Peter Temple, Bad Debts (1996)

[Denne australske krimi er ikke oversat til dansk, men det er den prisbelønnede “Den knuste kyst” fra 2008]

Australian debut, the first in the Jack Irish series, and my first Global Reading Challenge Review.

A taste of the style (p 7):

“Eddie Dollery´s skin wasn´t looking good. He´d cut himself several times shaving and each nick was wearing a little red-centred rosette of toilet paper. The rest of Eddie, bloated, was wearing yesterday´s superfine cotton business shirt, striped, and scarlet pyjama pants, silk. The overall effect was not fetching.”

Jack Irish, the first-person narrator, is a former lawyer, a debt collector and detective who still struggles to come to terms with the loss of his beloved wife some years earlier. The plot begins when an old client, Danny McKillop, leaves a message on Irish´s phone, asking him for help. Irish checks up on the old case which took place soon after his wife´s death, finding out that McKillop was convicted of culpable driving, killing a woman while he was intoxicated. Jack Irish gets the message too late, and soon after McKillop is shot down by a policeman in ´self-defence´. Irish speaks with friends and relatives, and soon new information makes him uncertain whether McKillop really committed the crime he was sent to prison for.

The case also involves politics (giving me the impression that Peter Temple is not exactly impressed by their honesty and integrity) and a touch of conspiracy. And at some point the police give Jack Irish the feeling they want him to ´give the case a miss´. Well, we all know what will happen next, don´t we?

No more about the exciting and well-wrought plot. Temple gives a clear impression of the Melbourne environment and a colourful impression of Australian English.

A taste of Australian geography:

“It takes hours to get to Perth, flying over the huge shark-infested dent in the continent called the Great Australian Bight. And when you get there, you´re two hours in the past. I didn´t know Perth; it was just an airport on the way to Europe. They tell me the locals have secessionist tendencies. I can understand that. Judging by the accents, they´ll probably have a fight over whether to rename the State Manchester or Birmingham.”

I have been looking forward to the Jack Irish series, and in spite of the conspiracy aspect (not exactly my favourite plot), I enjoyed the debut thoroughly. (Dash it, now I will have to add number two, three and four to my list).

I bought this book myself.

Peter Temple & Vegetables

It is probably time to tell you what Peter Temple, or rather his characters, have to say on vegetables in The Broken Shore.

"It´s likely to be murder. Lives, he´s a cabbage."
"Did you ever ask yourself why they hit on the cabbage? What about the carrot? How about the Brussels sprout?"

Thank you to all of you who played along.


Peter Temple & grønsager
Det er nok på tide at opklare, hvad Peter Temple, eller rettere hans personer, har at sige om grønsager i "Den knuste kyst."

"Det ser ud til at blive til mord. Overlever han, bliver det som grøntsag."
"Har du nogensinde spurgt dig selv, hvad slags grøntsag man mener med det? En gulerod, måske? Eller hvad med rosenkål?"

Tak til alle jer, som legede med.

NB: what fruit or vegetable are you?

I came across the question "what kind of vegetable" in Peter Temple´s wonderful "The Broken Shore".

He has inspired me to write my own answer, but I will give you time to think about it - and perhaps share your answer.

Come back Monday for the answer to one of life´s great mysteries.

Peter Temple, The Broken Shore (2005)

This crime novel is the first in Temple´s new series about homicide detective Joe Cashin who recently moved from Melbourne to his hometown.

I haven’t read much Australian crime fiction so this was an excellent way for me to approach foreign territory. Temple has created a strong sense of environment, of a ´different´ English language, the countryside and the national character of the ´vegemite eaters´. (Absolutely no offence, just curiosity). Furthermore, the reader learns a lot about the strained relationship between Aboriginals and white Australians, plus the gap between rich and poor.

The protagonist, Joe Cashin, is a likeable cop who cares – maybe too much. Cashin has his own load of ghosts and guilt to see to, but as the story moves on he must also deal with the repeated accusations of police violence and corruption.

Senior Detective Rick Hopgood is thrown in for contrast, the colleague Cashin is forced to cooperate with, an unpleasant macho man with racist attitudes.

The plot does not exactly move at a fast pace in the beginning, but there is a quiet sense of petty crime while we are waiting for something to happen in the case of the old man who was knocked down, and when the story gathers speed, Peter Temple delivers a very satisfactory solution to the crime.

What more can I say? Peter Temple is a great April discovery, and fits in really well with my crime for all theme – just like the book I plan to review tomorrow.

A language comment: to some extent I agree with German and Danish readers who claim the novel does not translate well. By coincidence, I have both a Danish and an English version sitting next to me, and while the Danish translation is good workmanship, it is just not the same, exhilarating experience.

Peter Temple, Den knuste kyst (2008)
Denne krimi er den første i Temples nye serie om kriminalbetjent Joe Cashin, som for nylig er flyttet fra storbyen Melourne til sin fødeby.

Jeg har ikke læst mange australske krimier, så bogen her var en fantastisk vej ind på fremmed territorium. Peter Temple er rigtig god til at skildre miljøet, det anderledes, engelske sprog, livet på landet og Vegemite-ædernes nationalkarakter. Desuden får læseren et grundigt indblik i det anstrengte forhold mellem aboriginals og hvide, samt kløften mellem rig og fattig.

Hovedpersonen, Joe Cashin, er en sympatisk strisser, som er fuld af empati – måske endda mere end det er godt for ham. Cashin har sin egen last af spøgelser og skyldfølelse at bære rundt på, men som historien udvikler sig, bliver han også nødt til at forholde sig til de gentagne beskyldninger om politivold og korruption.

Som kontrast har vi Rick Hopgood, leder af efterforskningsgruppen i Cromarty, den nærmeste større by, en racistisk machokollega, Cashin bliver tvunget ud i af samarbejde med.

Plottet bevæger sig ikke ligefrem hurtigt af sted i begyndelsen, men der er en stille og rolig atmosfære af småkriminalitet, mens vi venter på, at der skal komme en udvikling i sagen om den gamle mand, som blev slået ned. Efter de første kapitler begynder tingene at tage fart, og Temple lever en god og tilfredsstillende løsning på forbrydelsen.

Hvad er der mere at sige: Peter Temple var et dejligt april-fund, og han passer fint ind i mit krimi for alle-tema – præcis ligesom den bog, jeg regner med at anmelde i morgen.

En kommentar til sproget: ved et tilfælde har jeg både en engelsk og dansk udgave ved hånden, og jeg kan godt forstå de danske og tyske læsere, som ikke synes, romanen klarer sig så godt i oversættelse. Den danske oversættelse er af ganske god kvalitet, men den giver ganske enkelt ikke den samme, opløftende oplevelse.

“Har de fået fanget ham?”
”Ikke så vidt jeg ved, mrs Addison,” sagde Cashin. ”Hvor véd de det fra?”
”Fra radioen, min ven. Hvad skal der dog blive af det her land? En mand overfaldet i sin seng, langt ude på det fredelige bøhland. Den slags hørte man ikke tidligere.”

Og så den engelske:
”Caught him yet?”
”Not as far as I know, Mrs Addison,” said Cashin. ”How did you hear?”
“The radio, my dear. What´s happening to this country? Man attacked in his bed in the peaceful countryside. Never used to happen.”

Hmm, der skal vist et længere uddrag til for at forskellene virkelig træder frem. Men min holdning er klar: Peter Temple nydes bedst på engelsk.