Bad Debts (2004)

By Peter Temple
I’ve been trying to avoid giving books a rating of “7” because it seems a bit of a cop-out. But I’m afraid I couldn’t resist giving a seven for “Bad Debts”; it’s a good fun book while not being spectacular. I’ve been looking for a good crime writer for a while (one that isn't an autopsy person) and yay here is one!! Also, he’s Australian!

The hero of the story is Jack Irish, an ex-lawyer who now specialises in finding witnesses for trials and betting on the horses to make ends meet - he hangs around in the dodgy end of town a fair bit. Oh yes, he also enjoys a bit of woodwork, and used to have a drinking problem. It’s all set in and around Melbourne, which is nice seeing as I’m moving there soon. An ex-client of Jack’s contacts him because he’s in trouble, but is murdered before Jack can meet him. Of course, Jack starts to investigate, and meets a few leggy dames, crooked pollies and eccentric football fans along the way. I must say I am a bit worried about moving to Melbourne now, it seems to be a den of vice and a haven for criminals, and I will never think of Daylesford in quite the same way again. (Read the book to find out why).

It took me a while to get going with this book but by the end I was quite fond of Irish and will definitely try the others in the series. I have to say it did remind me of Dick Francis novels - perhaps that was just because of the horse racing element, and that strange feeling you get that the hero is into exactly all the same things the author likes to do in their spare time. More fun and better written than Dick Francis, though.

Rating: 7 out of 10