's life taking on a real sense of hopelessness.

This is Aussie noir at it's dirtiest in my opinion. It's set in the 1950s and not only is it filled with Australian slang, it's the kind of slang that reminds me of my grandfather and his mates shooting the shit at the local RSL as they suck down their roll-your-own smokes lubricated by a schooner or 15 of Reschs.

For a taste of life in Sydney's gutters trying desperately to stay a step ahead of the standover merchants, this can't be beat.

2 comments:

Peter Rozovsky said...

... not only is it filled with Australian slang, it's the kind of slang that reminds me of my grandfather and his mates shooting the shit at the local RSL as they suck down their roll-your-own smokes lubricated by a schooner or 15 of Reschs.
====================

That's an intriguing desciption. I've been discovering Australian crime fiction, thanks to readers of my blog, and I've found that use of slang is one of its distinguishing features, one I've mentioned a few times on my blog.

colman said...

I've got hold of this book on e-bay and should get it along with some Robert Barretts and a Disher book early next year.

Go Australia post !