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The Strip
'tense and compelling' – Garry Disher 'The Strip is an eye-popping, nightmarish miasma that sets a new bar for Australian crime. A total triumph in every respect.' – Chris Flynn When a local doctor is brutally murdered, Detective Constable Lana Cohen joins Strike Force Diablo on the notorious Gold Coast, where she finds herself navigating a world of chaos and corruption. As she delves deeper into the case, Lana reluctantly pairs up with Henry Loch, a detective with a tarnished reputation who sees an opportunity to redeem himself amidst the mayhem. But as Lana and Henry unravel the threads of violence and deceit, they uncover a dark side to the Gold Coast that shocks them to the core. With six unsolved murders already haunting them, will they be able to untangle the web of lies before it's too late?Inspired by real-life events, The Strip is a gripping crime thriller that paints a vivid portrait of a time and place where corruption and ambition reign supreme. PRAISE FOR THE STRIP AND IAIN ‘Page-turning from the start, this book ratchets up the tension tenfold as the pieces fall into place and the novel reaches its thrilling pinnacle.’ - Books + Publishing ‘The Strip is bingeworthy reading – a gritty crime thriller reeking of corruption, murder and sex. If you like your heroines flawed and kick-ass and your cops dirty as hell, you’ll love Ian Ryan’s gripping foray into the underworld of the Gold Coast. Hardly took a breath from first page to last.' – Kate Mildenhall, author of THE MOTHER FAULT and THE HUMMINGBIRD EFFECT 'Fast paced, gritty, sharply observed noir that goes hard into the sleaze and corruption of the moonlight state.' – Andrew Nette, author of ORPHAN ROAD and GUNSHINE STATE 'Steeped in the bitter lore of old-school policing and backlit by the gaudy neon of the Gold Coast streets, The Strip is hands down one of the finest Australian crime novels you’ll ever read.' – David Whish-Wilson, author of LINE OF SIGHT'an exciting new voice in Australian crime fiction' – Adrian McKinty, author of THE CHAIN and THE ISLAND
436 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2023
78 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Iain Ryan
14 books81 followersIain Ryan grew up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. He predominantly writes in the hard-boiled/noir genre and his work has been previously published by Akashic Books Online, Crime Factory, Kill Your Darlings and Seizure.
His novella, Four Days, was published in November 2015 by small press Broken River Books (Portland, USA). The following year the book was shortlisted for the Australian Crime Writing Association’s Ned Kelly Awards (Best Debut Fiction). It didn’t win. Then Broken River Books folded, and the book fell out-of-print. On a roll, Ryan wrote and
self-published a trilogy of grimy romans durs, all set in the Queensland tropics: Drainland (2016), Harsh Recovery (2016), and Civil Twilight (2017).
Disillusioned with self-publishing, Ryan submitted the
manuscript for The Student to a single editor (Angela Meyer, an
acquaintance) and the book was published by Echo Publishing. In 2018, The Student was shortlisted for The Australian Crime Writing Association’s Ned Kelly Awards (Best Novel). In 2021, Echo Publishing and Bonnier Zaffre (UK) published Ryan’s third novel, The Spiral. Virtually no one liked it, except Ryan himself. In 2023, Ultimo Press published Ryan’s sixth novel The Strip. A QBD Book of the Month, The Strip is Ryan’s highest selling book to date and will be followed by sequel, The Dream (2024).
His novella, Four Days, was published in November 2015 by small press Broken River Books (Portland, USA). The following year the book was shortlisted for the Australian Crime Writing Association’s Ned Kelly Awards (Best Debut Fiction). It didn’t win. Then Broken River Books folded, and the book fell out-of-print. On a roll, Ryan wrote and
self-published a trilogy of grimy romans durs, all set in the Queensland tropics: Drainland (2016), Harsh Recovery (2016), and Civil Twilight (2017).
Disillusioned with self-publishing, Ryan submitted the
manuscript for The Student to a single editor (Angela Meyer, an
acquaintance) and the book was published by Echo Publishing. In 2018, The Student was shortlisted for The Australian Crime Writing Association’s Ned Kelly Awards (Best Novel). In 2021, Echo Publishing and Bonnier Zaffre (UK) published Ryan’s third novel, The Spiral. Virtually no one liked it, except Ryan himself. In 2023, Ultimo Press published Ryan’s sixth novel The Strip. A QBD Book of the Month, The Strip is Ryan’s highest selling book to date and will be followed by sequel, The Dream (2024).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 11, 2024
The place and time is the Gold Coast in 1980, a very troubled and troubling time for policing in Australia and Iain Ryan has tapped into that with The Strip. This is a hard bitten police procedural that plonks us down in the middle of the grime and sleaze spawned by a blooming culture of graft and corruption. This is a murder mystery that dodges and weaves through the corruption and stink, the dirty dealings and slipshod police work under the guise of a fully equipped taskforce. And it’s done brilliantly.
A man is shot to death while out running in the border town of Tweed Heads one night. He turns out to be Brian Amstell, a doctor with a young family, and the shooting appears to be a professional job. The Queensland police quickly takes it over citing its similarity to other recent deaths that took place on their patch. This death makes the seventh murder in two years being investigated by Strike Force Diablo. None of the murders have been solved - not even nearly.
Detective Constable Lana Cohen from Sydney CIB in New South Wales has been seconded to Strike Force Diablo to help work on the Brian Amstell case and to also keep an eye on the coppers working in the team. She’s not best pleased to be spying on fellow police officers, but she is determined to get to the bottom of the Amstell case.
Detective Henry Loch is a part of Strike Force Diablo having been seconded, along with his partner Lowell Sennett, from the Gold Coast Consorting Squad. He’s very pleased to be working homicide, but is well aware that his name is already mud with his superiors and his move to Diablo is anything but a reward for effort.
On top of what should be his demanding caseload working the Amstell murder, Henry’s also asked by a local brothel madam to look out for a woman named Sarah Utton who disappeared around 6 months earlier. He agrees thinking he can fit the search in among all of his other duties / extra curricular activities.
This unlikely pairing proves to be the pivotal pieces in a serial killer investigation that is hampered on many sides by incompetence, apathy and criminality. They prove to be capable of some insightful deductive reasoning and, while by no means perfect, cut straight through much of the bull that had been shovelled before.
The deeply ingrained police corruption that’s embodied within the pages of The Strip stems from the real life events of Queensland in the 1980s and the resulting Fitzgerald Inquiry that followed. It illustrates exactly what can happen when the people charged with upholding the law are dirtier than the crims they’re supposed to be catching.
Very Australian in the language spoken and the attitudes exhibited, this is a pacy thriller that tackles a multi-layered murder investigation-cum-missing person investigation with a good degree of dexterity. Given the upheaval within the force, Lana and Henry are under incredible time pressures which creates another level of tension. Plus, the pair are also essentially ostracised from their colleagues to boot.
I loved every minute of this hardboiled Aussie page-turner. I thought it captured the essence of stink of corruption perfectly while also delivering an outstanding police procedural that managed to break a few rules along the way. A good, solid, meaty crime thriller.
A man is shot to death while out running in the border town of Tweed Heads one night. He turns out to be Brian Amstell, a doctor with a young family, and the shooting appears to be a professional job. The Queensland police quickly takes it over citing its similarity to other recent deaths that took place on their patch. This death makes the seventh murder in two years being investigated by Strike Force Diablo. None of the murders have been solved - not even nearly.
Detective Constable Lana Cohen from Sydney CIB in New South Wales has been seconded to Strike Force Diablo to help work on the Brian Amstell case and to also keep an eye on the coppers working in the team. She’s not best pleased to be spying on fellow police officers, but she is determined to get to the bottom of the Amstell case.
Detective Henry Loch is a part of Strike Force Diablo having been seconded, along with his partner Lowell Sennett, from the Gold Coast Consorting Squad. He’s very pleased to be working homicide, but is well aware that his name is already mud with his superiors and his move to Diablo is anything but a reward for effort.
On top of what should be his demanding caseload working the Amstell murder, Henry’s also asked by a local brothel madam to look out for a woman named Sarah Utton who disappeared around 6 months earlier. He agrees thinking he can fit the search in among all of his other duties / extra curricular activities.
This unlikely pairing proves to be the pivotal pieces in a serial killer investigation that is hampered on many sides by incompetence, apathy and criminality. They prove to be capable of some insightful deductive reasoning and, while by no means perfect, cut straight through much of the bull that had been shovelled before.
The deeply ingrained police corruption that’s embodied within the pages of The Strip stems from the real life events of Queensland in the 1980s and the resulting Fitzgerald Inquiry that followed. It illustrates exactly what can happen when the people charged with upholding the law are dirtier than the crims they’re supposed to be catching.
Very Australian in the language spoken and the attitudes exhibited, this is a pacy thriller that tackles a multi-layered murder investigation-cum-missing person investigation with a good degree of dexterity. Given the upheaval within the force, Lana and Henry are under incredible time pressures which creates another level of tension. Plus, the pair are also essentially ostracised from their colleagues to boot.
I loved every minute of this hardboiled Aussie page-turner. I thought it captured the essence of stink of corruption perfectly while also delivering an outstanding police procedural that managed to break a few rules along the way. A good, solid, meaty crime thriller.
December 16, 2023
The Strip is a dark and gritty crime novel set in the Gold Coast, Australia in 1980. It is a world of corruption, religion, drugs, prostitution and murder. A serial killer has been terrorising the area and now a doctor has been murdered on the NSW/Queensland border. Is this the next victim? At the same time, there is a missing woman who see,a to have disappeared without a trace.
I was immediately hooked. This book is inspired by real events and I was fascinated by the characters and the way the story played out. Police officers are meant to be the good guys, but in this case I didn’t know who could be trusted. The 80s setting before mobile phones and social media gave this story a difference to other police procedurals out there.
A page turner from the start, I highly recommend this book for the crime reader in your life. Thanks so much to Ultimo Press for sending me this book. The Strip is out now in Australia.
I was immediately hooked. This book is inspired by real events and I was fascinated by the characters and the way the story played out. Police officers are meant to be the good guys, but in this case I didn’t know who could be trusted. The 80s setting before mobile phones and social media gave this story a difference to other police procedurals out there.
A page turner from the start, I highly recommend this book for the crime reader in your life. Thanks so much to Ultimo Press for sending me this book. The Strip is out now in Australia.
May 25, 2024
”This city is an encyclopedia.”
It’s February 1980, and Strike Force Diablo is no closer to finding the serial killer who has been terrorizing a strip of the Gold Coast, Qld, than they were when the first body was found. The coppers working on the case are equally jaded and exhausted. And more than a bit cynical, with many of them having side projects claiming their attention.
When a popular doctor is found murdered in Tweed Heads, on the NSW and Qld border, Detective Constable Lana Cohen is sent from Sydney to investigate. Not just the crime itself, but to keep her eyes and ears open and mouth shout about the goings on of Strike Force Diablo. There are suspicions from above that all is not as it should be, which proves to be correct. The investigations are chaotic and messy, with major players in the operation seeming to have other things on their mind than solving the six murders, and counting.
Detective Henry Loch has been sent from Brisbane to join Diablo as penance for being a naughty copper. But he’s anything but. Perceived as a brute of a man, the force has used his violent upbringing for their own gain, having him commit acts and coverups that he can’t say no to.
Henry and Lana eventually drift together, comrades in arms of sorts, as both have something to prove, and believe that the reason the cases are unsolved is because it suits people in high places for them not to be.
The interstate rivalry between the NSW and Qld police forces is apparent with the suspicion between the two making Lana and Henry unlikely allies.
This is a zinger of a book about dirty deeds and corruption that digs deep. Dirty coppers getting freebies at local brothels are the norm, as are brown paper bags containing cash being accepted as part of “The Joke”. Smutty photos ready to be used for bribery. Legal and illegal drugs keep prostitutes on a short leash. A brothel madame and property developer have more than a keen interest in a legal casino being built, and know more than a few secrets about people who’d prefer they didn’t be told.
This is Vice with a capital “V”.
The absolute decay of the police force eventually led to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. When you read this you’ll understand why.
”Lies. Lies upon lies upon lies.”
There is a hint of menace always bubbling away below the surface, which makes you feel both hesitant to turn the page yet wanting to. To add to the madness, anyone who has lived in Australia will know how the incessant humidity can mess with your ability to cope with things.
”Only the rumble of the highway and the roar of the ocean. Humid as hell, too. No breeze.”
As Lana and Henry begin to join the dots, as the reader you discover just how ugly and messy this all is. And how deep the rot goes.
”It’s a clusterfuck.”
The writing style really appealed to me. It's taut and tense. At first I was reminded of James Ellroy’s writing, as the chapters are short yet convey so much. The story moves at a fast pace. Then as the book progressed, the suspense and unpleasant surprises put me in mind of David Peace’s novels. That distinct unease of things not being quite right. The same uncomfortable feeling I had reading Peace’s Red Riding Quartet.
So it was interesting when I finished and read in the Acknowledgements section (never skip this!) I learnt that both Ellroy and Peace were writing heroes of Iain Ryan’s.
I enjoyed how Iain Ryan portrayed what pure hard slog detective work was. None of the immediacy of the internet. It involved paper work and files kept in filing cabinets. Literally going door to door and using pay phones. It was very labour intensive. Trying to somehow find that hidden key that would link all the cases together.
I’m hoping this turns into a series, as it’s seriously good. Henry Loch is a bit of an anti-hero who grows on you. And you can’t help but admire Lana Cohen. It wouldn’t be easy being a woman in the police service now, let alone back in the 1980s when sexism was in your face and rampant.
Boom 💥 This was amazing. If you’re a fan of hard-boiled writing, this one is sure to impress you.
It’s February 1980, and Strike Force Diablo is no closer to finding the serial killer who has been terrorizing a strip of the Gold Coast, Qld, than they were when the first body was found. The coppers working on the case are equally jaded and exhausted. And more than a bit cynical, with many of them having side projects claiming their attention.
When a popular doctor is found murdered in Tweed Heads, on the NSW and Qld border, Detective Constable Lana Cohen is sent from Sydney to investigate. Not just the crime itself, but to keep her eyes and ears open and mouth shout about the goings on of Strike Force Diablo. There are suspicions from above that all is not as it should be, which proves to be correct. The investigations are chaotic and messy, with major players in the operation seeming to have other things on their mind than solving the six murders, and counting.
Detective Henry Loch has been sent from Brisbane to join Diablo as penance for being a naughty copper. But he’s anything but. Perceived as a brute of a man, the force has used his violent upbringing for their own gain, having him commit acts and coverups that he can’t say no to.
Henry and Lana eventually drift together, comrades in arms of sorts, as both have something to prove, and believe that the reason the cases are unsolved is because it suits people in high places for them not to be.
The interstate rivalry between the NSW and Qld police forces is apparent with the suspicion between the two making Lana and Henry unlikely allies.
This is a zinger of a book about dirty deeds and corruption that digs deep. Dirty coppers getting freebies at local brothels are the norm, as are brown paper bags containing cash being accepted as part of “The Joke”. Smutty photos ready to be used for bribery. Legal and illegal drugs keep prostitutes on a short leash. A brothel madame and property developer have more than a keen interest in a legal casino being built, and know more than a few secrets about people who’d prefer they didn’t be told.
This is Vice with a capital “V”.
The absolute decay of the police force eventually led to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. When you read this you’ll understand why.
”Lies. Lies upon lies upon lies.”
There is a hint of menace always bubbling away below the surface, which makes you feel both hesitant to turn the page yet wanting to. To add to the madness, anyone who has lived in Australia will know how the incessant humidity can mess with your ability to cope with things.
”Only the rumble of the highway and the roar of the ocean. Humid as hell, too. No breeze.”
As Lana and Henry begin to join the dots, as the reader you discover just how ugly and messy this all is. And how deep the rot goes.
”It’s a clusterfuck.”
The writing style really appealed to me. It's taut and tense. At first I was reminded of James Ellroy’s writing, as the chapters are short yet convey so much. The story moves at a fast pace. Then as the book progressed, the suspense and unpleasant surprises put me in mind of David Peace’s novels. That distinct unease of things not being quite right. The same uncomfortable feeling I had reading Peace’s Red Riding Quartet.
So it was interesting when I finished and read in the Acknowledgements section (never skip this!) I learnt that both Ellroy and Peace were writing heroes of Iain Ryan’s.
I enjoyed how Iain Ryan portrayed what pure hard slog detective work was. None of the immediacy of the internet. It involved paper work and files kept in filing cabinets. Literally going door to door and using pay phones. It was very labour intensive. Trying to somehow find that hidden key that would link all the cases together.
I’m hoping this turns into a series, as it’s seriously good. Henry Loch is a bit of an anti-hero who grows on you. And you can’t help but admire Lana Cohen. It wouldn’t be easy being a woman in the police service now, let alone back in the 1980s when sexism was in your face and rampant.
Boom 💥 This was amazing. If you’re a fan of hard-boiled writing, this one is sure to impress you.
December 24, 2023
The Split was inspired by real events that occurred at Queensland's Gold Coast. The Fitzgerald Inquiry of the late 1980s found that corruption was rife and a number of politicians and their police commissioner were charged with corruption. Like in the report, this book captured the absence of loyalty to the police force, contempt for the enforcement of the law, not protecting victims of crime and supporting the criminals. This book illustrated the dirty side of crime, and those who are supposed to uphold it. It highlighted this institutionalised corruption in the police force, and the underground scene of brothels and crime along the Gold Coast strip.
I loved that it read like a screenplay with its short sharp chapters. This really gave the movement in the hours and short number of days a lot of intensity. It also highlighted the pressure that the Diablo team were under to solve the problem. Lana and Henry, the two main police characters, were able to do their job but also hide the truth from others. It was interesting to watch the dynamics between the gold coast police unit who were predominantly males and Lana, who was a ring in across the New South Wales border.
A great criminal thriller for holiday reading by @iainryan! Thank you @ultimopress for the #gifted copy.
I loved that it read like a screenplay with its short sharp chapters. This really gave the movement in the hours and short number of days a lot of intensity. It also highlighted the pressure that the Diablo team were under to solve the problem. Lana and Henry, the two main police characters, were able to do their job but also hide the truth from others. It was interesting to watch the dynamics between the gold coast police unit who were predominantly males and Lana, who was a ring in across the New South Wales border.
A great criminal thriller for holiday reading by @iainryan! Thank you @ultimopress for the #gifted copy.
March 12, 2024
Another cracking crime novel by Iain Ryan. Brilliant sense of time and place - Queensland in the early 1980s. The dialogue, characters, settings are perfect. The writing style is very noir - short, sharp sentences. Lots of pauses. Brilliant. Marked down a little as I thought too many characters were introduced but not taken further (the problem with the Strike Force Diablo task force).
August 28, 2024
I’m quite disappointed that I’ve rated this book so low. It was fascinating to read something set in the Gold Coast in the 80s, especially a crime thriller based on a true story. That alone is the reason for my 2 star rating.
The writing was so hard to wrap my head around, I had no idea what was happening half the time. The third person perspective lacked the internal dialogue for the characters, which also made it difficult to read.
That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re into crime thrillers, if you’re Australian, you’ll love this. It’s simply not what I usually read, I was just hooked by the setting alone.
The writing was so hard to wrap my head around, I had no idea what was happening half the time. The third person perspective lacked the internal dialogue for the characters, which also made it difficult to read.
That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re into crime thrillers, if you’re Australian, you’ll love this. It’s simply not what I usually read, I was just hooked by the setting alone.
February 29, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this. There was suspense from the first to the last page. The similarity between names was a bit confusing sometimes, but I feel it added to the novel's nuance, although since this is based on a true story I don't think the author had much choice in that. I'm generally not a big crime reader, but this book is so much more than a classic whodunnit. I also like that it was set in the pre-cellphone era. Very insightful into the 80's underbelly of the gold coast.
July 28, 2024
The Strip is a gritty and raw police procedural with short, punchy chapters and a fast paced narrative. I binged it on audio, compellingly narrated by Henry Nixon @henry_nixon_
Set amongst the corrupt and brutal backdrop of the 1980s Queensland police force, The Strip focuses on a team of detectives labelled Strike Force Diablo (or Dildo, to those with a comedic bent). This Gold Coast squad is a cesspit of violence, drugs and debauchery, where the cops are no more law abiding than the crooks they’re supposed to catch.
When a local doctor is murdered, Detective Constable Lana Cohen is sent up from Sydney to join the investigation and finds herself having to navigate the chaos. As she becomes more embroiled in the case, she is paired up with Henry Loch, a detective with a seedy reputation. The further they dig, the more they are shocked by what they uncover. With six unsolved murders, can they get to the bottom of these crimes before it’s too late?
The story is based on real life events with the corruption of the force at this time tallying with real life reports I have read about this period. The journey into a world of lies and ambition was quite confronting and the tension and danger at every turn made for an engaging read. It seemed that all different parts of society were entangled in the wrongdoing, from police to doctors to the Church and of course the criminal underbelly of brothels and drug dealers.
Although I struggled a bit with some of the violence and brothel scenes, this was a gripping story that led to a dramatic and action packed ending. If you enjoy gritty fast paced crime, then this book is for you.
Set amongst the corrupt and brutal backdrop of the 1980s Queensland police force, The Strip focuses on a team of detectives labelled Strike Force Diablo (or Dildo, to those with a comedic bent). This Gold Coast squad is a cesspit of violence, drugs and debauchery, where the cops are no more law abiding than the crooks they’re supposed to catch.
When a local doctor is murdered, Detective Constable Lana Cohen is sent up from Sydney to join the investigation and finds herself having to navigate the chaos. As she becomes more embroiled in the case, she is paired up with Henry Loch, a detective with a seedy reputation. The further they dig, the more they are shocked by what they uncover. With six unsolved murders, can they get to the bottom of these crimes before it’s too late?
The story is based on real life events with the corruption of the force at this time tallying with real life reports I have read about this period. The journey into a world of lies and ambition was quite confronting and the tension and danger at every turn made for an engaging read. It seemed that all different parts of society were entangled in the wrongdoing, from police to doctors to the Church and of course the criminal underbelly of brothels and drug dealers.
Although I struggled a bit with some of the violence and brothel scenes, this was a gripping story that led to a dramatic and action packed ending. If you enjoy gritty fast paced crime, then this book is for you.
January 25, 2025
Read for Thriller / crime book club. This book had me guessing from the get go. I struggled a little to get into the writing style, but once there, I was hooked until the end... and then I wanted more! This book has an off-kilter feel, much like I imagine a new investigator into an ongoing investigation would. None of the characters were able to be 'clean' and yet, Ryan has written them in a way that I wanted to back the 'good' guys, even if they're not so good. It depicts how power corrupts from the top down in all kinds of nasty quiet ways. Despite not knowing anything about Qld policing in the 80s, it was so compelling that I now want to know more! A good read :)
April 3, 2024
This book is set at the time of the Bjelke-Peterson government in Queensland and at the height of police corruption. The Strip refers to the Gold Coast in the early 1980s.
It begins with an apparently respectable family doctor shot twice in the head while out jogging on the New South Wales side of the border. There have been six murders in two years and there’s a question whether this is the seventh.
The story revolves around the attempt to solve the murders and reveals the web of corruption, prostitution, drugs etc.
This is fiction, but I really identified with this story, as I recall the Chris Masters’ Four Corners program “The Moonlight State” that revealed police corruption and collusion with National Party politicians which had entrenched organised crime in Queensland.
The bagman Jack makes an appearance and reference is made to the system of organised crime, the Joke. The Strike Force set up to solve these crimes is disorganised and inept.
This is a gripping book. It portrays the corruption and bullying which were a feature of the times. Easy to read with short chapters and sharp pithy dialogue.
It begins with an apparently respectable family doctor shot twice in the head while out jogging on the New South Wales side of the border. There have been six murders in two years and there’s a question whether this is the seventh.
The story revolves around the attempt to solve the murders and reveals the web of corruption, prostitution, drugs etc.
This is fiction, but I really identified with this story, as I recall the Chris Masters’ Four Corners program “The Moonlight State” that revealed police corruption and collusion with National Party politicians which had entrenched organised crime in Queensland.
The bagman Jack makes an appearance and reference is made to the system of organised crime, the Joke. The Strike Force set up to solve these crimes is disorganised and inept.
This is a gripping book. It portrays the corruption and bullying which were a feature of the times. Easy to read with short chapters and sharp pithy dialogue.
February 5, 2024
For me, this book was a case of mistaken identity. What I was after was a murder mystery/crime thriller. What I got was an essay on corruption in the Queensland Police Force and a pretty dingy summary of life on the Gold Coast in the 1980s.
The story lacked any tension. So much so that a pretty good twist at the end fell fairly flat .
I’d be pretty sure that Iain Ryan dropped off the Christmas mailing list of Queensland Police and the Gold Coast Tourism Commission after this one.
The story lacked any tension. So much so that a pretty good twist at the end fell fairly flat .
I’d be pretty sure that Iain Ryan dropped off the Christmas mailing list of Queensland Police and the Gold Coast Tourism Commission after this one.
March 16, 2024
The real deal. Proper gripping at the end also. Netflix get on it!
November 13, 2024
The title says it all, you know what you are in for with a book like this. Now more commonly known as ‘Surfers’ (short for Surfers Paradise) ‘The Strip’ was a nickname for the Gold Coast region of beaches in Queensland, Australia in the 1980s, the era of sleazy clubs, prostitution, gambling, various sordid and illegal activities and police corruption. Add murder to this list. Author Iain Ryan cleverly blurs the outlines with characters so the reader is unsure whether they are good cop or bad cop. Everyone seems to be getting kickbacks or turning a blind eye or perhaps even pulling the trigger. One less person to squeal, one less person to share the winnings. Duplicity is the name of the game and while I admire the fictitious plot based on real events, it seems like a good reason to have sex scenes, deliberate negligence and when ambition really means corruption.
I felt sympathy for Detective Constable Lana Cohen, who crosses the border to work on a murder case and gets the cold shoulder. Female and from New South Wales! There’s an attraction with Detective Henry Loch, the anti-hero bad boy of the piece ‘He came up hard. A wrecked childhood. Alcoholic mum...’ you get the picture. The blurb says ‘together they uncover a dark side to the Gold Coast that shocks them to the core.’ I doubt that, they are hardened cops and they are facing seven unsolved murders and a lot of messy lies and cover-ups. There are several tense scenes, dialogue heavy, some nice movie moments like the chase in chapter 64 but nothing which reminded me of Peter Corris and his chill private investigator Cliff Hardy. Another place, another time. Cue Barbra Streisand singing ‘Memories’. Back when fish and chips was the best meal you could ever eat and the word ‘pollution’ was rarely heard.
Summing up, when it’s not lots of talking, the atmosphere is recreated well enough for those who lived through this surfie beach boy decade to recognise streets and landmarks and reminisce on boardies and walking barefoot. Gradually Strike Force Diablo slips, slides and lurches its way to uncovering those responsible for the whole rotten mess. As mentioned, this reimagining is rife with sex, drugs and far more than rock and roll. There is always a girl for the guy, product placement, and clues are dropped but I was too busy side-stepping gruesome gun or axe action to pay much attention to the details like paperwork and who was the real kingpin. This sordid mess code-named ‘Diablo’ was one big illegal rort on both sides of the law and the book could have been named ‘Diabolical’ in honour of police cover-ups and ineptitude so convincing in Iain Ryan’s depiction of events.
I felt sympathy for Detective Constable Lana Cohen, who crosses the border to work on a murder case and gets the cold shoulder. Female and from New South Wales! There’s an attraction with Detective Henry Loch, the anti-hero bad boy of the piece ‘He came up hard. A wrecked childhood. Alcoholic mum...’ you get the picture. The blurb says ‘together they uncover a dark side to the Gold Coast that shocks them to the core.’ I doubt that, they are hardened cops and they are facing seven unsolved murders and a lot of messy lies and cover-ups. There are several tense scenes, dialogue heavy, some nice movie moments like the chase in chapter 64 but nothing which reminded me of Peter Corris and his chill private investigator Cliff Hardy. Another place, another time. Cue Barbra Streisand singing ‘Memories’. Back when fish and chips was the best meal you could ever eat and the word ‘pollution’ was rarely heard.
Summing up, when it’s not lots of talking, the atmosphere is recreated well enough for those who lived through this surfie beach boy decade to recognise streets and landmarks and reminisce on boardies and walking barefoot. Gradually Strike Force Diablo slips, slides and lurches its way to uncovering those responsible for the whole rotten mess. As mentioned, this reimagining is rife with sex, drugs and far more than rock and roll. There is always a girl for the guy, product placement, and clues are dropped but I was too busy side-stepping gruesome gun or axe action to pay much attention to the details like paperwork and who was the real kingpin. This sordid mess code-named ‘Diablo’ was one big illegal rort on both sides of the law and the book could have been named ‘Diabolical’ in honour of police cover-ups and ineptitude so convincing in Iain Ryan’s depiction of events.
April 27, 2024
‘Detective Constable Lana Cohen doesn’t recognise a soul.’
If you are familiar with Matthew Condon’s ‘Three Crooked Kings’ non-fiction series about Queensland’s Gold Coast in the 1980s, you will recognise the setting for this novel. Set some years before the Fitzgerald Inquiry and the arrect of Police Commissioner Terry Lewis, Mr Ryan captures the alcohol, drugs, corruption, and incompetence of the era perfectly.
Meet Detective Constable Lana Cohen. While she has been sent from Sydney to the Gold Coast to help the Queensland Police investigate the unsolved Diablo killings, Lana Cohen has also been tasked with observing and reporting back on corruption to her superior officers. When she arrives, Lana Cohen finds the investigation is a shambles. The previous lead investigator, Emmett Hades, is on leave after a mental breakdown.
The Diablo investigations are going nowhere. There are no leads. Seven unsolved murders in two years, and then an eighth just as Lana Cohen arrives.
Short, sharp, gritty chapters take the reader into the sleaze, the corruption, the hopelessness. Who can Lana Cohen trust? For one of the other police involved, Henry Loch, Diablo is his last chance to save his career. The media is circling, the Chief Superintendent has issued an ultimatum. The team has three days to make an arrest.
Separate (and quite different) investigations by Cohen and Loch take us deep into the dark side. The Police seem more corrupt than the brothel owners and the standover men. The story moves quickly, with several twists (some of which I didn’t anticipate) and a cast of (mostly) loathsome characters.
I finished this novel, grateful for the work later done by the Fitzgerald Royal Commission. And then
took a long, hot shower.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
If you are familiar with Matthew Condon’s ‘Three Crooked Kings’ non-fiction series about Queensland’s Gold Coast in the 1980s, you will recognise the setting for this novel. Set some years before the Fitzgerald Inquiry and the arrect of Police Commissioner Terry Lewis, Mr Ryan captures the alcohol, drugs, corruption, and incompetence of the era perfectly.
Meet Detective Constable Lana Cohen. While she has been sent from Sydney to the Gold Coast to help the Queensland Police investigate the unsolved Diablo killings, Lana Cohen has also been tasked with observing and reporting back on corruption to her superior officers. When she arrives, Lana Cohen finds the investigation is a shambles. The previous lead investigator, Emmett Hades, is on leave after a mental breakdown.
The Diablo investigations are going nowhere. There are no leads. Seven unsolved murders in two years, and then an eighth just as Lana Cohen arrives.
Short, sharp, gritty chapters take the reader into the sleaze, the corruption, the hopelessness. Who can Lana Cohen trust? For one of the other police involved, Henry Loch, Diablo is his last chance to save his career. The media is circling, the Chief Superintendent has issued an ultimatum. The team has three days to make an arrest.
Separate (and quite different) investigations by Cohen and Loch take us deep into the dark side. The Police seem more corrupt than the brothel owners and the standover men. The story moves quickly, with several twists (some of which I didn’t anticipate) and a cast of (mostly) loathsome characters.
I finished this novel, grateful for the work later done by the Fitzgerald Royal Commission. And then
took a long, hot shower.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 8, 2024
When another body turns up on the Gold Coast strip, Lana is sent from Sydney to Queensland to assist in the case and look further into the inner dealings of the Strike Force Diablo, the team heading up the investigation into the now seven unsolved unalivings across the strip over the last two years.
Henry Loch is a disgraced cop with a bad rep and he is looking for a way to break free of all the strings. He knows the whole operation is about to come crashing down on them and Henry is hoping that solving the original cases is his ticket to a fresh start.
When the unlikely pair agree to work together, they never could have predicted that two years of work could unravel in a week, exposing the dark aode of the Gold Coast and the task force.
💭 Thoughts:
The early 80s on the Aussie Gold Coast was a prime time for police corruption, making it the perfect setting for an exposé inspired crime thriller. Told in multiple POVs, its fast paced with snappy chapters that deliver that true crime feel and there were plenty of references that threw me back to my childhood too.
I like crime books with a mixed media element and the journal excerpts from Emmett Hades, the original head detective of the task force, made for a clever assist to the plot. A once infamous detective and now a broken man haunted and spiralling as the case takes over his soul, he is an interesting character indeed...
Something that comes up a few times throughout the book is the unsolved missing persons case of Lana's father. She's plauged by it and it's not really delved into. I'm wondering if there might be another book in the future that focuses on this plotline.
.
Thanks to the team at @ultimopress for sending me a copy of The Strip for review.
Rating: 3.5★ rounded up
Henry Loch is a disgraced cop with a bad rep and he is looking for a way to break free of all the strings. He knows the whole operation is about to come crashing down on them and Henry is hoping that solving the original cases is his ticket to a fresh start.
When the unlikely pair agree to work together, they never could have predicted that two years of work could unravel in a week, exposing the dark aode of the Gold Coast and the task force.
💭 Thoughts:
The early 80s on the Aussie Gold Coast was a prime time for police corruption, making it the perfect setting for an exposé inspired crime thriller. Told in multiple POVs, its fast paced with snappy chapters that deliver that true crime feel and there were plenty of references that threw me back to my childhood too.
I like crime books with a mixed media element and the journal excerpts from Emmett Hades, the original head detective of the task force, made for a clever assist to the plot. A once infamous detective and now a broken man haunted and spiralling as the case takes over his soul, he is an interesting character indeed...
Something that comes up a few times throughout the book is the unsolved missing persons case of Lana's father. She's plauged by it and it's not really delved into. I'm wondering if there might be another book in the future that focuses on this plotline.
.
Thanks to the team at @ultimopress for sending me a copy of The Strip for review.
Rating: 3.5★ rounded up
February 2, 2024
The Gold Coast in Queensland is known for many things, most of them good. Sun, surf, sand. But there are dark and sinister elements, too. Take the 1980s, for example, when the premier holiday destination had a reputation for being a city of sin. It’s the real-life events of this decade which have inspired Iain Ryan's latest novel.
The Strip is about a police force riddled with dishonest, deplorable characters who worked in cahoots with drug dealers, prostitutes, and even the church. It’s about murder, drugs, sex and corruption, and a female detective who is sent up from across the border to join Strike Force Diablo. Her mission is two-fold: investigate the mysterious killing of a local doctor, the latest death in a string of unsolved murders, and spy on her interstate colleagues. What she discovers is truly shocking, leading to a day of reckoning for all of the individuals involved in one of the biggest police scandals on record.
The author does an incredible job of recreating the era and portraying the personalities, all of whom I loathed. Well, all except for detective Lana Cohen. But even her, I struggled to connect with. The narrative is gritty, seedy and sleazy. The story is well paced, with tension ratcheting up as each chapter brings the reader closer to a wild ending. There's more than one POV and many moving parts, which required my full attention.
As someone who once lived on the Gold Coast, the local references gave added life to the descriptions in the story. A story that turned my stomach, simply because of the level of corruption, greed and abuse of power by police officers dirtier than the criminals they were chasing. This is crime at its best and public service at its worst.
The Strip is about a police force riddled with dishonest, deplorable characters who worked in cahoots with drug dealers, prostitutes, and even the church. It’s about murder, drugs, sex and corruption, and a female detective who is sent up from across the border to join Strike Force Diablo. Her mission is two-fold: investigate the mysterious killing of a local doctor, the latest death in a string of unsolved murders, and spy on her interstate colleagues. What she discovers is truly shocking, leading to a day of reckoning for all of the individuals involved in one of the biggest police scandals on record.
The author does an incredible job of recreating the era and portraying the personalities, all of whom I loathed. Well, all except for detective Lana Cohen. But even her, I struggled to connect with. The narrative is gritty, seedy and sleazy. The story is well paced, with tension ratcheting up as each chapter brings the reader closer to a wild ending. There's more than one POV and many moving parts, which required my full attention.
As someone who once lived on the Gold Coast, the local references gave added life to the descriptions in the story. A story that turned my stomach, simply because of the level of corruption, greed and abuse of power by police officers dirtier than the criminals they were chasing. This is crime at its best and public service at its worst.
March 17, 2025
The Strip by Iain Ryan
☀️☀️☀️⛅ (3.5 stars rounded down)
This pacy crime novel effortlessly paints an unsavoury reality of organised crime and police corruption in 1980s Gold Coast, and while it does leave a lasting impression, it's not an emotional one.
The cast of characters is vast and keeping track of them all is difficult at times, particularly amongst the police force most of whom are equally foul and corrupt. At times I wondered why this wasn't condensed, though it does serve to show the severity of corruption. Virtually no one is likeable and the lack of internal monologues or character building keeps everyone at arms length, meaning I struggled to root for anyone succeeding here.
The crimes themselves were well crafted and I enjoyed the revelations as they unfolded. Structurally this book was a textbook crime novel with sharp punchy chapters that kept momentum going and very little detail to hold it up. This did work against the aforementioned characters, whose personalities and backstories were glossed over in favour of solving the case. I would have liked a bit more about Lana, Henry and Emmett to truly have a connection to the case beyond common morality.
This is a successful crime novel that ticks a lot of boxes. The focus on corruption made it a difficult but quick read. As someone who prefers detailed character work I was hoping for more in that department but overall I found this to be a good story that would translate to adaptation well.
"When you've got idiots in charge, the laws of physics don't apply."
☀️☀️☀️⛅ (3.5 stars rounded down)
This pacy crime novel effortlessly paints an unsavoury reality of organised crime and police corruption in 1980s Gold Coast, and while it does leave a lasting impression, it's not an emotional one.
The cast of characters is vast and keeping track of them all is difficult at times, particularly amongst the police force most of whom are equally foul and corrupt. At times I wondered why this wasn't condensed, though it does serve to show the severity of corruption. Virtually no one is likeable and the lack of internal monologues or character building keeps everyone at arms length, meaning I struggled to root for anyone succeeding here.
The crimes themselves were well crafted and I enjoyed the revelations as they unfolded. Structurally this book was a textbook crime novel with sharp punchy chapters that kept momentum going and very little detail to hold it up. This did work against the aforementioned characters, whose personalities and backstories were glossed over in favour of solving the case. I would have liked a bit more about Lana, Henry and Emmett to truly have a connection to the case beyond common morality.
This is a successful crime novel that ticks a lot of boxes. The focus on corruption made it a difficult but quick read. As someone who prefers detailed character work I was hoping for more in that department but overall I found this to be a good story that would translate to adaptation well.
"When you've got idiots in charge, the laws of physics don't apply."
February 29, 2024
The Strip is the Gold Coast of 1980, before the Fitzgerald Inquiry into governmental and police corruption. The police force in question, the Diablo, is comprised of crooked and incompetent police who have reached rock bottom before being sacked. They are a despicable lot. There are seven unsolved murders and the Diablo are charged with solving before they are sacked and shamed, except they shameless. Lana Cohen is seconded from Sydney to keep an eye on things and report back – to the NSW police who are said to be as corrupt as the Queensland police only more sophisticated about it. There is nothing good about these characters, except Lana and Harry, and what happens to them. As a more or less true account of the time (it is said to be based on real incidents) it is a valuable documentary; as pleasant reading of the police crime genre it is not. It has been highly praised by Whish-Wilson, Disher and many others, whose writing I do like, as a new groundbreaking genre of Australian fiction, and it probably is. Ryan tries to be very, very cool: one and two word paragraphs, verbs missing, short chapters that leap sometimes inconsequentially and yes ingenious as to characterization and plotting. However, I wanted to take a long, cleansing shower after reading it. For finding out the truth in the bad old days I’d rather read the Report of the Fitzgerald Royal Commission.
June 17, 2024
A historic Aussie crime mystery, The Strip (2023) by Iain Ryan is set in 1980s Queensland. Lana Cohen is a female detective sent to the Gold Coast to assist the serial killer task force, Diablo which is mired down and going nowhere. She is partnered with a local detective, Bruno Karras to work on the latest killing in New South Wales. As they undertake their part of the investigation, Lana becomes aware of another local detective, Henry Loch who is ostracised by his peers and needing to prove himself. As the various leads are followed up, Lana agrees to work separately but keep each other informed, as Henry pursues a possible connection between their cases. Set against the backdrop of the well-documented historical police corruption of the times, this police procedural has an authentic feel with its almost terse narrative but sublime characters and period capture. A romp of a tale and first-rate crime mystery that has a four stars read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.
April 29, 2024
WOW. This crime novel is soooo good.
Lana is a Sydney detective sent to the Gold Coast to look into the murky world of crooked cops. It's the late 70s and there have been a string of unsolved murders of prostitutes, low levels crims, peeps with links to police, crime, corruption and vice.
Lana has to pair up with Henry Loch, a detective with a past, and with ghosts of his own as she investigates the latest killing, that of a Tweed doctor, a man with high regard in the community.
How is he linked to the other Taskforce Diabalo killings? And how does the disappearance of local prostitute, Sarah, fit into the picture.
This is such a good crime thriller. Its characters are authentic, the plot is fast paced and well executed, and it oozes the grittiness of the time - sordid, smoke filled, sleazy, and gripping.
Lana is a Sydney detective sent to the Gold Coast to look into the murky world of crooked cops. It's the late 70s and there have been a string of unsolved murders of prostitutes, low levels crims, peeps with links to police, crime, corruption and vice.
Lana has to pair up with Henry Loch, a detective with a past, and with ghosts of his own as she investigates the latest killing, that of a Tweed doctor, a man with high regard in the community.
How is he linked to the other Taskforce Diabalo killings? And how does the disappearance of local prostitute, Sarah, fit into the picture.
This is such a good crime thriller. Its characters are authentic, the plot is fast paced and well executed, and it oozes the grittiness of the time - sordid, smoke filled, sleazy, and gripping.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2024
Tense in mood and written in precise, spare sentences, this novel captures the grime and claustrophobia of Queensland pre-Fitzgerald. More importantly, Iain Ryan draws characters that are hopelessly compromised morally but who seem worthy of redemption. There's an edge of police procedural here, but it's used effectively, and the author never makes the mistake of tipping over into exposition. It's the type of thriller that deserves the hype that tends to go to less accomplished, less talented writers. If anything, Ryan's prose (Hemmingway's sparsity but without indulging in the irritating staccato of Elroy) is the writing style of a literary author. His feeling for Australian slang and dialogue is reminiscent of the late, great Peter Temple. Highly recommended.
January 13, 2024
Tense and aggressive are two words I would use to describe The Strip and I suspect that's exactly what Iain Ryan was going for.
Set on the Gold Coast in the 1980s and inspired by true events at a time when the Queensland police were particularly corrupt, The Strip is a fast moving kind of murder mystery but definitely police drama with all the bribes, drugs and prostitution you would expect.
The writing style is short and sharp which I enjoyed once I got used to it. There are also a number of different storylines all rolling along together with a mix of some 'good guys' amongst mostly unlikeable characters.
You'll want to tie all the loose ends together and end up finishing The Strip in 24 hours like I did.
Set on the Gold Coast in the 1980s and inspired by true events at a time when the Queensland police were particularly corrupt, The Strip is a fast moving kind of murder mystery but definitely police drama with all the bribes, drugs and prostitution you would expect.
The writing style is short and sharp which I enjoyed once I got used to it. There are also a number of different storylines all rolling along together with a mix of some 'good guys' amongst mostly unlikeable characters.
You'll want to tie all the loose ends together and end up finishing The Strip in 24 hours like I did.
January 24, 2024
This book is written like it’s ready to be the next crime procedural on Stan. There is little to no internal monologue, which makes it hard to empathise and care about the characters. It reads like a screenplay at times.
There are several expected but well written twists in the last third of the book. A very easy read. Does a great job of showing the dirty and corrupt side of the Australian Police system. However in doing that, it’s hard to root for the main investigators, and I became somewhat disgusted and irritated by their hypocrisy of other equally or more corrupt officers throughout the book. It also made it difficult to feel any justice or satisfaction for the outcomes at the end of the book.
Overall, as a queensland local - it was an eye opening read.
I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are several expected but well written twists in the last third of the book. A very easy read. Does a great job of showing the dirty and corrupt side of the Australian Police system. However in doing that, it’s hard to root for the main investigators, and I became somewhat disgusted and irritated by their hypocrisy of other equally or more corrupt officers throughout the book. It also made it difficult to feel any justice or satisfaction for the outcomes at the end of the book.
Overall, as a queensland local - it was an eye opening read.
I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 5, 2024
with a 1/2
This was an engrossing read.
Gritty and no surprise police corruption is abound...is there a police force anywhere that is NOT corrupt????
The locale for the story is the sleazy Gold Coast that has become Australia's 'white trailer' trash capital !!
The infamous Fitzgerald inquiry resulted in the resignation of Queensland's premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the calling of two by-elections, and the jailing of three former ministers and the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis (who also lost his knighthood). It also contributed to the end of the National Party of Australia's 32-year run as the governing political party in Queensland. AND NOT BEFORE F^%^&* time all them were a BLIGHT on Queensland -Australia !!
Progress?? hope so but give a man some power and open to corruption !!
This was an engrossing read.
Gritty and no surprise police corruption is abound...is there a police force anywhere that is NOT corrupt????
The locale for the story is the sleazy Gold Coast that has become Australia's 'white trailer' trash capital !!
The infamous Fitzgerald inquiry resulted in the resignation of Queensland's premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the calling of two by-elections, and the jailing of three former ministers and the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis (who also lost his knighthood). It also contributed to the end of the National Party of Australia's 32-year run as the governing political party in Queensland. AND NOT BEFORE F^%^&* time all them were a BLIGHT on Queensland -Australia !!
Progress?? hope so but give a man some power and open to corruption !!
February 14, 2024
Well written characters who were convincing (to begin with). The final third of the book stumbled and became unrealistic and bizarre. It was like two different people wrote this book. As an ex-cop, the initial treatment/description of the Gold Coast in the first year of the 80s was credible, other than the respect shown to the female detective which was improbable in the extreme.
Otherwise, the setting in south east Queensland was evocative and made for good reading. Yeah, not sure what happened in that last third, but it became so disappointing. There's a great crime writer in there somewhere.
Otherwise, the setting in south east Queensland was evocative and made for good reading. Yeah, not sure what happened in that last third, but it became so disappointing. There's a great crime writer in there somewhere.
February 10, 2024
One of the best crime novels I’ve ever read! A gripping plot that improves as you progress through the story. Characters that have hidden identities and motivations. Good guys and bad cops and good cops and bad guys. No jokes, no humour. Drugs. Sex but no rock and roll. Just the truth (or is it) and corruption in two state police forces. Sone of the writing in the second half is incredibly profound and that’s rare in modern fiction for the masses. A modern day classic that’s close to ours lit. Iain Ryan, you are a fantastic writer and are destined for greatness.
March 24, 2024
Would not really recommend this book other than as an exposé of police corruption in Queensland and particularly on the Gold Coast in the 1980s. That was horrific. The GC (a favourite holiday destination for me) is portrayed as full of evil. The story itself is barely credible at times and we don’t get into the characters’ natures sufficiently to really care about them. Lana is seconded to the GC force from NSW and her tole is confusing but somehow she seems to be respected. Really? In the GC police force of the 1980s?
Read
September 27, 2024starting to wonder if i am a noir girlie but this was my first australian thriller and unlike british romances i enjoyed the setting and how it lended itself to the genre. all the states are so close to each other geographically that it inherently ties all the police forces and you see a lot more corruption across the whole system. i saw a haunted theme park mentioned in the next book so you know i will be there
i picked this up because: i feel like i saw jordan harper recommend it and i LOVED everybody knows. this reminded me of that book a lot actually
i picked this up because: i feel like i saw jordan harper recommend it and i LOVED everybody knows. this reminded me of that book a lot actually
November 3, 2025
3 1/2 stars
The corrupt, sleezy, anything goes 1980s Gold Coast of Queensland is well described in this reasonably fast-paced crime novel based on a real case.
The characters were pretty unlikeable in the main. Many of them corrupt as we know from the Fitzgerald Royal Commission. There were a few too many characters, too, which made it a bit difficult to keep them in my head - but that could just be me :-)
Really good twist in the end!
The corrupt, sleezy, anything goes 1980s Gold Coast of Queensland is well described in this reasonably fast-paced crime novel based on a real case.
The characters were pretty unlikeable in the main. Many of them corrupt as we know from the Fitzgerald Royal Commission. There were a few too many characters, too, which made it a bit difficult to keep them in my head - but that could just be me :-)
Really good twist in the end!
January 6, 2024
Haven’t picked up a book in a while, but this novel was great to get me started again. It flows great, easy to read, and has an interesting but also satisfying finish. And for those who are just getting in to reading novels it’s not ridiculously long, and can be read within one or two sittings. 100% recommend.👍🏽
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