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Truth (2009)

by Peter Temple(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Publishing Company

review 1: If you relish high impact, raw, gutsy, staccato styled narrative and plot driven drama, this is the crime book for you. The huge cast of characters and bewildering back stories left me gasping for breath at times but did not stop my gradual then complete absorption into Stephen Villani's harsh thankless lifeplay. Villani is essentially a good hard cop, difficult to love but easy to like and respect whose actions and outcomes moved me immensely. It's been many decades since I've read such a solid cop tale (not my bag usually but loved the Frank Serpico premise). Unique and worth the effort of adapting to Temple's unalloyed voice.
review 2: Visceral, gritty with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness-that's the sense of this novel. I had read the first one and enj... moreoyed it. However, I quickly became disoriented with a myriad of characters: politicians, perps, cops, former cops, etc. Not to mention flashbacks that the main character, Stephen Villani, has when he is walking the streets of Melbourne. Temple includes an Aussie glossary of slang which is essential but I almost needed a flow chart to navigate Villani's world. I finally gave up and just went with the flow. Lots going on with murders, corruption, etc. Villani's personal life is at a low point. His marriage is shot. His father is trying to save the boyhood home from the raging fire storms. His daughter is consorting with drug addicts. At work some big cases and pressure from the politicians with threats as well as wooing from corporations. The last half is at a frenetic pace as Villani personally connects the dots. He's a guy who leads from the front and is talked about being a rising star but it could all come crashing with revelations from his past and personal life. And we even get to meet another one of Temple's characters, Jack Irish, who has his own series of books. Villani is a survivor though, you just sense that. The title is aptly named. Villani is an imperfect man doing the best he can but he always seeks the truth. And the truth can be relative. less

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