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Lädt ... Shooting Star: Romanvon Peter Temple
Keine Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. I enjoy Peter Temple books. Others do not, citing the language as the main reason for their dislike. This story is set in Melbourne (Australia) and I think it is this aspect of the story which i enjoy. I know Melbourne reasonably well and can relate to the locations mentioned. Best thing to do is try one. This may be another one of those books enhanced by an outstanding narrator, or, perhaps I'm just enamored of the Australian accent. Be that as it may, it was a pleasurable listen while doing chores like dishes, etc. Frank Calder, ex-soldier, and ex-cop, is hired by a rich bad guy to deliver money to kidnappers who have made off with his daughter. When Calder counsels bringing in the cops, the response is the story of a previous kidnapping of another daughter who was threatened with killing by the abductors, but who managed to free herself and escape. This time they don’t want to risk police involvement. When the first ransom amount is delivered and they are ordered to dump the money off a balcony in a crowded sporting event, Calder realizes this is not about money, it's about inflicting pain on the Carson family. The family lives in a walled in fortress having isolated themselves from the rest of the world in the name of security. The kidnappers escalate the demands and Calder decides to get to the bottom. It's a sleazy journey. Good story with some surprises. I had trouble identifying with Calder, however. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Auszeichnungen
Frank Calder - ex-soldier and sacked police hostage negotiator - is just eking out a living as a mediator when he's approached by Pat Carson, patriarch of the dynastic Carson family. Pat wants him to deliver ransom money to kidnappers who've abducted his great-granddaughter. Frank urges Pat to call in the law, but he refuses, since police bungling nearly cost the life of another Carson child kidnapped years before. So a reluctant Frank begins to deal with the kidnappers, and quickly becomes convinced both Carson kidnappings were motivated by something other than money. Over several feverish days, Frank searches for suspects in the web of Carson businesses, deals, marriages, indiscretions and rivalries. And all the while he knows that if his instincts are wrong, the girl will surely die ... With Shooting Star, Australia's premier crime-thriller writer, Peter Temple, is launched into an even bigger league. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. Penguin AustraliaEine Ausgabe dieses Buches wurde Penguin Australia herausgegeben. |
It's well worth getting hold of a copy of this edition for Adrian McKinty's introduction alone, as it gives real insight into the person that Peter Temple was, and the impact that he had on the Australian Crime Writing community. He is a man who is much missed, and whilst we're all really thankful for the work that he left us, it's impossible not to think of all the work we've missed out on. Which thinking made a re-read of the excellent SHOOTING STAR a bit more emotional than expected.
Even without that background, SHOOTING STAR has always been a masterclass in thriller execution. Sparse, cleverly paced, littered with clues that make for many "of course" proclamations, there isn't a wasted moment in all 232 pages. It's about the cleverness of the observations of the characters, but it's also about the tightness of the plot and the way that the hints are there for the identifying. Temple was never a writer to treat his readers with disdain, so there's respect for those reading, as well as those telling the story. And then there are the little touches, the turns of phrase that show you how his characters, think, behave, interact, never in an overbearing manner, often with dry wit and wry humour - as in this response from offsider and old friend Orlovsky to a comment by central character Frank Calder:
It would be really easy to write a review of SHOOTING STAR that's just quote after quote after quote, there are so many ripe for the choosing. Having picked up this book at the start of the long weekend I'd sort of thought it would be one of those "quick" re-reads. A stroll down memory lane, and quick run through of a book that I'd originally reviewed back in 2008 (link to that review) but it turned out to be anything but. There were so many glorious moments that I found myself going back over parts of the text, savouring the images being sketched into life, the way that the character emerge from the light touches, the wonderful quotes, the bits that make you stop, and think these people are real:
Frank Calder's a man that you would trust in a tight spot, and the Carson family are dealing with a very big problem - the abduction of the second girl of the family, despite their security precautions, despite the family living compound, because of their money. Old Pat Carson is a self-made man, his children that classic type that happens when a rough and tumble man makes a lot of money, and his kids grow up privileged and spoilt. There's plenty of tension in the family and yet, despite the terror of the abduction of his young granddaughter, Pat Carson is resolved, quiet, deadly. A perfect match for Frank Calder.
In another time, another place and different circumstances you can still see Pat Carson and Frank Calder having a meeting of minds. You can see how they understand each other, and you know darn well that no matter what happens to young Anne Carson, there will be consequences for both these men, and ripples out from there.
It should come as no surprise that this thriller, winner of the 2000 Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction, is included in the Classics series, and it should not come as any surprise that two decades on from its original release date SHOOTING STAR is still a very good thriller. Actually it's a brilliant book of any type / class or classification. ( )