A Necessary Evil, A

by Bruce Venables

'One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock...' The year was 1956 and the world was in the grip of rock 'n' roll. Sydney's youth flocked to the local dance halls and juvenile crime rocketed out of control. Teenage gangs like the Overlords ruled the streets, forcing the NSW Police Commissioner to form 33 Division, an elite group of tough plainclothes cops presided over by none other than George Arthur Everard, feared by the criminal world, and known to all as The Prince of Darlinghurst. Within a year the problem was solved and, as a reward, 33 Division was placed in charge of State Gaming and Vice. It was a licence to print money. Corrupted from within, the cops of the 'Dirty Tree', as the division became known, ruled the streets and the city and created the biggest crime syndicate Sydney had ever seen. A NECESSARY EVIL traces the lives of three generations of policemen, from George the uncompromising grandfather; to Harold, the weak, psychotic father; to Shayne, the new breed of cop. Three men living in the shadows of justice, inextricably bound by blood and the unique code of honour that rules them.

469 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Bruce Venables was born in Hobart and was a member of the Tasmanian Police Force. In 1976 he joined the Royal Hong Kong police as an Inspector. He served in the Hong Kong Marine Police as a launch commander and in the Tactical Unit as a platoon commander.

In 1984 Bruce took up residence in Sydney and began his career as a writer of film and television scripts. He is also well known to Australian audiences as an actor.

He is the author of a collection of poetry, The Spirit Of The Bush, and four novels: A Necessary Evil, The Time of the Dragons, Two Tigers, One Mountain and Scattered Monkeys.

Bruce lives in Sydney, and is married to bestselling novelist and actress, Judy Nunn.

Reviews

[Colin Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife found this in a roadside library during our mainland ‘road trip’ over Christmas/New Year.
I knew the author way back, therefore it was his name, rather than the title and genre, that piqued my interest.
So I nabbed it!
I found the first half riveting, full of all the elements of a good crime thriller, but returning home, with less time to sit and read without normal life getting in the way, made the second half, with its lapses in momentum, less enjoyable.
But on the whole, a good read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unexpected gem this book was. A police saga full of corruption, grit, scandal and murder set in NSW over 4 decades and three generations of policemen. Not so much a book of suspense or mystery, but a book loosely based on fact (I'm guessing), that describes the extent of graft and corruption within the NSW police force during this time. In this book, the police were the ringleaders of organised crime in Sydney, murder was a means that justified an end, and the executive level of the NSW police force were bigger thugs than the criminals themselves. A thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing read. Rating 4.8 Stars.