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Cliff Hardy #41

That Empty Feeling

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An unexpected obituary takes Cliff Hardy on a trip down memory lane to a case he's been trying to forget for twenty years: oil, fraud, boxing, racing - and murder.

One case still haunts Hardy

Legendary PI Cliff Hardy has reached an age when the obituaries have become part of his reading, and one triggers his memory of a case in the late 1980s. Back then Sydney was awash with colourful characters, and Cliff is reminded of a case involving 'Ten-Pound Pom' Barry Bartlett and racing identity and investor Sir Keith Mountjoy.

Bartlett, a former rugby league player and boxing manager, then a prosperous property developer, had hired Hardy to check on the bona fides of young Ronny Saunders, newly arrived from England, and claiming to be Bartlett's son from an early failed marriage. The job brought Hardy into contact with Richard Keppler, head of the no-rules Botany Security Systems, Bronwen Marr, an undercover AFP operative, and sworn adversary Des O'Malley.

At a time when corporate capitalism was running riot, an embattled Hardy searched for leads - was Ronny Saunders a pawn in a game involving big oil and fraud on an international scale? Two murders raise the stakes and with the sinister figure of Lady Betty Lee Mountjoy pulling the strings, it was odds against a happy outcome.

264 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2015

6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

About the author

Peter Corris

154 books60 followers
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.



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5 stars
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94 (37%)
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90 (35%)
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13 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Jenny.
2,278 reviews73 followers
September 19, 2017
That Empty Feeling is book forty-one in the Cliff Hardy series by Peter Corris. One Sunday afternoon Cliff Hardy was sitting on his daughter's Megan balcony reading the newspaper when he saw the death notice of an old friend. Megan came out to the balcony realising the something was not right with Cliff and ask him what is wrong. The readers of That Empty Feeling will sit down with Megan and a cup of tea to find out why Cliff was upset.

I did enjoy reading That Empty Feeling. That Empty Feeling for me was not one of Peter Corris best books. I do love the way Peter Corris portrays his characters especially Cliff Hardy. I like Peter Corris writing style they are easy to read. Also, Peter Corris does know how to engage his readers with his plots and way he describes his settings.

Readers of That Empty Feeling will learn about working as a private detective. Also, how private detectives and law enforcement officers interact with each other. That Empty Feeling highlights that not only law enforcement officers suffer when a case is not solved.

I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Carol -  Reading Writing and Riesling.
1,169 reviews128 followers
January 6, 2016
A great Australian narrative - It is no wonder that he is known as the 'godfather' of Australian crime fiction.

My View:
I am feeling very comfortable with this writer and his protagonist Cliff Hardy despite the fact that I have only read a few of the forty one books in the series. There is something about the writing style that invites the reader into the narrative and carries you along until the final chapter has been read and the narrative has reached its destined conclusion.

I like Cliff Hardy. I like his involvement and dedication to the cases he works on. I like the story telling – rich, character based and set in Australian locations. This particular story had a miasma of sadness and regret that infiltrates the pages, the source only fully revealed at the end. Poor Cliff.

This is a series I will continue to follow and enjoy!

Profile Image for Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.
2,609 reviews556 followers
January 10, 2016

An obituary in his morning newspaper has Cliff Hardy, PI, reminiscing about a decades old case that still haunts him, in Peter Corris's, That Empty Feeling.

A long lost heir, a federal undercover cop, and an oil scam tangle to create a mystery that pits Hardy against an old enemy, a greedy wife and corporate corruption. There is betrayal, abduction, murder, and a surprising romance. Hardy gathers evidence, chases down hunches, trades information, and occasionally explodes into violence.

The spare prose and dispiriting tone reflects the noir genre. The pace is unhurried and the reading easy.

That Empty Feeling is the 41st book to feature the iconic character of Cliff Hardy, several of which I have read over the years, and which I always enjoy.
Profile Image for Simon McDonald.
136 reviews20 followers
January 3, 2016
That Empty Feeling is the forty-first Cliff Hardy novel, and demonstrates precisely why the Sydney-based PI and his creator, Peter Corris, have remained the pinnacle of Australian crime fiction for more than thirty years.

Hardy has reached an age when obituaries frequently present familiar names, and when he recognises Barry Bartlett’s, he reminisces to his daughter about the man, and the case, that involved him in the late eighties. Told in flashback, Corris is able to forget the contemporary age-addled Hardy and re-present the character in his prime: a drinker, brawler and womaniser; a man who won’t quit, regardless of the obstacles in his way.

A lifetime ago, Barry Bartlett fathered two children who were taken away from him when his relationship with their mother failed. In the present day, a man claiming to be his son has appeared, and Bartlett wants Hardy to verify the guy’s claims. Bartlett business dealings sees him in contact with various nefarious characters from Sydney’s underworld – and indeed, the nation as a whole – and there are plenty of people who might want to fool him; even the police. It’s immediately clear that Hardy’s latest case will require more than just a standard background check; before long he’s involved with a murder, a kidnapping, and an extravagant crime that demands the attention of the Federal Police. Once again, Hardy’s in over his head – but undaunted and in typical fashion, he barrels into trouble.

Corris’ stripped-down storytelling remains pitch-perfect, and his hardboiled prose with its distinct Australian flavour is unequalled. That Empty Feeling provides a tangled mystery, plenty of fisticuffs and thrills that demand the novel be read in a single sitting. Peter Corris is called the “godfather of Australian crime fiction” for a reason, and this is a darn fine place to start.

Warning: it’s the kind of series that induces binge-reading.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,970 reviews107 followers
February 16, 2016
The forty-first Cliff Hardy book came out earlier this year. That Empty Feeling is classic Cliff Hardy - stripped down, hardboiled, quintessentially Australian-noir ticking all the required boxes - pace, twists, turns, sex, violence and pitch-perfect dialogue. This time around, the cynicism and world-weariness have a little poignancy attached to them as well. The discovery of the obituary of an old client - Barry Bartlett sets Hardy off reminiscing, harking back to the late 1980's.

Back then, Hardy had taken on a case for Bartlett sorting out a family mystery. Barry's two children, and their mother, had returned to England many years before and the question now was whether the man who had returned was indeed the son he claimed to be. This is well before Google, Social Media and DNA were available, but even allowing for some old-fashioned checking methods, you'd think it wouldn't have been that difficult to resolve. But this is a Cliff Hardy investigation, and nothing's ever as simple as it seems.

Setting the action back in the 1980's has allowed Corris to revisit the time of some of Hardy's greatest excesses. The stuff that probably gave him his current day heart condition, and a large part of his general demeanour. Taking Hardy back also provides plenty of opportunity to reminisce about the inner-Sydney suburbs as they were - before living there became trendy. It's not hard to see a certain sense of regret at what's been lost in those places, along with the sorts of activities that Hardy himself is no longer up for - he might still be able to throw a few punches and drink a couple of glasses of wine, but his days of excessive drinking and hefty brawling are long gone.

For long-term fans of this series there are some wonderfully poignant touches, early days in friendships with ongoing characters such as cop Frank Parker and journo Harry Tickener, none of which detract from the story itself - which ends up revealing a lot about Bartlett, and the corporate excesses and shenanigans of the time.

Part of the power of That Empty Feeling is that sense of looking backwards to a time when Hardy and his mates were younger, fitter and fearless. It's also a story very much of that time - a world away from now - where life was a lot less regulated, risks seemed a lot more fun, information was a lot more guarded, and we were all a lot freer because of it. Because of that viewpoint it's hard not to sense a slightly sadder side to Hardy. He seems to have reached that stage in life where reading obituaries is a morning ritual, and the past has always been a much happier place. Here's hoping his excursion back in time has reminded him that there were a lot worse things in the 1980's than big hair and awful taste in clothes.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
Profile Image for Deborah (debbishdotcom).
1,450 reviews138 followers
December 22, 2015
Although I'm sure I've read Peter Corris before, I really don't remember much about PI Cliff Hardy. This - the 41st in the series - was probably a good place to start as the entire novel takes place in late 1980s, as Hardy tells his daughter about a job he once did for shonky businessman Barry Bartlett.

Setting this novel in the past very much suited Hardy's gumshoe type persona. Like my fave fictional PI (Spenser... by Robert B Parker), Hardy's old school so I can't quite imagine him surfing the internet and tracking down baddies via their online footprints.

However he's at home in boxing halls and around bookies.

Hardy stumbles across a federal investigation into his client and half-heartedly partners up, though neither party really trust the other. Hardy is ostensibly just trying to find out if a newcomer really is Bartlett's son; while the feds are trying to find something on Bartlett in an attempt to dig deeper into his world.

There are a lot of players and 'sides' and the plot had the potential to become convoluted but Corris deftly manoeuvres around them all. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but that was from my need for closure as much as anything else. I suspect most people would nod their heads approvingly... happy that Corris is keeping it real.

I enjoyed this novel but it isn't really the sort of book I'd pick up. Corris does a great job at highlighting the excesses of the 1980s and he nails the settings, but the plot itself just didn't challenge me enough. Again - it's more because I enjoy (books featuring) psychopathic killers than cashed-up property developers and mobsters.
Profile Image for Deborah (debbishdotcom).
1,450 reviews138 followers
December 22, 2015
Although I'm sure I've read Peter Corris before, I really don't remember much about PI Cliff Hardy. This - the 41st in the series - was probably a good place to start as the entire novel takes place in late 1980s, as Hardy tells his daughter about a job he once did for shonky businessman Barry Bartlett.

Setting this novel in the past very much suited Hardy's gumshoe type persona. Like my fave fictional PI (Spenser... by Robert B Parker), Hardy's old school so I can't quite imagine him surfing the internet and tracking down baddies via their online footprints.

However he's at home in boxing halls and around bookies.

Hardy stumbles across a federal investigation into his client and half-heartedly partners up, though neither party really trust the other. Hardy is ostensibly just trying to find out if a newcomer really is Bartlett's son; while the feds are trying to find something on Bartlett in an attempt to dig deeper into his world.

There are a lot of players and 'sides' and the plot had the potential to become convoluted but Corris deftly manoeuvres around them all. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but that was from my need for closure as much as anything else. I suspect most people would nod their heads approvingly... happy that Corris is keeping it real.

I enjoyed this novel but it isn't really the sort of book I'd pick up. Corris does a great job at highlighting the excesses of the 1980s and he nails the settings, but the plot itself just didn't challenge me enough. Again - it's more because I enjoy (books featuring) psychopathic killers than cashed-up property developers and mobsters.
Profile Image for Glenn Martin.
29 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2025
Been a Peter Corris fan since seeing 'The Empty Beach' on TV, about 35 years ago. Bryan Brown was the perfect choice to play Cliff Hardy and whenever l read Hardy I picture Brown as Hardy.

'That Empty Feeling' was typical Corris/Hardy. It comes as no surprise Corris admits Hardy is a kind of alter ego and he effortlessly takes the reader to Hardy's patch of 80s and 90s Sydney, book after book. This offering is the 41st and sadly, our 2nd last visit there.

The characterisations were very good. Hardy, as always, the suitably flawed standout. The storyline was adequate without being outstanding but for me, it was all about visiting Hardy's world again, courtesy of Corris.

Agonized between 3 and 4 stars. Settled on 4 because l'm an unapologetic Corris/Hardy fan.

RIP Peter Corris. You were one of a kind.
Profile Image for Meg.
205 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2019
Corris is an entertaining writer of private detective stories, but this one is disappointing. The ending is wrapped up in a couple of pages with loose ends killed off. I particularly disliked the off-hand dismissal of a young man’s permanent disappearance. Extrapolating, it seems as though he must have died of starvation while locked up somewhere - very unpleasant. And the implication is that the police did little about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Annie.
3 reviews
March 2, 2017
bought this Peter Corris in audiobook form for a long drive and enjoyed it immensely. doesn't insult the reader's intelligence, whereas the editor at Kathy Lette's publisher needs a smack for not pulling her up on faults in Courting Trouble the audiobook I am tolerating at present. glad it is a library loan not a purchase. Corris is worth the money.
Profile Image for Gary Vassallo.
763 reviews38 followers
June 18, 2020
Another classic Cliff Hardy mystery. The twist and turns had me enthralled to the end. The sexual tension and myriad of players was beautifully played out be Peter Corris leading to an emotional climax. Highly recommended. I am looking forward to continuing to read more Cliff Hardy adventures.
2 reviews
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April 17, 2021
I really enjoy the Cliff Hardy series and have read almost all from the beginning. I’m puzzled though why his daughter, Megan, has only one child ( son Ben) in book 41 (That Empty Feeling) but had two sons ( Ben and Jack) in book 40 ( Gun Control). If anyone can explain I’d appreciate it.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
200 reviews2 followers
September 11, 2024
Loved reading about places I know about. A good flowing read, well rounded. One flaw- no-one called ambulance drivers 'Paramedics' in the era of this book. They were: Ambo's, St. John or CDA in Sydney. Paramedics is a newer, more specialised training.
172 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2025
This is the first Peter Corris book I've read (well actually listened to). I quite enjoyed it though I sensed a vibe more akin to an earlier period than this was supposed to be.
I will definitely try another Peter Corris though. 3.5 ⭐️
141 reviews
July 5, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable hard-boiled detective story.
65 reviews
February 26, 2020
I loved that it was located on my doorstep: Sydney, Glebe, Newtown, Paddo etc
53 reviews
March 4, 2020
Corris has been writing Cliff Hard detective stories for over 30 years and has millions of readers.
He will not miss me.
Profile Image for Melanie.
79 reviews
March 6, 2020
Finished very abruptly...could have used more in the ending
Profile Image for Ron Brown.
425 reviews27 followers
December 19, 2016
I can clearly remember reading some of Peter Corris’ early Cliff Hardy novels. The Dying Trade and The Greenwich Apartments come to mind and later The Empty Beach. I do remember that he got a fair degree of media coverage and comparisons were made with Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. I was a taxi driver in Sydney at the time and I can remember driving past many of the places mentioned in these Sydney based private detective stories.
I have recently re-discovered Corris/Hardy. For some reason they have nor been part of my biblioworld. I think I may have been more interested in “saving-the-world” books. I am so pleased that I have ventured back into this unpredictable and somewhat seedy world created by Corris. I have recently read “Comeback” and “Silent Kill”
At the beginning of “That Empty Feeling” I was somewhat baffled by the use of the technique of reminiscence. However, as the story unfolded and we got into some unbridled fisticuffs I realized that Corris wanted to bring back some of Hardies pugilistic skills. At his age in “Comeback and “Silent Kill” Hardy would be in cardiac arrest territory.
The story has many Australian characters who play meaningful roles in this Australian narrative. All Corris’ characters are believable. The story is not too complicated and the prose sets the right mood and temperament for the reader to be carried along.
The love interest is handled well and the corporate corruption is a fitting context for any story set in Sydney.
I did think the ending was a little rushed and untidy. The father/son relationship and the love interest were all readily dismissed when the story returns to the present.
I do recommend this book if you enjoy this genre and Corris has an oeuvre that will keep you busy for sometime.
Profile Image for Balthazar Lawson.
768 reviews9 followers
May 5, 2018
When Cliff reads that an old client of his had died, he tells his daughter about the case he was involved. This is a story about telling a story from 30 years ago. I found it entertaining and a chapter in the life of Cliff Hardy, private investigator.

If you like Cliff Hardy you'll like this even though the ending of the tale is rather abrupt.
Profile Image for Cher.
607 reviews17 followers
November 13, 2020
This was great Corris again this man must not stop writing ever.
Profile Image for Any Length.
2,155 reviews7 followers
July 25, 2016
Nice read. Although I still wonder what happened to a missing person at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
259 reviews
September 30, 2016
A bit too empty for me. at least I was well warned. and it was a pretty good one along the way.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews

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