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The Casino
This place is paradise. A gleaming, golden paradise, and mark my words, we intend to keep it that way, by any means possible. You can bet on it.
Detective Lana Cohen thought she had found a slice of peace on the sun-drenched Gold Coast, but her respite is shattered when a severed hand is found on a local beach.
As the investigation unfolds, Lana is thrust into an uneasy partnership with an off-the-rails Internal Investigations cop ‘Miami’ Vince Walters, and a mysterious Melbourne private investigator Ewan Hayes. It soon becomes clear the new casino is bustling with shady types willing to lose it all, the glitzy shopping centres are rife with shoplifting and the gaudy nightlife is still full of corruption and drugs.
The Casino is a thrilling journey into a world where the stakes are deadly, and trust is the ultimate gamble.PRAISE FOR THE ‘a high-stakes underworld battle’ —The Canberra Times ‘local detective Lana Cohen is intrigued by a severed hand found on the beach . . . There’s a lot going on and most of it is highly dodgy.’ —The Sydney Morning Herald
Detective Lana Cohen thought she had found a slice of peace on the sun-drenched Gold Coast, but her respite is shattered when a severed hand is found on a local beach.
As the investigation unfolds, Lana is thrust into an uneasy partnership with an off-the-rails Internal Investigations cop ‘Miami’ Vince Walters, and a mysterious Melbourne private investigator Ewan Hayes. It soon becomes clear the new casino is bustling with shady types willing to lose it all, the glitzy shopping centres are rife with shoplifting and the gaudy nightlife is still full of corruption and drugs.
The Casino is a thrilling journey into a world where the stakes are deadly, and trust is the ultimate gamble.PRAISE FOR THE ‘a high-stakes underworld battle’ —The Canberra Times ‘local detective Lana Cohen is intrigued by a severed hand found on the beach . . . There’s a lot going on and most of it is highly dodgy.’ —The Sydney Morning Herald
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 30, 2025
9 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Iain Ryan
15 books83 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 13, 2026
Been hanging for this since finishing The Dream, loved to see the story continue. I enjoyed seeing many of the older characters, such as Bruno and especially Lana return, with the latter being mostly absent from The Dream. Really enjoyed the new character of Miami Vince, as well as Ewan. The Melbourne connection was also pretty good. I would have liked to have heard more from the Deputy Police Commissioner (Sorensen, fictional) , introduced as a pretty major villain in The Dream. It was pretty neat having Terry Lewis in there though.
I didn't find the mystery as exciting as the previous two books, but the police corruption and undercurrent still carried it, as well as the aforementioned characters. When the final villain was introduced, I picked who he would be a fair way out.
I can't wait for the final part of the Gold Coast Quartet, and am really hanging to see how all this ties off and ends. Hopefully Ryan doesn't have us wait long!
I didn't find the mystery as exciting as the previous two books, but the police corruption and undercurrent still carried it, as well as the aforementioned characters. When the final villain was introduced, I picked who he would be a fair way out.
I can't wait for the final part of the Gold Coast Quartet, and am really hanging to see how all this ties off and ends. Hopefully Ryan doesn't have us wait long!
January 23, 2026
A journey into the underworld of the Gold Coast, full of dodgy police officers and a new casino brimming with corruption, begins when a severed hand is found at Nobby Beach.
I’ll start by saying there’s always something extra fun and satisfying about reading a book set where you live and recognising all the niche places (hello Target Pacific Fair).
This was gritty and fast-paced, and full of interesting and shady characters. I tend to find Ryan’s crime novels to be a bit darker/more noir than the average, which is cool and makes them quite distinct.
The main downsides for me were 1) there were so many viewpoints and characters that I struggled to keep track of who knew what and how they were all connected. I do like to have the opportunity to connect the dots at least a little bit when reading crime fiction; and 2) some of the character development was a bit rushed and meant I didn’t really feel that invested in what happened to them (I’m looking at you Vince) - however, I will note that I did recognise some of the characters from The Strip, so maybe more background is given in some of the previous books.
Thanks to @ultimopress for my copy!
I’ll start by saying there’s always something extra fun and satisfying about reading a book set where you live and recognising all the niche places (hello Target Pacific Fair).
This was gritty and fast-paced, and full of interesting and shady characters. I tend to find Ryan’s crime novels to be a bit darker/more noir than the average, which is cool and makes them quite distinct.
The main downsides for me were 1) there were so many viewpoints and characters that I struggled to keep track of who knew what and how they were all connected. I do like to have the opportunity to connect the dots at least a little bit when reading crime fiction; and 2) some of the character development was a bit rushed and meant I didn’t really feel that invested in what happened to them (I’m looking at you Vince) - however, I will note that I did recognise some of the characters from The Strip, so maybe more background is given in some of the previous books.
Thanks to @ultimopress for my copy!
January 20, 2026
Iain Ryan's books set on the Gold Coast are excellent reads, this definitely another good read !
Set in the mid 1980's, we have a new casino on the Gold Coast, and it's surrounded in mystery - crime, drugs, corruption and the like. Ryan's novel is gritty, and it's difficult to work out exactly who are the good guys.
For those of us who lived through the 80's and were aware of the reported corruption and criminal activities endemic throughout the Queensland police, this book despite being a work of fiction has a very authentic feel.
Written from several viewpoints including Ewan, a PI looking for a missing person, "Miami Vince", an Internal Investigations cop and Lana Cohen, a police detective, this is a gripping read, a genuine page turner.
Set in the mid 1980's, we have a new casino on the Gold Coast, and it's surrounded in mystery - crime, drugs, corruption and the like. Ryan's novel is gritty, and it's difficult to work out exactly who are the good guys.
For those of us who lived through the 80's and were aware of the reported corruption and criminal activities endemic throughout the Queensland police, this book despite being a work of fiction has a very authentic feel.
Written from several viewpoints including Ewan, a PI looking for a missing person, "Miami Vince", an Internal Investigations cop and Lana Cohen, a police detective, this is a gripping read, a genuine page turner.
December 31, 2025
Took this away and read the entire flight without looking up once! Definitely a page turner that keeps you guessing with a series of thrilling twists and reveals at the end that blew me away! Safe to say I'll be picking up the rest of Iain Ryan's books! Highly recommend this one to add to the top of upcoming January 2026 release pile!
January 4, 2026
This author’s first two books set on the Gold Coast, in the 80’s were simply wonderful. So evocative of the time, and the underlying corruption. This book continues the series and it doesn’t disappoint. A rattling good read and thanks to Hardie Grant for the advance reading copy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews