Bad Debts by Peter Temple

Publisher's Synopsis

There wasn't anything the cops could do for you if people wanted to kill you. Not unless there was something you could do for the cops, and then you ended up living in a caravan park in Deniliquin on the witness protection program.

Meet Jack Irish, criminal lawyer, debt collector, football lover, turf watcher, trainee cabinetmaker, and the best Australian crime character we've seen in years.

When Jack receives a puzzling message from a jailed ex-client, he's too deep in misery over Fitzroy's latest loss to take much notice. Next thing Jack knows, the ex-client's dead and he's been drawn into a life-threatening investigation involving high-level corruption, dark sexual secrets, shonky property deals, and murder.

With hitmen after him, shady ex-policemen at every turn, and the body count rising, Jack needs to find out what's going on - and fast.

An utterly compelling and topical crime novel, Bad Debts has everything - humour, action, suspense, and an unforgettable cast of characters.

My Review 

A former client, Danny McKillop leaves a series of messages on Jack's answering machine each one sounding more desperate than the last. The problem is that Jack can't remember who Danny is, having represented him way back in his drunk days. By the time Jack refreshes his memory by consulting old files, Danny has been murdered outside the pub he was trying to get Jack to meet him in front of. Jack discovers that Danny had been gaoled after a hit and run accident in which he was drunk and while it was definitely Danny's car that was involved in the accident, there was definitely a question over whether Danny was the driver.

It's around the time that Jack begins to question why he's bothering to follow up on the McKillop case that he begins to receive warnings to keep his nose out of old affairs that are safer forgotten. If there's nothing more alluring to a fictional protagonist than a warning to stop investigating then I haven't seen it. With even stronger resolve, and with nothing better to fill his days, Jack stoically follows lead after lead with each interview drawing him into the next.

What Jack begins to realise is that the hit and run charge on which Danny McKillop was originally convicted was not as cut and dried as it first looked. For starters, Danny was so drunk he had no recollection of driving anywhere, a witness saw him passed out drunk just 20 minutes before the accident and nowhere near the scene. To top things off, the victim was an outspoken activist who was opposing a planned development at the time. With her dead the opposition goes away. Jack starts to look at the case as a murder made to look like an accident.

Although the main focus of the story is Jack's pursuit of what actually happened on the night of the hit and run accident, there are a couple of interesting side stories taking place that give Jack Irish greater depth and helps the story's continuity. In his down time, Jack spends hours toiling away in a cabinetmaker's shop perfecting the tightest tongue and groove joint he possibly can.

He uses the time to allow his mind to wander when set the most serious of challenges and puts up with the taunts and criticisms from his part-time employer Charlie Taub.

His other distraction is horseracing, but it doesn't come in the form of simply going to the races on Saturday. It's much, much more involved than that. He accompanies professional punter Harry Strang in the capacity of Strang's lawyer. Strang co-ordinates well-orchestrated betting plunges on outsiders that he has done exhaustive homework on. It's pretty fanciful stuff but makes for compelling reading in the way that Dick Francis books are compelling.

Bad Debts is a brisk thriller that marries a strong and intriguing investigation with downright interesting characters. There is an undercurrent of menace to the story as Jack continues to prod away at a case that is sensitive to some powerful underworld figures. But through all this there is a also a lively upbeat feel thrown in thanks to the presence of the story's minor characters: the old Fitzroy football fans who occupy Jack's local pub; the acerbic Charlie Taub; Cam, the enigmatic enforcer with an expert eye when it comes to horses.

This first book of the jack Irish series sets up what promises to be a very enjoyable series of books with a likable and capable protagonist backed by a rich cast of supporting characters. To top it off, Peter Temple moves the story along nicely and has built a drama-filled thriller that reaches a satisfying double climax.

Bad Debts earned Peter Temple his first Ned Kelly Award when it won the 1997 Award for Best Debut Crime Novel.