AustLit

'This collection of stores finds Cliff Hardy in his usual milieu of inner Sydney mixing with the good, the bad and the quirky as he works on his cases.

'With his wisecracks and fists in readiness, Hardy goes about his daily business of tracking delinquent arsonists, hired killers and missing girlfriends, protecting eye surgeons and radio announcers, solving old crimes and helping past acquaintances in the underworld.

'Always on the outside, but his sympathies with the underdog, Hardy's cases are never what they seem and his solutions are not always what the client expects. All in all, normal time for Cliff Hardy but a great deal more for his readers.' (Publication summary)