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'Joe Cashin was different once. He moved easily then; was surer and less thoughtful. But there are consequences when you've come so close to dying. For Cashin, they included a posting away from the world of Homicide to the quiet place on the coast where he grew up. Now all he has to do is play the country cop and walk the dogs. And sometimes think about how he was before.
'Then prominent local Charles Bourgoyne is bashed and left for dead. Everything seems to point to three boys from the nearby Aboriginal community; everyone seems to want it to. But Cashin is unconvinced. And as tragedy unfolds relentlessly into tragedy, he finds himself holding onto something that might be better let go.'
Source: Publisher's website (Sighted 22/8/11)
Adaptations
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form
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The Broken Shore ( dir. Rowan Woods ) Australia : Australian Broadcasting Corporation Essential Media and Entertainment , 2014 6051658 2014 single work film/TV crime detective
'After a big city detective is posted to a quiet Australian coastal town, a murder of a local philanthropist throws the town into unrest.'
Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 14/6/2013)
Notes
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Dedication: To Anita: for the laughter and the loyalty.
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Prequel to Truth.
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Reading Group Guide available through the Text Publishing website.
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Selected by the London Times as the top crime novel of 2006. (Selection made in 2010 as part of a list nominating the top crime novel for each year of the previous decade.)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Braille.
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
Works about this Work
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Australian Fantasy, Crime and Romance Fiction in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
2023
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel 2023; -
Australia in Three (Crime) Books
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 78 no. 4 2019; (p. 23-25)
— Review of Force and Fraud : A Tale of the Bush 1865 single work novel ; Beat Not the Bones 1952 single work novel ; The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel'If Australia can be represented in three books, there can be little better a genre than crime fiction. European Australia originated as a penal colony, and crime and its representation have been an obsession ever since. It began with convict ballads, then true crime in newspapers, to the gradually developing form of the crime novel over the nineteenth century. Australia was a significant generic innovator here, with Fergus Hume’s 1886 The Mystery of a Hansom Cab being the first crime international blockbuster. Crime-writing in Australia has form, content, swaggering style—and some of the results are outstanding literature by any criteria.' (Introduction)
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The Representation of Aboriginality in the Novels of Peter Temple
2016
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Coolabah , no. 20 2016; (p. 9-21) 'Identity politics is fraught with difficulties. Of few places is this truer than in Australia when it comes to the representation of Aboriginality. On the one hand the absence or invisibility of Aboriginality in Australian life and culture maybe interpreted as a deliberate exclusion of a people whose presence is uncomfortable or inconvenient for many Australians of immigrant origin. Equally, the representation of Aboriginality by non-Aboriginals may be seen as an appropriation of identity, an inexcusable commercial exploitation or an act of neocolonialism. Best-selling and prize-winning South African-born author Peter Temple appears to be very much aware of these pitfalls. In his crime novels, written between 1996 and 2009, he has obviously made the decision to grasp the nettle and attempt to represent Aboriginality in a way that would be as acceptable as possible. This paper traces the evolution of Temple's representation of Aboriginality through the three major Aboriginal characters present in his novels: Cameron Delray (Bad Debts, 1996; Black Tide, 1999; Dead Point, 2000; and White Dog, 2003), Ned Lowey (An Iron Rose, 1998) and Detective Sergeant Paul Dove (The Broken Shore, 2005 and Truth, 2009).' (Publication abstract) -
Dead Men Can Talk : Voicing the Dead in Crime Fiction
2016
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 35 2016; 'Death is frequently the defining event and consequently an indispensable presence, in most crime fiction narratives. Historically, death in crime fiction is embodied in graphic descriptions of the crime scene and the corpse. In an age of significant advances in technology and unlimited access to information, there has been a shift in the sympathies of readers who want to comprehend not only what death looks like, but also what death feels like through the voice of the victim. Traditionally used as a plot device to initiate the detection and investigation of the crime, the corpse has undergone a resurrection that imposes upon the body its own narrative as a means to explore modern social and cultural anxieties surrounding death. Examining the work of crime writers throughout the history of the genre, this paper investigates the representation of death and the dead body’s changing purpose within the narrative of crime fiction. Various narrative strategies are identified that inform writers how to engage their intended audience in a conversation with the dead. Considering these in conjunction with trauma theory illuminates how crime writers may assuage some of the cultural taboos and anxieties around death while enhancing the appeal of their crime fiction.' (Publication abstract) -
Diary
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: London Review of Books , 13 December vol. 29 no. 24 2014;
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Astringent Exploration of the Meaning of Pain
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 30-31 July 2005; (p. 15)
— Review of The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel -
Crime File
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 6 -7 August 2005; (p. 6)
— Review of The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel -
The Hallmark of Quality
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 13 August 2005; (p. 5)
— Review of The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel -
[Review] The Broken Shore
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Bookseller & Publisher , August vol. 85 no. 2 2005; (p. 24)
— Review of The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel -
Windswept Backdrop for Aussie Whodunnit
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 20 August 2005; (p. 13)
— Review of The Broken Shore 2005 single work novel -
Web of Intrigue as Country Cop Hunts Down a Killer
2005
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 6 August 2005; (p. 43) -
Creative Walking
2005
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 August 2005; (p. 17) -
Such is the Good Life
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 22 July 2006; (p. 29) -
Crime Writer Judged a Serial Winner
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 31 August 2006; (p. 6) -
Award
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 24 October vol. 124 no. 6543 2006; (p. 70)
Awards
- 2008 shortlisted Swedish Crime Writers' Academy — Martin Beck Award Shortlisted for the 2008 translation by Boel Unnerstad.
- 2007 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — International Success Award
- 2007 winner Crime Writers' Association (UK) — The Duncan Lawrie Dagger
- 2006 joint winner Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing — Best Novel
- 2006 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian General Fiction Book of the Year
- Western District, Victoria,
- Coast,
- Melbourne, Victoria,