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Winter Traffic
When it was over, Shark lay dead and Bison was convulsing on the rug like something beached or epileptic. Sutton was upright but breathing like sex, letting adrenaline drain as he had long ago been taught. Bison died and Sutton's breathing went back to normal.
Sutton doesn’t like the three a.m. phone calls. He should change his number—that way Rawson wouldn’t have it. Sutton’s best mate is a hero cop, but strife flows through him like a highway.
He was supposed to die young. Maybe Millar will do it for him: she’s the hot young detective from Internal who still thinks intellect and integrity will take her places. If she doesn’t watch her step, she might find out what they are…
This is the story of good dogs living in a bad-news town—a fragrant harbour city where the judges are dead, the vendettas lively and every glittering fortune hides a sin.
An epic novel of corruption, murder and the true nature of justice, Winter Traffic announces the arrival of a compelling new voice in literary crime.
Sutton doesn’t like the three a.m. phone calls. He should change his number—that way Rawson wouldn’t have it. Sutton’s best mate is a hero cop, but strife flows through him like a highway.
He was supposed to die young. Maybe Millar will do it for him: she’s the hot young detective from Internal who still thinks intellect and integrity will take her places. If she doesn’t watch her step, she might find out what they are…
This is the story of good dogs living in a bad-news town—a fragrant harbour city where the judges are dead, the vendettas lively and every glittering fortune hides a sin.
An epic novel of corruption, murder and the true nature of justice, Winter Traffic announces the arrival of a compelling new voice in literary crime.
399 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2017
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76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 7, 2017
“The Pintara cycles west along the Cahill, the most deplorable urban scar in a town of deliberate mistakes. A villainous strip of four grey lines they slapped on the quay like a tax. Like a punishment. Down with perfection, the nation’s ugliest road in contest with the world’s most ravishing view.
Rawson slows to drink the water. The bridge, the quay, the mighty house of shells. Milling beyond them is a northside sea, blocks of jealous lego squinting through hard art-deco eyes. They gaze at Bennelong like its enemy clan – a tribe that never learned the making of towers”
Winter Traffic is the first novel by Australian author, Stephen Greenall. Sydney, 1994: the police investigation into the brutal murder, in his own home, of Justice Angelus Koestler seems to have stalled, and the big brass have decided to apply some fresh talent. Detective Karen Millar, lately of Internal Affairs, is determined to clear the case. Against all expectations and advice, she chooses Detective Sergeant Edward Michael Rawson as her partner. Rawson may have intimate knowledge of the case, but just now, he has other fish to fry.
Life for Rawse is not running too smoothly at present: gambling debts, problems with teenaged daughters, eviction and a curious journalist are matters more pressing than answering the persistent pages from Karen Millar. As well, the wrong types seem to be after his mate, Sutto. Jamie Sutton has been busy taking care of a few particular problems with ruthless efficiency, but he knows nothing he does will keep a certain crime boss off his tail.
Greenall has created a fast-paced tale with an original plot whose twists and turns keep the reader guessing while remaining wholly believable. The intricacies of the plot will stay in the mind of the reader long after the last page is turned. His descriptive prose easily evokes the Sydney of the mid-nineties, and his characters, their dialogue and their behaviour are similarly credible.
It’s a story that touches on police corruption and includes the copious consumption of drugs and alcohol, paedophiles, gambling, quite a lot of violence and several murders, a frame-up and an explosion. Theories on past, present and future, and on justice are expounded; mateship, loyalty, and a dog and a cat also feature.
The descriptor “Literary Crime” is accurate and apt: the hard-hitting drama, the flawed protagonists and (often black) humour are contained within some gorgeous prose. “The louring sky was supposed to lighten and moderate, see reason, give way to cold but clear winter’s day. Instead it got cranky and resorted to spite, its best remaining power. As they hit the Shire it darkens and twenty minutes later it’s hovering about their ears, knocking at windows, converting itself like a drummer gone from jazz to rock. The wipers start out casual, on-call – then they get brisk and then manic and then unequal to the task. It’s bloody pissing down”
Greenall’s very individual style and format (chapters numbered in reverse like a countdown, double chapters) may take a bit of getting used to, but patience and persistence is rewarded with a compelling read. Not everything is spelled out for the reader; some things are merely alluded to or implied and the reader has to come to their own conclusions.
There is plenty of humour, to which the abundant nicknames, the banter between characters and a good dose of irony contribute in no minor way, and it’s no small compliment to say that Rawse may remind readers somewhat of one Cliff Hardy. This is a brilliant debut novel and readers will be eager to see what Greenall comes up with next.
Rawson slows to drink the water. The bridge, the quay, the mighty house of shells. Milling beyond them is a northside sea, blocks of jealous lego squinting through hard art-deco eyes. They gaze at Bennelong like its enemy clan – a tribe that never learned the making of towers”
Winter Traffic is the first novel by Australian author, Stephen Greenall. Sydney, 1994: the police investigation into the brutal murder, in his own home, of Justice Angelus Koestler seems to have stalled, and the big brass have decided to apply some fresh talent. Detective Karen Millar, lately of Internal Affairs, is determined to clear the case. Against all expectations and advice, she chooses Detective Sergeant Edward Michael Rawson as her partner. Rawson may have intimate knowledge of the case, but just now, he has other fish to fry.
Life for Rawse is not running too smoothly at present: gambling debts, problems with teenaged daughters, eviction and a curious journalist are matters more pressing than answering the persistent pages from Karen Millar. As well, the wrong types seem to be after his mate, Sutto. Jamie Sutton has been busy taking care of a few particular problems with ruthless efficiency, but he knows nothing he does will keep a certain crime boss off his tail.
Greenall has created a fast-paced tale with an original plot whose twists and turns keep the reader guessing while remaining wholly believable. The intricacies of the plot will stay in the mind of the reader long after the last page is turned. His descriptive prose easily evokes the Sydney of the mid-nineties, and his characters, their dialogue and their behaviour are similarly credible.
It’s a story that touches on police corruption and includes the copious consumption of drugs and alcohol, paedophiles, gambling, quite a lot of violence and several murders, a frame-up and an explosion. Theories on past, present and future, and on justice are expounded; mateship, loyalty, and a dog and a cat also feature.
The descriptor “Literary Crime” is accurate and apt: the hard-hitting drama, the flawed protagonists and (often black) humour are contained within some gorgeous prose. “The louring sky was supposed to lighten and moderate, see reason, give way to cold but clear winter’s day. Instead it got cranky and resorted to spite, its best remaining power. As they hit the Shire it darkens and twenty minutes later it’s hovering about their ears, knocking at windows, converting itself like a drummer gone from jazz to rock. The wipers start out casual, on-call – then they get brisk and then manic and then unequal to the task. It’s bloody pissing down”
Greenall’s very individual style and format (chapters numbered in reverse like a countdown, double chapters) may take a bit of getting used to, but patience and persistence is rewarded with a compelling read. Not everything is spelled out for the reader; some things are merely alluded to or implied and the reader has to come to their own conclusions.
There is plenty of humour, to which the abundant nicknames, the banter between characters and a good dose of irony contribute in no minor way, and it’s no small compliment to say that Rawse may remind readers somewhat of one Cliff Hardy. This is a brilliant debut novel and readers will be eager to see what Greenall comes up with next.
December 15, 2017
Australian literary crime fiction has a new and lethal gunslinger in Stephen Greenall. His tough but lyrical sentences fire off the page like shotgun shrapnel, and his turns of phrase upend the genre. Winter Traffic is utterly original in every respect, from its structure to its subject matter to Greenall’s ingenious prose, the narrative casting the most vile human acts and motivations in an eerie beauty, the sentences tracing through the book like raw nerves. And nobody has ever written about the dark side of Sydney in this way. After Winter Traffic, you will see the Emerald City cast in a new, and disturbing, light.
Matthew Condon
An extraordinary and unique voice…a miracle of imagination.
Charles Waterstreet
‘The strangeness of timelines and darkly evocative language is drawing me deeper into its spell. Set in Sydney, the writing is akin to muscular Nick Cave-esque lyrics telling of high-class escorts in eastern suburbs brothels, bikies and laconic tough-guys nursing broken hearts. One for the dark poets.’
Abbey’s Bookshop
‘Greenall has created a fast-paced tale with an original plot whose twists and turns keep the reader guessing while remaining wholly believable. The intricacies of the plot will stay in the mind of the reader long after the last page is turned.’
BookMooch
‘Sydney's underbelly has been exposed before in crime fiction, but Greenall's visceral verse gives the genre an eloquent kick in the guts.’
Herald Sun
‘The publishers assert Stephen Greenall is in the tradition of Peter Temple, but the real resemblance is that mad dog of mayhem and murder James Ellroy…His style is nothing if not energised. It is slick with the sweat of its own throbbing enthusiasm. A sort of heroic poetry, a bit like the wobbling camera in a Michael Mann film.’
Saturday Paper
‘Emotions run high throughout the novel and the language, like the characterisation, is extravagant, often melodic, reminiscent here of the poems of Ern Malley, falling into the rhythms of Banjo Paterson…the book rewards by its very oddity, its driving rhythms and the audacious language in which it frames it complex plot.’
SA Weekend
‘An edgy, hard-nosed thriller set in a Sydney luminous from the outside and dark within, held together by corruption, money, and revenge. Read this one in dim lighting with a hard drink in your hand.’
Readings
‘Greenall creates a plausible story of corruption, professional ambition and summary justice, where compromise is the primary ethical status of actors in a troubled moral order…Winter Traffic is a book that shows potential and rewards the reader.’
Australian
‘Stephen Greenall’s Winter Traffic unveils murder and corruption in Sydney with a poetic, Temple-esque lyricism.’
Toni Jordan, Sydney Morning Herald’s Year in Reading
Matthew Condon
An extraordinary and unique voice…a miracle of imagination.
Charles Waterstreet
‘The strangeness of timelines and darkly evocative language is drawing me deeper into its spell. Set in Sydney, the writing is akin to muscular Nick Cave-esque lyrics telling of high-class escorts in eastern suburbs brothels, bikies and laconic tough-guys nursing broken hearts. One for the dark poets.’
Abbey’s Bookshop
‘Greenall has created a fast-paced tale with an original plot whose twists and turns keep the reader guessing while remaining wholly believable. The intricacies of the plot will stay in the mind of the reader long after the last page is turned.’
BookMooch
‘Sydney's underbelly has been exposed before in crime fiction, but Greenall's visceral verse gives the genre an eloquent kick in the guts.’
Herald Sun
‘The publishers assert Stephen Greenall is in the tradition of Peter Temple, but the real resemblance is that mad dog of mayhem and murder James Ellroy…His style is nothing if not energised. It is slick with the sweat of its own throbbing enthusiasm. A sort of heroic poetry, a bit like the wobbling camera in a Michael Mann film.’
Saturday Paper
‘Emotions run high throughout the novel and the language, like the characterisation, is extravagant, often melodic, reminiscent here of the poems of Ern Malley, falling into the rhythms of Banjo Paterson…the book rewards by its very oddity, its driving rhythms and the audacious language in which it frames it complex plot.’
SA Weekend
‘An edgy, hard-nosed thriller set in a Sydney luminous from the outside and dark within, held together by corruption, money, and revenge. Read this one in dim lighting with a hard drink in your hand.’
Readings
‘Greenall creates a plausible story of corruption, professional ambition and summary justice, where compromise is the primary ethical status of actors in a troubled moral order…Winter Traffic is a book that shows potential and rewards the reader.’
Australian
‘Stephen Greenall’s Winter Traffic unveils murder and corruption in Sydney with a poetic, Temple-esque lyricism.’
Toni Jordan, Sydney Morning Herald’s Year in Reading
February 21, 2017
This is a difficult review for me to write.
For me, this book just didn't strike me. Sadly, I quit reading the novel early on. Maybe later on I will pick it back up and give it another go, but the style of writing just did not hold my interest.
The writing reminded me of later novels of James Ellroy and his staccato style of assembly.
Years ago I picked up Barry Hannah's Yonder Stands Your Orphan and started and stopped reading it several times and then finally, one time, I finally worked through it and rather enjoyed it. So that is possibly what I will try with this novel.
Maybe someone that has read it and enjoyed it could offer why.
For me, this book just didn't strike me. Sadly, I quit reading the novel early on. Maybe later on I will pick it back up and give it another go, but the style of writing just did not hold my interest.
The writing reminded me of later novels of James Ellroy and his staccato style of assembly.
Years ago I picked up Barry Hannah's Yonder Stands Your Orphan and started and stopped reading it several times and then finally, one time, I finally worked through it and rather enjoyed it. So that is possibly what I will try with this novel.
Maybe someone that has read it and enjoyed it could offer why.
May 26, 2017
I confess to being a bit of a literature snob and won't read a book unless it's well written. Fortunately, this one has literary quality in spades, right off the bat. The writing is beautifully constructed at sentence level, so you won't find terribly clichéd phrases such as "in spades" or "right off the bat" in there. You will need to switch your brain on to read it, as it is an intelligent work, but hopefully the need for reader investment isn't a real concern, even in the internet age.
One of the main things that comes through in Winter Traffic is the characterisation. The people created in this will stick with you. They are convincing and three dimensional, as is the Sydney in which they exist. In fact the Sydney depicted is so alluring I almost want to leave Melbourne to experience it. Almost. The characters, and the Sydney, are often loveable, but not always. But they are always interesting. Also, the world of police and corruption in which the characters are enclosed, I found utterly fascinating. And from what I've read of the era, possibly not too far from reality.
Unsurprisingly, due to the strength of the characters, much of the story is driven by their very human flaws. There are several threads here and Greenall intertwines them carefully and extremely well. Events and people are alluded to frequently in such a way that you feel if you went back for a second reading you would get as much from it again as you did the first time around. It's this, and the quality of craftsmanship in general, that puts it top of my list for a re-read, anyway.
One of the main things that comes through in Winter Traffic is the characterisation. The people created in this will stick with you. They are convincing and three dimensional, as is the Sydney in which they exist. In fact the Sydney depicted is so alluring I almost want to leave Melbourne to experience it. Almost. The characters, and the Sydney, are often loveable, but not always. But they are always interesting. Also, the world of police and corruption in which the characters are enclosed, I found utterly fascinating. And from what I've read of the era, possibly not too far from reality.
Unsurprisingly, due to the strength of the characters, much of the story is driven by their very human flaws. There are several threads here and Greenall intertwines them carefully and extremely well. Events and people are alluded to frequently in such a way that you feel if you went back for a second reading you would get as much from it again as you did the first time around. It's this, and the quality of craftsmanship in general, that puts it top of my list for a re-read, anyway.
April 17, 2017
Just finished this, it's a very beautiful book, edgy sad funny questioning... Highly recommended.
July 3, 2017
A wonderful book that weaves its way through the underbelly of Sydney. The characters are genuine and raw and the imagery of Sydney is real and authentic. Beautifully written, a book I will finitely read again.
October 28, 2017
Awesome. Super powerful crime thriller set in Sydney - tough story, clean, crisp writing, familiar setting (Sydney) but seen through very unfamiliar eyes. I was totally transported. Apparently Greenall's idol is Peter Temple - move over Mr Temple, I say.
December 12, 2017
Not the easiest book to read as it is written in a sort of code but very enjoyable.
December 15, 2017
impossible to read
October 30, 2018
I only gave it 1 because I couldn't give it 0. I very rarely not finish a book let alone not get past Chapter four. Awful.
May 28, 2017
Not sure how anyone could give this great book less than five stars! (especially...um, if you have not read it!?) It has so much in it, and so beautifully written. Yes it takes a bit of perseverance, it's not your usual easy paint by numbers stuff and some things are left for you to figure out but the charactisations, settings, humour, and pathos around the crime itself, the obvious love the author has for his characters...very touching.
March 26, 2017
I couldn't get into this at all. Which is a real shame, as it is evident that Greenall is quite talented - the writing is very good. However, the structure just did not flow for me and it became a chore to read. Unfortunately, the story was not gripping enough to ameliorate this.
April 18, 2017
Been part of a book club for about a year and it has caused me to read lots of great things I otherwise wouldn't. Just finished this. Brilliant and very distintive. VERY Sydney. I loved the momentum that builds in the middle section and then carries through. Maybe one for the re-reading pile too because it is that rich.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews