Tuesday 16 January 2018

The Burden of Lies by Richard Beasley

"Defending a racist wasn't the lowest point of Tanner's career. He'd helped worse people that Corey Wilson walk free."

What a corker of a novel. Sadly its taken me a while to get through it as I just needed a respite from the social chaos of the Christmas period and the horror of returning to work (not to mention the dramas of modern dating) to sit down and immerse myself in the seedy world of Peter Tanner. A droll criminal lawyer with an eye for the ladies, he's been through the wringer, has a chip on his shoulder, but likes to win.
What's not to like here? The action begins with a coke addled banker corruption, murder and residential construction, in fact when net galley so kindly gave me a pre-release copy, I have to admit I'd asked for it based on the synopsis "Cocaine. Construction. Corruption. The unholy trinity of Sydney." I'd like to state for the record that I do work in construction and am not privy to such goings on - nevertheless they make for a fantastic work of fiction.
The protagonist is so delightfully fleshed out, tough, yet broken - so my type.
The action is palpable with a real sense of threat that combines court procedures with the menace of stand over tactics. No person or dog is safe.
A topsy-turvy tale that draws you in and then throws you for six. Clearly I very much enjoyed this and would happily venture into Peter Tanner's chambers again.

5 out of 5 readers will love this without reasonable doubts.

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