Deep Water by Peter Corris

Publisher's Synopsis

Stripped of his private detective licence and devastated by the murder of his partner Lily Truscott, Cliff Hardy travels to the US to help Lily's brother's tilt for a world boxing title. In San Diego he suffers a heart attack and undergoes a quadruple bypass. He meets nurse Margaret McKinley, an expatriate Australian who is concerned about the disappearance in Sydney of her father, renowned geologist Dr Henry McKinley.

Hardy takes on the investigation, and it turns out that McKinley had discovered a way to tap into the massive Sydney basin aquifer, a possible solution to the city's water problems. Working with Margaret and his daughter Megan, Hardy confronts an old enemy as well as the opposing force of big business bent on exploiting the discovery - and prepared to kill for it.

Energised by the case and by his attachment to Margaret, Hardy obeys the strict rules for the restoration of his health - but in pursuing the truth and the malefactors, he makes his own rules.

My Review of Deep Water by Peter Corris

Cliff Hardy comes up against his most serious obstacle yet at the beginning of Deep Water, the 34th book of the long running series by Peter Corris. When Cliff wakes up in a San Diego hospital he finds out that he has just had quadruple by-pass heart surgery. In typical Cliff Hardy style though, his recovery time is swift and he makes a beeline for the nearest cold beer once he's discharged.

While still recovering in San Diego he meets up with one of the nurses who look care of him while he was in hospital. Ex-pat Aussie nurse Margaret McKinley had heard that Cliff used to be a private detective and asked him whether he could help her locate her father when he returned to Australia. Dr Henry KcKinley had been working on a special project when he virtually dropped off the mat.

It's the sort of investigation that suits Cliff right down to the ground, allowing him to unofficially act in the role of knight errant once again.

When he hits Sydney he hooks up with the private enquiry agent who took over his business, Hank Batchelor and it's as if he's never been away. He wastes no time picking up McKinley's trail, but what he finds is that he is chasing after a man who is almost too good to be true. McKinley works as a geologist and, according to his friends was one of the true good guys. It's a pity the same can't be said for the company he works for, and when Cliff Hardy pulls one of the frayed threads connecting to it, a sordid lifestyle and politically turbo-charged mystery begins to unfold before his eyes.

Hardy’s unlicensed status doesn’t escape the notice of one particularly corrupt police detective who promises to make his life hell. Let’s face it, it wouldn’t be an honest to God Cliff Hardy investigation without some adversity from the NSW police department. Hardy’s reaction is predictable in that it doesn’t slow his investigation in the slightest, his life has been reinvigorated by the recent surgery and he is energized with a new purpose of righting a wrong that screams injustice to him.

Peter Corris has once again hit his readers with a fast moving detective story that remains completely relevant to the present day setting. Cliff is aging, it’s true, and with every passing book he seems to be facing increasingly difficult obstacles to overcome. But his advancing years are embraced and are used as a valuable voice of experience.

The introduction of Cliff’s daughter, Megan, into the stories has enabled a new side to the hardboiled detective to develop that, while not exactly bringing out the paternal side to the detective, gives him an important focus in his life. It also allows his constant memories of his first wife, Cyn, to become a more relevant presence. Cyn is referenced throughout the series and serves as a constant reminder of the fragile nature of Cliff Hardy’s psyche.

We are also made very aware of the loneliness that Cliff is beginning to experience, another indicator that he is more than ever feeling his age. He contemplates his personal life with yet another recollection of Cyn : “My wife Cyn had provided the diagnosis long ago. ‘You live in your head, Cliff,’ she said, ‘with your clients and victims and perps. Everyone else just flits in and out.’

So once again we are allowed to flit briefly into Cliff Hardy’s world for another rousing investigation that highlights Hardy the strategist. A secret worth countless millions, ruthless and desperate company executives, a sordid past and a final endgame that hangs in the balance makes Deep Water a Cliff Hardy novel of the highest quality.