The Broken Shore: Peter Temple

A mystery magazine that I read, Deadly Pleasures, has a feature each issue called "Reviewed to Death." They pick a title and six to eight reviewers all read and review that book. It is interesting to see different takes on the book, but sometimes the reviews get repetitive. I think, over the years, that The Broken Shore has been reviewed to death (online, not in the magazine). I don't think I can add much to the praise that has been heaped upon it.

Homicide detective Joe Cashin was part of an operation gone wrong, and he was badly injured and traumatized. A co-worker died as a result. He has been reassigned to the quiet, relatively crime free, town of Port Monro, where he spends a lot of time thinking about the past, both related to work and his family. Port Monro is his home town and he ends up getting reacquainted with old friends and family.

An overview from a  review at the Washington Post, from 2007.

There is, in fact, a great deal of action ahead -- murder, rape, suicide, child abuse, police brutality, shootouts -- but always in the context of gorgeous writing. The novel is in fact an exceptional blending of first-rate crime fiction and a literary sensibility. This does not come entirely as a surprise. Temple isn't well known in this country, but in Australia, where he lives, "The Broken Shore" has already won the Ned Kelly Award for crime fiction, as did four of his previous novels.

The Crime Writer's Association awarded this book the 2007 Duncan Lawrie Dagger for best crime novel of the year.

The strengths of this book are its depiction of rural areas in Australia and the inhumane treatment of the aboriginal population there.  The depth of hatred and bigotry that some of the townspeople exhibit is very unpleasant and conveyed very convincingly.  Also Temple develops very interesting characters.

The drawbacks, for me, were that the story of Joe Cashin and the surrounding crime investigation did not grab me, pull me into the book. I enjoyed reading the book and I got a lot out of it, but it wasn't a spectacular experience like it was for many others.

A small point, but Cashin has two large poodles, and his relationship with them does a lot to reveal his character (in a good way).

Also reviewed at these blogs:

• A review at The Game's Afoot, with several links to other reviews.
• At Books to the Ceiling.
• At Material Witness.

I do plan to read more books by Peter Temple. This was my first, and I want to read the book that follows and features Inspector Stephen Villani, who was in The Broken Shore, but not a main character. I also want to try the Jack Irish series.