O’Fear: Cliff Hardy 12 by Peter Corris (Epub)

Description

When Todd Barnes, war veteran and popular drinking mate, leaves Cliff Hardy a tidy sum to find out who killed him, Hardy can hardly refuse – and he needs the money. Todd’s widow and some of his cronies are not always cooperative, however, and it’s hard to tell friends from enemies, especially when it comes to the mysterious Kevin O’Fearna, known as O’Fear.

Hardy’s battered Falcon takes him from the familiar mean streets of Sydney to equally dangerous bushland, where he’s on his own up against heavy odds. A not-unfamiliar situation for Sydney’s most enduring private investigator.

User’s Reviews

From Publishers Weekly Australian “enquiry agent” Cliff Hardy investigates the death of a trucking entrepreneur in this smartly paced caper. In a first-chapter twist, Hardy learns he’s been offered the job via a note left posthumously by the victim, Barnes Todd, who has been killed in a car crash. Hardy has no idea what Todd suspected or why he himself was designated to look into the case, but in short order, he learns that Todd had been an accomplished painter and photographer whose works are worth a mint, that a U.S. Army captain had once sworn to kill him and that a business rival had been sending thugs to tear up the Todd industrial terminal. Hardy also finds out that Todd’s last words in the hospital had been “O’Fear,” thereby leading him to a prison where Hardy’s old friend, the shady Kevin O’Fearna, is awaiting trial. O’Fear, who persuades Hardy to put up his bail, is stabbed before his release; Hardy is persistently tailed; Todd’s widow’s house is ransacked. Is somebody after the art? Through one surprise after another, Corris ( Man in the Shadows ) reveals his red herrings and various truths about the many players in this engaging yarn. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review “[A] smartly paced caper. . . . Corris reveals his red herrings and various truths about the many players in this engaging yarn.” —Publishers Weekly”Corris . . . quickly ingratiates himself with the reader by utilizing a steadily mounting suspense that erupts in violent confrontation.” —Library Journal –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From Kirkus Reviews The American debut of a long-running series (a dozen titles) starring Aussie p.i. Cliff Hardy, a 40-ish tough-honed six-footer with an eye for the ladies. The one in sight here is widow Felicia Todd, whose late husband Barnes left a note asking Cliff to look into his murder–if it happened. The last word on the Barnes’s lips before his fatal car “accident” was “O’Fear”–partial name of a jailed reprobate whom Cliff consults, leading to an attempt on the con’s life. What’s up? Both O’Fearna and Mulholland at Barnes’s trucking enterprise recount Barnes-in-Korea suspect activities and a possible vendetta mounted by an American captain over a Malaya campaign. Meanwhile: Stanley Riley, Barnes’s trucking business competitor, is trying to strongarm Mulholland; Athena Security vans are tailing Felicia and Cliff; and Eleni Marinos, head of Athena, may have been having an affair with Barnes, of which Felicia (now sleeping with Cliff) was well aware. Moreover, the question arises as to what was in the bags Barnes left at his beach house. Frame- ups, set-ups, two more deaths, and a deft bit of scheming and forgery by Barnes’s lawyer occur before Cliff realizes he has been a pawn in a master plan, and the widow and the lawyer thank him nicely and leave. So-so, with odd quirks of syntax and less rush-of-adrenalin heroics than in recent Aussie imports, such as those from Charles West. — Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ A Korean war veteran dies in a freak car accident that turns out to be fishy. No surprises there. Australian private enquiry agent Cliff Hardy investigates, and the result is an involving, multi-layered story. This book was first published in 1990, and whenever I read or re-read a book published a few decades ago I expect it to be somewhat dated. Not this one. The plotting is sharp, the dialogue rings true, and the novel moves along at a steady clip. Unlike so many books being written today, there is not a wasted word, not a padded page.Corris writes a weekly column for an Australian newspaper, The Newtown Review. If you’ve never read any Peter Corris books before and are reluctant to risk a few bucks, I’d suggest that you read some of his newspaper columns first – the most recent ones concern ghostwriting, writing “blurbs” for other writers, reviewing books, and so on. Chances are that if you like these columns as much as I do, then you’ll want to give his Cliff Hardy mysteries a much closer look. His column on writing padded books as opposed to writing a good, decent story is priceless.

⭐ I am a huge Peter Corris fan, but not this time. Felt like he phoned it in. Every other book I have read has been good. Really enjoyable.

⭐ Peter Corris is a real master of the noir PI. He writes a damn good yarn every time

⭐ As always, a good story. Kept me interested from the first page to the last.

⭐ Considering that the hard-boiled private eye novel is one of the distinctly American genres, it’s perhaps surprising that one of the best current practitioners of the form is the Australian Peter Corris, with his detective, Cliff Hardy. If we forgive Hardy his affection for wine, which we’ll assume is a cultural deal, and a long running relationship, which fortunately never quite achieved Susan Silvermanesque proportions, he’s really quite traditional. Of course, it helps that Australia isn’t all that different from America, particularly in terms of its cultural heritage. Corris has written 23 Cliff Hardy books, but they are not generally available in the U. S., which is a shame.From what I’ve read of them, O’Fear is a fairly representative entry in the series, which is to say, it’s quite good. Hardy is hired after an old friend dies in a car accident : ‘Barnes Todd has left you some money.’ ‘Why?’ ‘To find out who murdered him.’ I sat back in the chair. Sackville unhooked his glasses and set them down gently on top of the file. He massaged the bridge of his nose and tried to look grave, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. It irritated me, the way a lot of small things had lately. What’s so funny? I thought. I’d been in this business for nearly fifteen years. I’d found murderers before, hadn’t I? Well, stumbled across a couple. ‘How much money?’ I said harshly. ‘Ten thousand dollars. His wife’s not too happy about it.’Hardy learns that with Todd’s last breath he gasped the word : “O’Fear…” He recognizes this enigmatic phrase as the beginning of the name of a notorious, but relatively harmless, scoundrel named O’Fearna, who is currently in jail, awaiting trial. His bail just happens to be $10,000.And he’s off…sexy widows, unsavory secrets, random corpses, brutal henchmen, crooked lawyers, the whole nine yards. But what makes the book a real throwback is Hardy’s vulnerability : …I had strewn the contents of my wallet across the desk. I looked at the credit cards and the meagre amount of cash and the creased driver’s licence and suddenly felt small and isolated. My only backup in the office was an answering machine; my only means of transport was the Falcon; I had an illegal Colt .45 and a properly licenced Smith & Wesson .38 for firepower. No helicopters, no armoured vans, no shotguns. Who was I kidding? This was too big for me.If Corris does not quite have the comedic chops of a Robert B. Parker or a Robert Crais, he more than compensates by restoring the dramatic tension of a hero who is truly a lone knight, who can be hurt, even killed, and who has no one he can really trust.This is good stuff, in a classic vein. Read him, if you can the books.GRADE : A

⭐ Australian fiction is the best you will ever find (and I’ve read everything from King to Koontz) but 99% of books from Down Under are not released here in the United States. Why? I don’t know. But I DO know what I’ve discovered. O’Fear by Peter Corris (a Cliff Hardy mystery) is fantastic! I’ve hunted down more Cliff Hardy mysteries over the internet and they’re all great.Other must reads by Australian authors are:Any book written by Robert G. Barrett! (The Stephen King of Australia)Jon Cleary’s Scobie Malone mysteries! (As good as anything written by Nelson DeMille)Blood Junction by Caroline Carver (As good as anything written by Dean Koontz)Every book written by Peter Doyle! (Move over John Grisham)My fellow Americans, fight to read the books the US publishers won’t let you see! You will be glad you did.

⭐ Peter Corris never fails to deliver a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable story and O’Fear is no exception. Cliff Hardy is investigating the death of an old acquaintance through the streets of Sydney and south coast. There is the usual plot twists and turns, near death experiences and a love interest. I have read all of the Cliff Hardy novels and I am glad to see Cliff is aging as each new novel appears and is conducting his life and business in keeping with this. O’Fear is a good, easy paced and enjoyable read that will keep you interested until the final page.

⭐ No surprises, but always reliable

⭐ Easy to read Hardy novel. Typical of genre in era of fast paced P.I. stories. Murder, mayhem, booze and broads.

⭐ Just really enjoy reading a Cliff Hardy book!

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