The Marvellous Boy

Cliff Hardy #3

by Peter Corris

Lady Catherine presides over the declining fortunes of the Chatterton estate, which is lacking a suitable heir. When she hears of a grandson she never knew, Cliff Hardy takes the job, reluctantly, of finding him. From the run-down boarding houses of Darlinghurst to the social set of Canberra, Hardy finds the case forcing him into some of the strangest roles a private detective has ever had to play.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Australia

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

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

[Damo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marvellous Boy is the 3rd Cliff Hardy detective novel by Peter Corris, a hardboiled series that has progressed to become one of the mainstays of the Australian crime genre. Hardy embarks on a hunt for a missing person who doesn't even know he's missing in this typically hard hitting novel by the godfather of Australian crime fiction.

Cliff Hardy is hired by Lady Catherine Chatterton to track down a missing heir. She has virtually disowned her entire family but wants to believe that there is someone in her family worthy of inheriting her assets. She has learnt of a grandson she never knew existed, born 30 years ago after her daughter left her following a falling out. Hardy's job is twofold, firstly, he must confirm that the boy really exists and then secondly, to bring him to her. She's sure that if she has an heir, his bloodlines will ensure that he must be a marvellous boy.

So Hardy's investigation begins in Sydney's Kings Cross as he finds Lady Catherine's broken down former son-in-law, a drunk living in one of the suburbs dingy apartments. He then moves on down to the south coast of New South Wales to a retired doctor who specialised in abortions and adoptions for single mothers who didn't want their babies. What he finds among the doctor's records is the possibility that a boy may have indeed been born to a woman matching the description of Lady Catherine's daughter. All very vague, so far.

But finding this baby, who is now a 30 year old man proves to be just a little more difficult and the process seems to stir up a hornets nest. Someone has been alerted to the fact that Hardy is looking and seems prepared to try anything to stop him finding.

The Marvellous Boy is one of those classic hardboiled detective stories, controlled by the careful gathering of information, occasionally by force, before blossoming out to reveal a deeper, more sinister secret. With his gun, a clapped out old Ford Falcon for a ride and roll-your-own smokes in the pocket, Cliff Hardy is about as bare-knuckle, down to earth as they come.

With an economy of words but with tremendous detail and flair for description, Corris brings his characters to life:

Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her thin lips were like a strap keeping the pale, clear flesh on the lower part of her face tight. She was about thirty, handsome in an only-one-of-her-kind-in-captivity way. She looked as if she had a very good opinion of herself and a low one of nearly everyone else."

The Marvellous Boy is hardboiled all the way with the tough and uncompromising Cliff Hardy representing the epitome of the hard-bitten detective. He embraces his vice, is prepared to talk tough when he has to and backs it up with a preparedness to take his knocks as part of the job, willing to deal out his own brand of violence when necessary.

This is a strong detective novel that builds in intensity and adds to the intrigue nicely as it continues. The initial focus is replaced by a much more complex and ultimately more satisfying mystery that results in a hum-dinger of a finish. It's no wonder that readers keep flocking back to Peter Corris' Cliff Hardy series.

[Danni Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book without realizing it was written in 1980s. It's funny how a few decades makes such a huge difference to the characters, the setting, and even the plot. It definitely threw me off with the way Hardy conducted himself, and some of the things he was allowed to do and get away with. If you are looking for a flashy, modern, or police-procedural type detective novel, this is probably not for you. If you enjoy being immersed in historical periods, then you might like this one.

[Russell Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Australian equivalent of Ross MacDonald.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

+Finished 01/09/2014. Cliff Hardy is hired to find the grandson of an elderly society matron that was put up for adop- tion at birth by his mother. He traces down the doctor & nurse that assisted at the delivery. The nurse is murdered, but he follows leads until he finds the adoptive father. The natural son of this man is resentful & crooked, but all agree that the adoptee is not a nice man. Several people lose their lives, and when the a. is found it is up to Cliff to dry him out and rehab him.+

[Michael Durkin]

I haven't read the early Cliff Hardy novels before. He hasn't changed much and all Peter Corris books are worth a read, I can say now.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, all Peter Corris's books deserve 5 stars because they portray the time amd the places so well. Just a pleasure to read the prose, often regardless of the actual storyline.

[Wombat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story didn’t really grab me with this one.

[Gavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another rollicking good yarn from Peter Corris. Not the best from the Cliff Hardy series, but reliably entertaining & always well written.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was keen to get my teeth into another Cliff Hardy book after reading the first in the series (The Dying Trade) recently. I couldn't get my hands on the second book, and so it's number three, The Marvellous Boy that has kept me occupied for a few hours this week.

Hardy is back again, this time trying to track down the long-lost grandson of Lady Chatterton. Corris has obviously become more comfortable with his creation, as he in turns follows and is followed, roughs people up and is roughed up himself, and gets entangled with a female reporter while fending off a suspect's wife.

For me, there was a bit of a sense of Corris going through the motions here - ensuring that Hardy is knocked out a couple of times, that he has the appropriate number of run-ins with less salubrious members of society, and that he has the right number of knotty problems to unravel before he gets his man.

That stated, The Marvellous Boy is a page-turner, and the grittiness of Sydney in the 1980s comes through the writing. It's not great literature, but it's a good read - I imagine I'll work my way through the series.

One strange thing I noticed - one of the protagonist's cars changed from a Datsun to a Toyota mid-chase...hmm...

Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/

[Mumbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good stuff. Maybe not as good as Empty Beach or the Heroin Annie story collection. But I still finished it feeling like picking up another right off.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Andrew Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit better than the other tales in the series.