Follow the Money

May 14, 2012
Australian author Corris’s solid 30th Cliff Hardy crime novel (after 2010’s Torn Apart) finds Hardy yet again in desperate straits. Recent events have deprived the Sydney detective of his private investigator’s license, and he’s run through a significant inheritance—though lawyer Miles Standish tells him that his money problems may not be all his own doing. A crooked financial adviser, Richard Malouf, apparently siphoned off Hardy’s funds before his own death. Standish, who believes Malouf faked his demise to avoid apprehension, wants Hardy, despite his lack of the appropriate credentials, to track down Malouf. When the first person Hardy seeks to interview after accepting the case drowns right before his arrival, Hardy logically suspects both foul play and betrayal, given how few people knew of his intentions. The plot only accelerates from there. Readers don’t need to know Hardy’s previous exploits to enjoy this entry.