AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Bashir “Bish” Ortley is a London desk cop. Almost over it. Still not dealing with the death of his son years ago, as well as the break up of his marriage.
'Across the channel, a summer bus tour, carrying a group of English teenagers is subject to a deadly bomb attack, killing four of the passengers and injuring a handful of others. Bish’s daughter is one of those on board.
'The suspect is 17 year old Violette LeBrac whose grandfather was responsible for a bombing that claimed the lives of dozens of people fourteen years ago; and whose mother, Noor, has been serving a life sentence for the part she was supposed to have played in the attack.
'As Bish is dragged into the search for the missing Violette, he finds himself reluctantly working with Noor LeBrac and her younger brother, Jimmy Sarraf.
'And the more he delves into the lives of the family he helped put away, the more Bish realizes that they may have got it wrong all those years ago, and that truth wears many colours. Especially when it comes to the teenagers on board the recent bus bombing. Including his daughter.
'Tell the truth. Shame the devil. Bish can’t get Violette LeBrac’s words out of his head. But what he may get is some sort of peace with his own past as the worlds of those involved in two bombings, years apart, collide into the journey of his life. ' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Dedication: for Bianca
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Melina Marchetta, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 27 August 2016;
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Heads or Tails
2016
single work
review
essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December no. 387 2016; (p. 61) 'Much has been made of the fact that Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil is Melina Marchetta’s first adult novel. Marchetta is best known for her Young Adult titles, which include Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, and On the Jellicoe Road lively, popular works about the intense lives and tribulations of teenagers and their families, often in a cross-cultural (Italian–Australian) context. Having also ventured successfully into fantasy, here she moves into crime drama. This genre provides a fast-paced, incident-packed, and undemanding reading experience. Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, who provides an endorsement for this book, is, along with Maureen McCarthy, Marchetta, and other ostensibly YA writers, widely read by adults. Marchetta is not straying far from her devoted audience.' (Introduction) -
A Masterly Debut with Familiar Echoes
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 26-27 November 2016; (p. 24)
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Growing up in the Age of Terrorism
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 26-27 November 2016; (p. 30)
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Crime Scene : Melina Marchetta Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil.
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2016;
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel
-
Melina Marchetta, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 27 August 2016;
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Thriller an Explosive Blend of Fear and Hope
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17-18 September 2016; (p. 21)
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Looking for Alibrandi Author Melina Marchetta Takes to Literary Crime
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 30 September 2016;
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel'There was a time when Melina Marchetta resented the success of her first novel, Looking for Alibrandi, a beloved Australian book for young adults.'
'Marchetta followed up 11 years later with Saving Francesca, also set in Sydney's inner west, and for a while she felt typecast as a writer of "good stories about Italian girls in the suburbs". ...'
-
Fateful Brush with Reality
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 2 October 2016; (p. 15) The Sun-Herald , 2 October 2016; (p. 12)
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Review : Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , September 2016; (p. 45)
— Review of Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil 2016 single work novel -
Heads or Tails
2016
single work
review
essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December no. 387 2016; (p. 61) 'Much has been made of the fact that Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil is Melina Marchetta’s first adult novel. Marchetta is best known for her Young Adult titles, which include Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, and On the Jellicoe Road lively, popular works about the intense lives and tribulations of teenagers and their families, often in a cross-cultural (Italian–Australian) context. Having also ventured successfully into fantasy, here she moves into crime drama. This genre provides a fast-paced, incident-packed, and undemanding reading experience. Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, who provides an endorsement for this book, is, along with Maureen McCarthy, Marchetta, and other ostensibly YA writers, widely read by adults. Marchetta is not straying far from her devoted audience.' (Introduction)
Awards
- 2017 shortlisted Davitt Award — Best Debut
- 2017 shortlisted Davitt Award — Best Adult Crime Novel
- 2017 longlisted Indie Awards — Fiction
- 2016 highly commended The Fellowship of Australian Writers Victoria Inc. National Literary Awards — FAW Christina Stead Award
-
Calais,
cFrance,cWestern Europe, Europe,
-
London,
cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
-
cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,