What do you think?
Rate this book
Les Norton #15
Leaving Bondi
Les figured by tossing $50,000 into the Gull's movie he'd become the next Sam Goldwyn. Only someone put a bomb on the film set. And who gets the blame? Now Norton's a fugitive from the law, desperate to prove his innocence. Satanists, drug dealers, nutty poets, blabbermouth disc jockeys - everybody between Sydney, the Blue Mountains and South Australia wants a piece of Les Norton. So what are Norton's chances of clearing his name and coming up smelling of roses? But rely on Les to come up smelling of something.
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 11, 2000
9 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Robert G. Barrett
47 books67 followersG’day.
You’ve no doubt read a lot of things about me and my books over the years written by other people. Well, this is the truth. I grew up in Bondi in Sydney, Australia. I went to Bondi Beach Public School then on to Randwick Boys High. I left school at 14, did a few odd jobs then a trade as a butcher, mainly in the Eastern suburbs before finally working as a boner in various meatworks around the inner city with two trips to Ross River meatworks at Townsville, Queensland thrown in. I gave up boning after a hindquarter fell on me tearing the tendons in my right arm. I always liked writing letters and reading, so while I was on worker’s compensation I did three writing courses at the WEA, Worker’s Education Authority.
Robert died of cancer at his home in Terrigal, New South Wales.
You’ve no doubt read a lot of things about me and my books over the years written by other people. Well, this is the truth. I grew up in Bondi in Sydney, Australia. I went to Bondi Beach Public School then on to Randwick Boys High. I left school at 14, did a few odd jobs then a trade as a butcher, mainly in the Eastern suburbs before finally working as a boner in various meatworks around the inner city with two trips to Ross River meatworks at Townsville, Queensland thrown in. I gave up boning after a hindquarter fell on me tearing the tendons in my right arm. I always liked writing letters and reading, so while I was on worker’s compensation I did three writing courses at the WEA, Worker’s Education Authority.
Robert died of cancer at his home in Terrigal, New South Wales.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 6, 2021
When you notice a chef putting shit in the lamingtons, it's only natural to surprise him with a shit-cake made to explode in his face, right? It is if you're Les Norton hanging out with Eddie Salita on the set of a movie you've invested 50k into. Would suck if someone else blew up the entire catering van right when the cake blew up.
Yep, this book sees Les in strife right from the start. Whenever Les takes one step forward, he fumbles back 3 or 4. Things are looking worse for Les, especially from the cop's point of view. Trying to find the truth of his killer, he ends up in The Blue Mountians, then eventually in Adelaide.
He goes around in search of a boat known as the "Trough Queen", and everyone thinks he's a poofter.
His search sends him off after satanists and weird sex cults, but every clue seems to lead Les further from the truth. Only issue is, if he fails to clear his name he'll end up in the slammer.
I’ve written it before, but I’ll write it again: whenever I follow along with Les Norton I have difficulty lining him up as someone that is good or bad. In this book, the worst part for me was when he beats up 2 dogs. It’s always hard to read a character as non-villainous after they hurt animals. There’s also the issue that some of the people he beat up weren’t acting out of place and that he was the antagonist in the situation... in these scenarios, I’d enjoy seeing Les cop the whooping for once. Then again, Les always wins the fights. Finally, there was the issue with Les saving a woman’s life. Then having sex with her while she was unconscious. But then they end up together anyway, so it probably would have been consensual if she was awake? Yeah, Les definitely played more of an antagonistic role in this one.
Still, I laughed plenty, and didn't take anything in the book too seriously.
Yep, this book sees Les in strife right from the start. Whenever Les takes one step forward, he fumbles back 3 or 4. Things are looking worse for Les, especially from the cop's point of view. Trying to find the truth of his killer, he ends up in The Blue Mountians, then eventually in Adelaide.
He goes around in search of a boat known as the "Trough Queen", and everyone thinks he's a poofter.
His search sends him off after satanists and weird sex cults, but every clue seems to lead Les further from the truth. Only issue is, if he fails to clear his name he'll end up in the slammer.
I’ve written it before, but I’ll write it again: whenever I follow along with Les Norton I have difficulty lining him up as someone that is good or bad. In this book, the worst part for me was when he beats up 2 dogs. It’s always hard to read a character as non-villainous after they hurt animals. There’s also the issue that some of the people he beat up weren’t acting out of place and that he was the antagonist in the situation... in these scenarios, I’d enjoy seeing Les cop the whooping for once. Then again, Les always wins the fights. Finally, there was the issue with Les saving a woman’s life. Then having sex with her while she was unconscious. But then they end up together anyway, so it probably would have been consensual if she was awake? Yeah, Les definitely played more of an antagonistic role in this one.
Still, I laughed plenty, and didn't take anything in the book too seriously.
May 25, 2025
Ugh. Robert Barrett might be the "king of popular fiction" according to "the Australian", but he is a sexist pig.
When your hero saves a woman from date-rapists who have spiked her drink with downers, a real hero rescues the woman. If the "hero" then has sex with the drugged woman, he is just as bad as the original rapist, he is also a rapist.
If the editors at Harper Collins can't understand this, shame on them.
I couldn't read past the scene where the hero rapes the victim he supposedly saved.
What the fuck is wrong with men?
No wonder rape is the most committed, and most under-reported of all crimes.
This garbage book is now in the bin, where no-one else will ever have to read it. I found this in a street library, but wouldn't return it to one, as it is so offensive.
Printed in 2000, revolting sexist rubbish, no wonder rape is so prevalent, and rape-excusers are just as common as rapists.
Yuck.
When your hero saves a woman from date-rapists who have spiked her drink with downers, a real hero rescues the woman. If the "hero" then has sex with the drugged woman, he is just as bad as the original rapist, he is also a rapist.
If the editors at Harper Collins can't understand this, shame on them.
I couldn't read past the scene where the hero rapes the victim he supposedly saved.
What the fuck is wrong with men?
No wonder rape is the most committed, and most under-reported of all crimes.
This garbage book is now in the bin, where no-one else will ever have to read it. I found this in a street library, but wouldn't return it to one, as it is so offensive.
Printed in 2000, revolting sexist rubbish, no wonder rape is so prevalent, and rape-excusers are just as common as rapists.
Yuck.
January 16, 2025
Fun, until it was offensive, then it wasn't fun at all
February 3, 2014
Over the years I have read a few of Robert G. Barrett’s Les Norton series. I don’t know how many there are in the series. I have about seven of them, and I’d guess there’s probably that many I don’t have. I have always found them to be – for wont of a lazy comparison – a knockabout variation on the Cliff Hardy stories – the obvious connection being that they are often set in Sydney (but the boys move around a bit from story to story). However Les is not a Private Detective like Hardy. Instead he’s a trouble shooter at the Kelly Club. ‘Trouble’ being the operative word. Les seems to attract it. In this story he gets mixed up in a movie deal – the movie being called ‘Leaving Bondi’.
As I implied above, I have enjoyed many of Norton’s adventures – but this one was undone by one particularly sleazy scene which ruined the whole book. In the scene, Les rescues a drugged girl from a cult of devil-worshipers who are about to slit her throat. After the rescue, Les takes the unconscious girl back to his hotel room – and let’s just say things get a little rapey for my liking. Worse, still the incident is passed off as a joke a bit later on. The Les Norton stories have never really been politically correct, but this one went over the line for me.
I doubt international readers would find a lot to enjoy in the Les Norton series. They are very Australian with little explanation of the wheres and whyfores – if you’re not familiar with the place names and products you may feel left out – and very much of their time. This book is fourteen years old and some of the products mentioned are no longer available, television shows are no longer on etc…
The Les Norton books can be good fun, but unless you’re a die hard fan of the series, I’d give this one a miss.
As I implied above, I have enjoyed many of Norton’s adventures – but this one was undone by one particularly sleazy scene which ruined the whole book. In the scene, Les rescues a drugged girl from a cult of devil-worshipers who are about to slit her throat. After the rescue, Les takes the unconscious girl back to his hotel room – and let’s just say things get a little rapey for my liking. Worse, still the incident is passed off as a joke a bit later on. The Les Norton stories have never really been politically correct, but this one went over the line for me.
I doubt international readers would find a lot to enjoy in the Les Norton series. They are very Australian with little explanation of the wheres and whyfores – if you’re not familiar with the place names and products you may feel left out – and very much of their time. This book is fourteen years old and some of the products mentioned are no longer available, television shows are no longer on etc…
The Les Norton books can be good fun, but unless you’re a die hard fan of the series, I’d give this one a miss.
May 7, 2011
Corny entertainment for blokes, where the all conquering hero, Les Norton, can do no wrong. A bit of light reading fun
April 30, 2012
Yet another great Barrett/Les Norton tale - probably a little hard going if your not an Aussie or familiar with the land of the kanga's ; but a great fun read if you are !
January 13, 2017
Not for dog lovers. Two rottweilers are attacked by the main character. Not as good as 'Mud crab boogie'.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews