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Peter Clancy #2
Thornydevils
It is Melbourne 1989. While investigating organised crime, Peter Clancy is caught up in a sinister plot involving drug importation, police corruption, and some very kinky sex.
Along the way, Peter meets a young lawyer and is instantly besotted with her—unlike his friends and colleagues who see something disturbing beneath her wholesome exterior.
Enter the world of the thorny devils—where nothing is as it seems. Thornydevils heralds the much anticipated return of hard-living Melbourne Truth journalist, Peter Clancy.
“Peter Clancy is an amalgam of characters from crime fiction and film noir—a world-weary type” - Sydney Telegraph.
“Very definitely earning a place in the genre of murder-mystery writing” - Blue Wolf Reviews.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2014
21 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
T.W. Lawless
8 books704 followersBest-selling author of the Peter Clancy series.
T.W. is the author of seven thrillers, including two Amazon Kindle best-sellers (Homecountry and Thornydevils), as well as the co-writer with Kay Bell of the murder-mystery, Furey’s War.
A new Peter Clancy book is released. It is the sixth in the series.
His wife, Kay Bell, is also a best-selling author.
T.W. is the author of seven thrillers, including two Amazon Kindle best-sellers (Homecountry and Thornydevils), as well as the co-writer with Kay Bell of the murder-mystery, Furey’s War.
A new Peter Clancy book is released. It is the sixth in the series.
His wife, Kay Bell, is also a best-selling author.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 27, 2014
This is a great sequel to Homecountry. I loved reading about Peter again. Although this book can be read on its own, I think it is better to read Homecountry first. That way you can understand Peter better, including his connection to Dave and Sam. Those three are so different, but together it really works.
Just like the first book, this book read like a movie or tv show. You can just picture Peter at a crime scene, arguing with police, gathering information, drinking, being hungover, and solving crimes.
This story about feuds and corruption is interesting and towards the end things get really exciting when Peter finally finds out the true story.
Just like the first book, this book read like a movie or tv show. You can just picture Peter at a crime scene, arguing with police, gathering information, drinking, being hungover, and solving crimes.
This story about feuds and corruption is interesting and towards the end things get really exciting when Peter finally finds out the true story.
February 20, 2015
I found it a different style to the first book; probably more polished. The story was more intense and action driven. As for the characters, they were either sympathetic,sinister or intriguing. They were a great bunch of interesting characters.
I liked Slugger the best. This book is funny in places which I thought wasn't supposed to happen in a thriller book but you can't be serious all the time. Peter Clancy, is at his excessive best and it is good he has a girlfriend in this one.
I think the author has established himself as a great thriller writer. Keep them coming.
I liked Slugger the best. This book is funny in places which I thought wasn't supposed to happen in a thriller book but you can't be serious all the time. Peter Clancy, is at his excessive best and it is good he has a girlfriend in this one.
I think the author has established himself as a great thriller writer. Keep them coming.
May 16, 2014
Homecountry had them talking but Thornydevils is leaving them speechless ~ Jennifer Douglas
The above phrase is one I posted on Facebook explaining exactly how I felt after reading Thornydevils by TW Lawless. In my review of Homecountry I write ‘ Homecountry by TW Lawless shows the strength of this Australian writers ability to produce a novel that not only captivates but puts you in a place of reality. TW Lawless entertains with humor. drama, love and a little bit of country lunacy.‘
Within Thornydevils TW Lawless has gone from strength to strength. I would not have thought this author could produce a novel more compelling than Homecountry yet in Thornydevils he has done just this.
Thornydevils is book two in the Peter Clancy series, yet it stands alone. Set in Melbourne 1989, Thornydevils once again follows Peter Clancy as he investigates local organised crime. Still living a hard life, drinking too much and chasing the ladies, Peter continues his job as a journalist for the Melbourne Truth.
I will have to admit I have fallen in love with the fictitional character of Peter Clancy. There is something about this hard-drinking Australian larrikin that you just have to love. He falls in love easily, showing the soft side of the hard exterior. He is a hard drinker who keeps one on their toes, wondering what sort of trouble he will find himself in next. TW Lawless has teamed Peter Clancy with some unlikely characters in those of Concheeta, the drag queen, and her boyfriend Ted, Poppy, a lawyer and love interest of Peter’s, and Slugger Douglas to name but a few. The old favourites of Sam, Dave and the crew at the Melbourne Truth Newspaper all make an appearance, giving you the feeling of being back with the family.
Thornydevils is a fast pace novel with twists and turns you never see coming. As an author TW Lawless represents Australia and its people exactly as they are - honest, unpretentious and
hardworking. Thornydevils is full of larrikins who at times drop the odd swear word but fit snuggly into the plot. There is a little raunchy sex, drugs and a sinister plot which takes you on a journey of crime and bloodshed. TW Lawless writes with pure Australian brutality and honesty. It is this that creates the strength within his series and has those who read it talking.
If you are seeking a true Australian author who throws it all on the table then you cannot go past TW Lawless. Homecountry reached the top 20 for books and e-books on Amazon.com
( Australian genre ), with rankings as high as 7 for kindle and 8 for books. It recently reached 3,781
overall on Amazon, a position most authors can only dream of due to the overall worldwide
competition. In the hard-boiled category Homecountry sat at number 18, not that far behind the famous Australian thriller writer Peter Corris, who sat at number 11.
Although just released Thornydevils is following hot on the heels of Homecountry, giving crime thriller writers competition and readers the thrill they are after.
The above phrase is one I posted on Facebook explaining exactly how I felt after reading Thornydevils by TW Lawless. In my review of Homecountry I write ‘ Homecountry by TW Lawless shows the strength of this Australian writers ability to produce a novel that not only captivates but puts you in a place of reality. TW Lawless entertains with humor. drama, love and a little bit of country lunacy.‘
Within Thornydevils TW Lawless has gone from strength to strength. I would not have thought this author could produce a novel more compelling than Homecountry yet in Thornydevils he has done just this.
Thornydevils is book two in the Peter Clancy series, yet it stands alone. Set in Melbourne 1989, Thornydevils once again follows Peter Clancy as he investigates local organised crime. Still living a hard life, drinking too much and chasing the ladies, Peter continues his job as a journalist for the Melbourne Truth.
I will have to admit I have fallen in love with the fictitional character of Peter Clancy. There is something about this hard-drinking Australian larrikin that you just have to love. He falls in love easily, showing the soft side of the hard exterior. He is a hard drinker who keeps one on their toes, wondering what sort of trouble he will find himself in next. TW Lawless has teamed Peter Clancy with some unlikely characters in those of Concheeta, the drag queen, and her boyfriend Ted, Poppy, a lawyer and love interest of Peter’s, and Slugger Douglas to name but a few. The old favourites of Sam, Dave and the crew at the Melbourne Truth Newspaper all make an appearance, giving you the feeling of being back with the family.
Thornydevils is a fast pace novel with twists and turns you never see coming. As an author TW Lawless represents Australia and its people exactly as they are - honest, unpretentious and
hardworking. Thornydevils is full of larrikins who at times drop the odd swear word but fit snuggly into the plot. There is a little raunchy sex, drugs and a sinister plot which takes you on a journey of crime and bloodshed. TW Lawless writes with pure Australian brutality and honesty. It is this that creates the strength within his series and has those who read it talking.
If you are seeking a true Australian author who throws it all on the table then you cannot go past TW Lawless. Homecountry reached the top 20 for books and e-books on Amazon.com
( Australian genre ), with rankings as high as 7 for kindle and 8 for books. It recently reached 3,781
overall on Amazon, a position most authors can only dream of due to the overall worldwide
competition. In the hard-boiled category Homecountry sat at number 18, not that far behind the famous Australian thriller writer Peter Corris, who sat at number 11.
Although just released Thornydevils is following hot on the heels of Homecountry, giving crime thriller writers competition and readers the thrill they are after.
July 7, 2014
Melbourne in the late 1980s, and journalist Peter Clancy is working for The Truth. Which, for those of us who were around in those days, in that place, conjures up a very clear vision. Booze, coffee, dodgy goings on and journalism from the... well extreme-tabloid end of the scale.
After being "promoted" to the Crime Beat and provided with the mandatory police scanner, Clancy is launched into Melbourne's seedy side, way back before mobile phones and the internet made keeping track of everyone and everything part of everybody's daily routine. THORNYDEVILS builds a strong sense of the time and place without bashing the reader over the head with the details. That's helped by the nice touches of dry, wry humour - it's very Australian - and a bit of whinging about the weather - it's very Melbourne.
The plot is complex without being complicated. It feels right that an investigative journalist would stumble into this scenario. It feels right that he'd be hanging around with drag-queens and barking mad cameramen. It feels right that he'd be drinking in The Tote. It even feels right that two mates from Queensland have to get out of that state and hide out at Clancy's - just in time to leap into the action.
There is a fair bit of action built into THORNYDEVILS as well. Nicely punctuated by a Triumph Stag that may, or may not cooperate, a bit of organised crime shenanigans and some nice lurking presences that never tip into caricature.
Mostly though, for this reader, the characters in this book appealed. Clancy feels like a good old fashioned journo - nothing flash, sadly alone, looking for love in some rather odd places. THORNYDEVILS is the second book in the Peter Clancy series - following on from HOMECOUNTRY. Worth a look, if for no other reason, than to remember the days of The Truth, pre-mobile phones, pre-Internet, when a drink in the pub on the way home every night was how you kept up with the gossip.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
After being "promoted" to the Crime Beat and provided with the mandatory police scanner, Clancy is launched into Melbourne's seedy side, way back before mobile phones and the internet made keeping track of everyone and everything part of everybody's daily routine. THORNYDEVILS builds a strong sense of the time and place without bashing the reader over the head with the details. That's helped by the nice touches of dry, wry humour - it's very Australian - and a bit of whinging about the weather - it's very Melbourne.
The plot is complex without being complicated. It feels right that an investigative journalist would stumble into this scenario. It feels right that he'd be hanging around with drag-queens and barking mad cameramen. It feels right that he'd be drinking in The Tote. It even feels right that two mates from Queensland have to get out of that state and hide out at Clancy's - just in time to leap into the action.
There is a fair bit of action built into THORNYDEVILS as well. Nicely punctuated by a Triumph Stag that may, or may not cooperate, a bit of organised crime shenanigans and some nice lurking presences that never tip into caricature.
Mostly though, for this reader, the characters in this book appealed. Clancy feels like a good old fashioned journo - nothing flash, sadly alone, looking for love in some rather odd places. THORNYDEVILS is the second book in the Peter Clancy series - following on from HOMECOUNTRY. Worth a look, if for no other reason, than to remember the days of The Truth, pre-mobile phones, pre-Internet, when a drink in the pub on the way home every night was how you kept up with the gossip.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
January 22, 2015
Set in “marvelous, murderous, Melbourne”, Thornydevils follows the witty sarcastic journalist Peter Clancy as he pursues the story for his new crime column in The Truth, leading him to the sordid side of this corrupted vicious town.
I had not read Peter’s first endeavors in Homecountry; nevertheless, Thornydevils is a standalone book that let me eager to read more of TW Lawless' works. This book was a cleverly written page turner, full of action and twists that surprised me every chapter. Unexpected, this book amazed me from the beginning to the end, even – and especially – in the last pages, when I thought it was already over. Furthermore, the book had a good humorous tone, which doesn’t make it less of a thriller.
Without a doubt, the best about this book was the wide range of peculiar characters – well-built, intriguing, smart, deceiving, with deep motivations and feelings, some sinister, others kooky, but all very distinctive, human and real.
Overall, it was a very well-built and paced story with an intriguing plot that lets you wondering what might happened next, so I congratulate the author and thank him for the copy I received.
I had not read Peter’s first endeavors in Homecountry; nevertheless, Thornydevils is a standalone book that let me eager to read more of TW Lawless' works. This book was a cleverly written page turner, full of action and twists that surprised me every chapter. Unexpected, this book amazed me from the beginning to the end, even – and especially – in the last pages, when I thought it was already over. Furthermore, the book had a good humorous tone, which doesn’t make it less of a thriller.
Without a doubt, the best about this book was the wide range of peculiar characters – well-built, intriguing, smart, deceiving, with deep motivations and feelings, some sinister, others kooky, but all very distinctive, human and real.
Overall, it was a very well-built and paced story with an intriguing plot that lets you wondering what might happened next, so I congratulate the author and thank him for the copy I received.
June 29, 2014
Set in Melbourne during the late 1980s, Thornydevils is a sexy, action packed romp featuring larrikin and hard living journalist Peter Clancy. Peter likes his booze, his women and his coffee (especially, I suspect from the scene in Townsville, his coffee,) and is an all round decent guy in his own way. Working for Melbourne publication The Truth, Peter has found himself promoted to the position of columnist and in the possession of a police scanner ... and then his adventures with a drug ring begin.
Although I have not read the first novel in the series, I found Thornydevils quite easy to read and follow. A number of the side characters were well-drawn (drag queen Concheeta and her boyfriend Ted for example,) and just the fact that the novel was set in an era of police corruption and in a time before mobile phones and the internet makes for a brilliant set-up. Recommended for fans of Australian crime literature.
Finally, a big shout out to author TW Lawless for sending me a review copy of his work.
This review also appears on my blog, Kathryn's Inbox
Although I have not read the first novel in the series, I found Thornydevils quite easy to read and follow. A number of the side characters were well-drawn (drag queen Concheeta and her boyfriend Ted for example,) and just the fact that the novel was set in an era of police corruption and in a time before mobile phones and the internet makes for a brilliant set-up. Recommended for fans of Australian crime literature.
Finally, a big shout out to author TW Lawless for sending me a review copy of his work.
This review also appears on my blog, Kathryn's Inbox
June 28, 2014
Thornydevils, Lawless's sophomore novel, excels. I enjoyed revisiting old friends from Homecountry, as much as I enjoyed the action, which takes Peter Clancy to Melbourne's docks and involves him in the underworld and drug importation. Lawless has his own take on the thriller/crime genre which is real,fast-paced and humorous. While Clancy can't be mistaken for anything other than Australian, he still manages to be universal. Be warned: this is a real I-can't-put-it-down page turner.
June 28, 2014
First of all a big thank you to T.W. Lawless for sending me a copy of this book!
Thornydevils is even better than Homecountry; the characters (old and new) are solid and they seem to jump off the page. The plot kept moving along at a good speed, making it a real pageturner. There were some fascinating twists and turns and a couple of shockers along the way. All in all a great read!
Thornydevils is even better than Homecountry; the characters (old and new) are solid and they seem to jump off the page. The plot kept moving along at a good speed, making it a real pageturner. There were some fascinating twists and turns and a couple of shockers along the way. All in all a great read!
December 2, 2014
Hard-living, burning the candle at both ends, and a heavy drinker - Aussie journalism at its lower end, but you can't help loving the character. It seems too good to be true when he meets this incredibly beautiful, intelligent lawyer in the course of investigating corrupt police, drug running and a gang war. Thank goodness he has a couple of good mates.
October 19, 2015
I really enjoyed this book! I like T.W. Lawless's writing style, and I fell in love with Peter Clancy. It has been over a year since I read Thornydevils, but because of the vivid images Mr. Lawless painted with his descriptions, when I think of it, it's like seeing a movie playing in my mind. I was hoping for more romance between... No, I'm not going to do that! Ha! You have to read the book!
July 15, 2014
A sensational crime thriller. I loved the quirky and sinister characters. I especially loved Concheetah and Ted. I hope they appear again. A top Aussie crime read.
January 23, 2023
Author, T.W.Lawless, comes out swinging with his second thriller about a crusading journalist.
– Courier Mail.
The ability to deliver a distinctive urban Australian atmosphere is a strong point for Australian crime writer, T.W.Lawless.
– Write Note Reviews.
Some nasty characters, the murky setting and themes of corruption, drug trade and sexual domination amp up the grit factor. The elements are there for an entertaining crime read that is bound to appeal to viewers of shows like Underbelly. For me, the Australian feel (setting and characters) was the stand-out. Lawless is on his way to being a crime writer to watch.
– The Blurb Magazine
– Courier Mail.
The ability to deliver a distinctive urban Australian atmosphere is a strong point for Australian crime writer, T.W.Lawless.
– Write Note Reviews.
Some nasty characters, the murky setting and themes of corruption, drug trade and sexual domination amp up the grit factor. The elements are there for an entertaining crime read that is bound to appeal to viewers of shows like Underbelly. For me, the Australian feel (setting and characters) was the stand-out. Lawless is on his way to being a crime writer to watch.
– The Blurb Magazine
June 14, 2015
It had potential but went went the wrong way. A story about a writer for a newspaper. It started slow then I thought it was getting better. Suddenly the book turned to the journalist's hedonistic lifestyle and vulgar language. That was enough for me and quit reading.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews