What do you think?
Rate this book
Lachie Munro #1
Something For Nothing
It’s not every day a bloke stumbles on a dismembered torso on Nobby’s Beach.
Lachie Munro is starting to feel like he’s is a magnet for trouble. The day before he fished a giant haul of heroin out of his favourite abalone poaching spot near Newcastle.
There’s a better than even chance that the two are connected and he should leave well enough alone.
But the opportunity to clear his gambling debt and get ahead of the game is too good to pass up.
But how do you sell several kilos of heroin? It’s not like drug dealers are listed in the Yellow Pages. And what happens when the owners come looking for their missing package? Is the torso a warning to anyone thinking of crossing them?
Now a person of interest to the police, Lachie needs to stay one step ahead of them, a local bikie he’s managed to insult, play off a big time dealer from Sydney, placate the neighbour’s labrador, Horace, and win the heart of the gorgeous new Fisheries Officer he’s fallen for. Or will he discover that getting into the gun sights of the crooked, the dodgy and the downright shady characters of Newcastle and beyond is more than a man can handle.
But, if Lachie can pull it all off, he might just get Something for Nothing.
Lachie Munro is starting to feel like he’s is a magnet for trouble. The day before he fished a giant haul of heroin out of his favourite abalone poaching spot near Newcastle.
There’s a better than even chance that the two are connected and he should leave well enough alone.
But the opportunity to clear his gambling debt and get ahead of the game is too good to pass up.
But how do you sell several kilos of heroin? It’s not like drug dealers are listed in the Yellow Pages. And what happens when the owners come looking for their missing package? Is the torso a warning to anyone thinking of crossing them?
Now a person of interest to the police, Lachie needs to stay one step ahead of them, a local bikie he’s managed to insult, play off a big time dealer from Sydney, placate the neighbour’s labrador, Horace, and win the heart of the gorgeous new Fisheries Officer he’s fallen for. Or will he discover that getting into the gun sights of the crooked, the dodgy and the downright shady characters of Newcastle and beyond is more than a man can handle.
But, if Lachie can pull it all off, he might just get Something for Nothing.
302 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2017
13 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Andy Muir
4 books6 followersAndy Muir is a television screenwriter with credits ranging from Neighbours and Home and Away to comedy series Thank God You’re Here.
As a member of the writing team for the hit franchise Underbelly, crime stole his heart. Nominated for an Australian Writers Guild Award for Underbelly Squizzy, he also adapted that TV series for the novelisation Underbelly Squizzy: The Story of Australia’s First Celebrity Gangster.
Originally from Melbourne, he lives in Sydney. Something for Nothing is his first novel.
As a member of the writing team for the hit franchise Underbelly, crime stole his heart. Nominated for an Australian Writers Guild Award for Underbelly Squizzy, he also adapted that TV series for the novelisation Underbelly Squizzy: The Story of Australia’s First Celebrity Gangster.
Originally from Melbourne, he lives in Sydney. Something for Nothing is his first novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 30, 2017
As Australian as a dingy, and dead set likely to get himself into bother, Lachie Munro is a good bloke. Sure he's an abalone poacher, but only to pay off a lapse of concentration gambling debt. And sure he and his best mate Dave don't report the giant heroin haul they find when they are out poaching off the coast of Newcastle. Of course they seem to have just enough street smarts to finagle a possible connection for flogging the heroin off as an unexpected windfall. Dave's got kids he wants to set up after all, and Lachie? Lachie wants out of this current version of his life, which you can absolutely get on board with. Life seems a bit humdrum with a job as a house painter, living in a granny flat in an old blokes backyard and being unlucky in love. Not helped at all by pining for a woman who is more likely to nab him for abalone poaching than fall at his feet.
Alongside the wonderful characters Muir has populated this book with, there's a spot of complex, slightly maniacal plotting going on. There's connections within connections; bikers and Asian gangs; a Chinese restaurant which does excellent Spring Rolls and has an upstairs "club"; and best mate Dave. Dave's everything you'd want in a best mate, and somebody you'd not let near the best silver under any circumstances. He's a wonderful foil for Lachie's slightly laid back attitude as these two experience the full range of ups and downs that go with the understandably tense undertaking of unloading a huge stack of illegal drugs. Ultimately resolution comes from the sticking to your guns, holding onto your horses, or not letting the bastards get you down school of problem solving. As you'd expect with a problem that came from much the same sort of thinking in the first place.
Set in the Newcastle area, sense of place (for a bush based reader) doesn't feel like a massively strong aspect of SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. It's the beachside, it's Australia. There's surfing, there's fishing and there's a city / bush interface. It maybe that readers with more knowledge of Newcastle find more points of familiarity but then that's really not the point of this book at all.
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING is a perfect example of the lighter, tongue in cheek style of true-blue Aussie Crime Fiction that is increasingly being done particularly well. It's perfect reading for any fans of the genre, as well as anybody who would like a good laugh and likes a bit of true blue vernacular and behaviour. Sure there's some nasty types lurking around, there's dead bodies, broken relationships, broken household goods, and a dog that's worryingly ill for a little while (it recovers), but Lachie's the sort of good bloke that you kind of hope will get away with something that really you know he shouldn't.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
Alongside the wonderful characters Muir has populated this book with, there's a spot of complex, slightly maniacal plotting going on. There's connections within connections; bikers and Asian gangs; a Chinese restaurant which does excellent Spring Rolls and has an upstairs "club"; and best mate Dave. Dave's everything you'd want in a best mate, and somebody you'd not let near the best silver under any circumstances. He's a wonderful foil for Lachie's slightly laid back attitude as these two experience the full range of ups and downs that go with the understandably tense undertaking of unloading a huge stack of illegal drugs. Ultimately resolution comes from the sticking to your guns, holding onto your horses, or not letting the bastards get you down school of problem solving. As you'd expect with a problem that came from much the same sort of thinking in the first place.
Set in the Newcastle area, sense of place (for a bush based reader) doesn't feel like a massively strong aspect of SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. It's the beachside, it's Australia. There's surfing, there's fishing and there's a city / bush interface. It maybe that readers with more knowledge of Newcastle find more points of familiarity but then that's really not the point of this book at all.
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING is a perfect example of the lighter, tongue in cheek style of true-blue Aussie Crime Fiction that is increasingly being done particularly well. It's perfect reading for any fans of the genre, as well as anybody who would like a good laugh and likes a bit of true blue vernacular and behaviour. Sure there's some nasty types lurking around, there's dead bodies, broken relationships, broken household goods, and a dog that's worryingly ill for a little while (it recovers), but Lachie's the sort of good bloke that you kind of hope will get away with something that really you know he shouldn't.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
April 25, 2017
Drugs are never the answer, unless - maybe? - you're in desperate need of some quick cash and you just happen to come across a large package of unclaimed heroin.
That's what happens to Lachie Munro in Andy Muir's debut novel Something for Nothing. Lachie's down on his luck, on the run from his past and the owner of a serious gambling debt when he stumbles across a large quantity of illicit drugs with no obvious owner. With the gear safely on his boat, he begins to make plans.
"It wouldn't take much for some bright spark to work out who I'd been running with in Victoria, track my family history, maybe correlate some dates. It was why I ended up in Newcastle, where no one knew me and I was simply a normal guy who painted houses. Nothing says 'under the radar' better than painting a bunch of white walls another shade of white."
His friend Dave likes the idea of shifting the drugs and splitting their good fortune. The only problem? Neither of them knows a thing about drugs or where to sell them.
They bounce between men from the underworld to try to find a quick way out, but each meeting drags them further and further into trouble. They begin to wish they'd never found the package, but by then they're in too deep.
The more the story develops, the more Muir tries to throw in extra twists and curve balls, which ultimately leads to a jumbled mess rather than a tangled thread that can cleverly be unravelled.
"If the tide had been different. If we'd been delayed at any point. If I hadn't been quite so keen to see what we'd hit. The ifs kept coming..."
The shady underworld is not Lachie's only source of trouble: he also meets a woman. A woman he likes, but who works on the other side of law enforcement. Although she's not involved in the drug scene she might be interested in some of his other activities, which adds an interesting element to the early struggles of a relationship.
Lachie's love interest adds menacingly to the mess that surrounds him and helps add a more-rounded element to the narrative. While dating can be difficult enough, it's made harder when you're tangled up in something illegal. The best example of this is when Lachie stands her up because he has to meet someone big in the local drug scene. While he truly feels bad about it, he obviously can't come clean, and she realises that he's lying to him about something. It helps add depth to the everyday hero story that's gone slightly off track, making the reader feel for Lachie, despite the circles he's starting to swim in.
"Something in the back of my mind was saying turn around. Never one to listen to what anyone tells me to do, especially my own subconscious, I kept on. Curiosity killed the cat like video killed the radio star."
There's also some delightful local flavour sprinkled throughout. There aren't too many books set in the Australian city of Newcastle, something which may add an extra level for local readers, but not something that will detract from the tale for those who are unfamiliar with the area.
Likewise, Muir's writing is full of Australianisms - like "years of getting up at sparrow fart" - which may seem baffling to outsiders, but are used with enough context to be understandable.
The book has a simplistic writing style which although aids the pace of the story, is what essentially holds it back from being worthy of 5 stars.
This is only the start of Lachie Munro's journey and there's enough early promise to make us hope that it won't be too long before the follow up to Something for Nothing is available.
That's what happens to Lachie Munro in Andy Muir's debut novel Something for Nothing. Lachie's down on his luck, on the run from his past and the owner of a serious gambling debt when he stumbles across a large quantity of illicit drugs with no obvious owner. With the gear safely on his boat, he begins to make plans.
"It wouldn't take much for some bright spark to work out who I'd been running with in Victoria, track my family history, maybe correlate some dates. It was why I ended up in Newcastle, where no one knew me and I was simply a normal guy who painted houses. Nothing says 'under the radar' better than painting a bunch of white walls another shade of white."
His friend Dave likes the idea of shifting the drugs and splitting their good fortune. The only problem? Neither of them knows a thing about drugs or where to sell them.
They bounce between men from the underworld to try to find a quick way out, but each meeting drags them further and further into trouble. They begin to wish they'd never found the package, but by then they're in too deep.
The more the story develops, the more Muir tries to throw in extra twists and curve balls, which ultimately leads to a jumbled mess rather than a tangled thread that can cleverly be unravelled.
"If the tide had been different. If we'd been delayed at any point. If I hadn't been quite so keen to see what we'd hit. The ifs kept coming..."
The shady underworld is not Lachie's only source of trouble: he also meets a woman. A woman he likes, but who works on the other side of law enforcement. Although she's not involved in the drug scene she might be interested in some of his other activities, which adds an interesting element to the early struggles of a relationship.
Lachie's love interest adds menacingly to the mess that surrounds him and helps add a more-rounded element to the narrative. While dating can be difficult enough, it's made harder when you're tangled up in something illegal. The best example of this is when Lachie stands her up because he has to meet someone big in the local drug scene. While he truly feels bad about it, he obviously can't come clean, and she realises that he's lying to him about something. It helps add depth to the everyday hero story that's gone slightly off track, making the reader feel for Lachie, despite the circles he's starting to swim in.
"Something in the back of my mind was saying turn around. Never one to listen to what anyone tells me to do, especially my own subconscious, I kept on. Curiosity killed the cat like video killed the radio star."
There's also some delightful local flavour sprinkled throughout. There aren't too many books set in the Australian city of Newcastle, something which may add an extra level for local readers, but not something that will detract from the tale for those who are unfamiliar with the area.
Likewise, Muir's writing is full of Australianisms - like "years of getting up at sparrow fart" - which may seem baffling to outsiders, but are used with enough context to be understandable.
The book has a simplistic writing style which although aids the pace of the story, is what essentially holds it back from being worthy of 5 stars.
This is only the start of Lachie Munro's journey and there's enough early promise to make us hope that it won't be too long before the follow up to Something for Nothing is available.
March 18, 2019
Entertaining although quite obvious who owned what. It also reminded me of Jack Irish .
May 4, 2017
Barely 3 stars. A no-hoper finds a stash of drugs and gets into the kind of trouble you would expect in an episode of Fawlty Towers, without the laughs.
March 24, 2017
Set in the beach-side town of Newcastle, Something for Nothing is a colorful and darkly humorous crime tale about an unassuming criminal, Lachie Munro who seems to be a beacon for trouble. He poaches abalone when he's not painting houses or throwing back a couple of beers with his mate, and co-poacher, Dave to earn a living. However, a chance encounter with a torso and a wad of heroin brings with it danger and the potential for a payoff too big to ignore.
Loaded with Australian colloquialisms and encompassing a true Aussie feel, Something for Nothing is a must read for readers of Australian crime fiction. Offering a lighter side to the dark drug trade, author Andy Muir infuses some naivety and nice-guy characteristics into his protagonist making the whole turn of events become plausibly accidental and without menace.
This is the first book to feature painter turned amateur drug dealer Lachie Munro with the author alluding to a return. I'm not sure what is in store for Lachie next but if it's half as fun as Something for Nothing I'll be sure to jump straight on it.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Loaded with Australian colloquialisms and encompassing a true Aussie feel, Something for Nothing is a must read for readers of Australian crime fiction. Offering a lighter side to the dark drug trade, author Andy Muir infuses some naivety and nice-guy characteristics into his protagonist making the whole turn of events become plausibly accidental and without menace.
This is the first book to feature painter turned amateur drug dealer Lachie Munro with the author alluding to a return. I'm not sure what is in store for Lachie next but if it's half as fun as Something for Nothing I'll be sure to jump straight on it.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
July 16, 2017
This is a debut novel for Andy and I reckon there'll be more Lachy Monro adventures or should I say misadventures in the future. Set in Newcastle this story tells us that it might be better to leave things floating in the ocean. Thinking it was going to the answer to all their problems Lachy and his mate Dave try to find someone to take this package off their hands. All they seem to find is more trouble in the shape of dead bodies, bikies and a man in a bad Hawaiian shirt. The one thing that Lachy did see as a positive was a gorgeous Fisheries officer, strange for an abalone poacher!
The characters were interesting, fun and real, some more likeable than others. Would love to see a few of them reappear in future Lachy novels. If you enjoy a good Aussie tale grab this one and give it a go!
The characters were interesting, fun and real, some more likeable than others. Would love to see a few of them reappear in future Lachy novels. If you enjoy a good Aussie tale grab this one and give it a go!
April 19, 2020
4 stars
I love trawling through second hand book shops because you never know what treasures you’re going to find. Take, for example, this little gem from Wally’s Book Exchange in Hervey Bay; Something for Nothing by Australian Andy Muir.
Lachy Munroe is a simple bloke who lives in Newcastle, NSW. He likes to scuba dive, enjoys a beer after knock off and is a tradie. He’s also known to do a spot of abalone poaching for the local Chinese Restaurant with his mate Dave; to supplement his income. One day whilst doing so, he comes across a package in the ocean which just happens to be a quite a few kilos of heroin.
Now with dollar signs in their eyes; Lachie and Dave must work out how to sell a commercial quantity of heroin without getting busted by the cops, the local bikies, Sydney drug lords and a dodgy acquaintance. Oh and it doesn’t help that the police are on Lachy’s case because he’s also discovered a washed up human torso on the beach and that the new love of his life, a fisheries officer. The exact kind of person he’d normally avoid like the plague.
I won’t spoil the ending, because it’s a book I recommend that you read for its shenanigans, laugh out loud moments and Aussie knockabout action. Instead, I’ll say that the plot is great. It moves at a good pace and there is are a few well timed twists. The characters you’ll love and love to hate; as you try and work out who else is tied to the heroin and the washed up torso.
Will Lachy end up with something for nothing or will the heroin be the death of him? Guess you’re just going to have to read it and find out!
Something a little different and a must for fans of Les Norton (as screened on the Australia’s ABC in 2019), you wouldn’t label it action in the true sense of the genre but it’s the closest one I can think of. I believe you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy Something for Nothing, especially if you have a fondness for the underdog. A great Aussie novel that I’m so glad I stumbled across, it it’s definitely worthy of 4 stars.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I am reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
I love trawling through second hand book shops because you never know what treasures you’re going to find. Take, for example, this little gem from Wally’s Book Exchange in Hervey Bay; Something for Nothing by Australian Andy Muir.
Lachy Munroe is a simple bloke who lives in Newcastle, NSW. He likes to scuba dive, enjoys a beer after knock off and is a tradie. He’s also known to do a spot of abalone poaching for the local Chinese Restaurant with his mate Dave; to supplement his income. One day whilst doing so, he comes across a package in the ocean which just happens to be a quite a few kilos of heroin.
Now with dollar signs in their eyes; Lachie and Dave must work out how to sell a commercial quantity of heroin without getting busted by the cops, the local bikies, Sydney drug lords and a dodgy acquaintance. Oh and it doesn’t help that the police are on Lachy’s case because he’s also discovered a washed up human torso on the beach and that the new love of his life, a fisheries officer. The exact kind of person he’d normally avoid like the plague.
I won’t spoil the ending, because it’s a book I recommend that you read for its shenanigans, laugh out loud moments and Aussie knockabout action. Instead, I’ll say that the plot is great. It moves at a good pace and there is are a few well timed twists. The characters you’ll love and love to hate; as you try and work out who else is tied to the heroin and the washed up torso.
Will Lachy end up with something for nothing or will the heroin be the death of him? Guess you’re just going to have to read it and find out!
Something a little different and a must for fans of Les Norton (as screened on the Australia’s ABC in 2019), you wouldn’t label it action in the true sense of the genre but it’s the closest one I can think of. I believe you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy Something for Nothing, especially if you have a fondness for the underdog. A great Aussie novel that I’m so glad I stumbled across, it it’s definitely worthy of 4 stars.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I am reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
September 22, 2018
DNF.
I picked this book up randomly from the library because it sounded great - entertaining premise, set locally (Newcastle), and just generally a light, comic read. I tried to push on for what felt like forever and eventually took a break to read Trent Dalton's 'Boy Swallows Universe' - a phenomenal book with similar themes (Australia's underground criminal scene, local landscape with super Aussie flavour, a hint of romance). After that, I recognised all the things wrong with Something for Nothing. It's poorly written, the characters are extremely stereotypical and uninteresting, and has sexist undertones in its worldview.
I picked this book up randomly from the library because it sounded great - entertaining premise, set locally (Newcastle), and just generally a light, comic read. I tried to push on for what felt like forever and eventually took a break to read Trent Dalton's 'Boy Swallows Universe' - a phenomenal book with similar themes (Australia's underground criminal scene, local landscape with super Aussie flavour, a hint of romance). After that, I recognised all the things wrong with Something for Nothing. It's poorly written, the characters are extremely stereotypical and uninteresting, and has sexist undertones in its worldview.
March 26, 2017
I liked the premise of this book, the characters were overall well-drawn, but I found the 'ockerisms' ie the Australian lingo overdone, even though it takes place in Australia and I'm Australian myself. The blurb promised 'action-packed' but I got impatient with the lack of action - a lot of the book seemed to revolve around Lockie trying to decide what to do with the package of heroin, changing his mind as to where he was going to hide it and meeting various people in pubs.
An engaging read, if you can forgive the above factors. Nice twist at the end which I didn't see coming.
An engaging read, if you can forgive the above factors. Nice twist at the end which I didn't see coming.
November 6, 2017
A surprisingly top piece of Aussie fiction that kept me riveted to the story line right up to the very end. With a parochial setting, characters and contemporary dialogue I would recommend this as an amusing and entertaining holiday read. One of my favourite books for the year.
July 10, 2019
Really enjoyed this book, great pacing and nice tight plot. Recommended if you like Aussie Noir. I will provide this warning though, its not going to be popular with the Newcastle Tourist Board.
October 20, 2019
This was ok like an enept cliff hardy 😃
August 25, 2022
Australian noir set in small city of Newcastle (not Outback for once) with a cast of dodgy characters embroiled in underworld and underwater shenanigans. Highly enjoyable.
October 23, 2024
Lachie is been betrayed, doesnt know who to trust, and ends up confessing to a minor crime to save his skin. With friends like this who needs enemies, although there is a shining light at the end.
February 14, 2023
Very enjoyable! A well written Australian story.
April 7, 2017
A perfect breezy beachside paperback about a bloke from the wrong side of the tracks getting in over his head.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews