Wet Graves

Cliff Hardy #13

by Peter Corris

The third adventure of the Australian private detective pits Cliff Hardy against a serial killer who haunts the waters underneath the Sydney Harbor Bridge, disposing of elderly men. Reprint.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Australia, Audiobook, Thriller

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

About the author

Peter Corris was an Australian academic, historian, journalist and a novelist of historical and crime fiction. His first novel was published in 1980. Corris is credited with reviving the fully-fledged Australian crime novel with local settings and reference points and with a series character firmly rooted in Australian culture, Sydney PI Cliff Hardy. As crime fiction writer, he was described as "the Godfather of contemporary Australian crime-writing".

He won the Lifetime Achievement award at the Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing in 1999 and was shortlisted for best novel in 2006 for Saving Billy and in 2007 for The Undertow.

Reviews

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Cliff Hardy story. Highly recommended.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cliff Hardy series are interesting crimes with good local description. Reading them over time tracks changes in Sydney. They are not historical crime, but are interesting because of the way the location always matters.

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliff is hired to find a missing father who was last seen near the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Without knowing it Cliff is about to uncover a bigger mystery than he might have thought. He is also fighting to keep his private enquiry agent licence which is being threatened by persons unknown. Both case threaten his life but as usual Cliff pulls through.

An enjoyable story in the series and adds more depth to his character.

[Deyth Banger · Rating 4 out of 5]

"September 7, 2017 – page 64
25.81% "Chapter 10

...

52 out of 62"
September 7, 2017 – page 64
25.81% "Chapter 17

...

Now On"
September 7, 2017 – page 64
25.81% "32 out of 62"
September 7, 2017 – page 64
25.81% "Chapter 11"
September 6, 2017 – page 64
25.81%
September 6, 2017 – page 29
11.69% "Chapter 8

23 Out of 62"
September 6, 2017 – page 29
11.69% "Chapter 6

...


17 Out of 62"
September 6, 2017 – page 29
11.69%
August 31, 2017 – page 18
7.26%
August 31, 2017 – page 12
4.84% "6 Out of 62

...

Still On chapter 2"
August 31, 2017 – page 12
4.84% "4 Out of 62"
August 31, 2017 – page 12
4.84% "It's "JUST" And it continues you can't stop it
...

But don't fulfill your life with shit..."
August 31, 2017 – page 12
4.84% "The Words Continue the same and it's about and life"
August 31, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "One day humans are going to get into a insane mode."
August 31, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "Humans can think but that's what's going to kill humans thoughts which become words... setences and whole bunch of ideas which in the end are the way humans are going to Disappear...

ONE BY ONE"
August 31, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "Just sings... the real message was that we should stop thinking...

...

...

Stop giving a thought ... time to don't give a shit and go natural... if it will happen it will happen if not... god bless you all."
August 31, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "All Was Signs"
August 31, 2017 – Started Reading"

- It should mean something If I finished it reading from the beginning up to the end.

[Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wet Graves, written 11 years into a large Cliff Hardy private detective series. At 236 pages, shows that a master of storytelling doesn't need 5 or 600 pages to convey a captivating, full of investigative and physical action, multiple plots and numerous characters.
Enjoyed immensely. Reminds me of the best BBC style of series, just as good 30+ years on. Only my second Cliff Hardy story, why did I not find this author before now? Many more to read.

[Susan Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the Cliff Hardy novels, but I particularly enjoy the narration by Peter Hosking. Wet Graves was particularly enjoyable.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. Very Sydney, Rocks, Bridge, Harbour.
Cliff Hardy is an almost accidental hero.

[Sandy Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Cliff Hardy revolves around history of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with another separate crime solved along the way. Enjoyed.

[Gypsy]

Just not doing it for me.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Cliff Hardy yarn I've read since my late teens/early twenties. The first time I went on an adventure with the private detective I was not long out of school and living in Sydney and it was the first time I'd read a book where the landscapes, streets and points of interest were all local. I clearly remember Cliff pelting down Anzac Parade trying to lose someone following him, and in my mind I was urging him to turn into High Street (where I lived in 84)... and he did. There's something engaging about finally reading a yarn where the addresses helped paint the picture unlike exotic but unfamiliar backdrops like Hollywood Boulevarde and Route 66 that I'd never seen and didn't help me picture a thing. So picking up another Cliff Hardy yarn - which I read entirely on a smartphone - was a bit of a walk down memory lane (another street address I'm familiar with).

Author Peter Corris is a bit minimalist on scene setting and character building but that works just fine for this world weary, ambivalent Aussie gumshoe. This yarn is a good one... short and direct with a plot and subplot that more or less come together in the end. The lead character is a former soldier and former insurance investigator and a half-decent fighter who seems to lose more fights than he wins. But the Harbour city, and the Harbour and Harbour Bridge, are characters themselves. And just what could tie together relatives of the original bridge makers? Corris' descriptions of parts of Sydney that Hardy visits aren't elaborate and the author probably relies a little too much on the readers ability to bring their own memories and knowledge of the areas to the table. But it's a good Aussie yarn and a good whodunnit.

In short, I want to get back into reading the adventures of Cliff Hardy. This one was first published in 1991 and there's a sizeable queue of other Cliff Hardy's waiting to be read. Unfortunately goodreads doesn't let us do half stars in our star ratings or I'd give this a solid 3.5 (or 7 on the ten scale) but have rounded down to fit the available stars.

[Mumbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. Not a very favorite, same as the last one, O'Fear. In this case (vague spoilers)...

the element of a serial murderer is not something I enjoy. Not an utter 'serial killer' type, anyway.

Deeper spoilers...


But someone, mad indeed, killing off a set of people with the same connection. The 'mad' element usually isn't interesting or fun for me.

The focus on the brigde was, and if it hadn't turned into one of those stories, it coulda been a very favorite.

Finding Brian Madden alive, would have been much nicer, more involving, and more interesting. Compared to intuiting that he's dead, almost immediately, and having that continue to emerge and be true, with no turn from the most predictable.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A landscape developer hires Cliff to find her father who has disappeared after last being seen on the Harbor Bridge and the police claim it is suicide. Hardy has also received notification that he is to appear before a review of his license and has no idea why. His solicitor, Cy Sackville is thrilled to represent him as he has never argued this kind of situation previously. Trying to do as his client has requested and at the same time protect his own livelihood at the same time puts him at the mercy of an old enemy & his cohort, both ex-cops. With the help of an old client who has become a friend & his family he locates corpses believed to be sons of the original bridge builders. His interviews take him to the Rocks to interview the founder of group honoring the bridge.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Cliff Hardy outings. The plot zips along and Hardy is his usual hard-boiled self. He has two situations to untangle, both reasonably interesting. While crucial details are revealed only in the end, I did still guess how it would play out for the most part. Not among the very best of Corris' series, but an enjoyable read.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Cliff Hardy novel set in an around Sydney. Again it's nice to read a novel set in Australia, in locations I have visited or am familiar with. It is a light read about Hardy and his Private Investigation business. Not a heavy read but enjoyable.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these books, he's a hard case, the stories are great puzzles, he pokes fun at himself, and they're written with imagination.

[Any Length · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story. Easy read.