Peter Temple started publishing novels late, when he was fifty, but then he got cracking. He wrote nine novels in thirteen years. Along the way he wrote screenplays, stories, dozens of reviews.
When Temple died in March 2018 there was an unfinished Jack Irish novel in his drawer. It is included in The Red Hand, and it reveals the master at the peak of his powers. The Red Hand also includes the screenplay of Valentine’s Day, an improbably delightful story about an ailing country football club, which in 2007 was adapted for television by the ABC. Also included are his short fiction, his reflections on the Australian idiom, a handful of autobiographical fragments, and a selection of his brilliant book reviews.
Peter Temple held crime writing up to the light and, with his poet’s ear and eye, made it his own incomparable thing.
Industry Reviews
'Peter Temple is an addiction. Read one book and you will want to read them all.' * Val McDermid *
'Entertaining... [but] a sad reminder of what we have lost.' * Canberra Times *
'The Red Hand is the kind of satisfyingly dense book you'd want from an author you love, with a variety of formats within its pages for whatever mood you're in. In each piece - hell, numerous times on each page - there is Temple's callsign: rough lives, beauty found in strange places, caustic wit, a one-liner you might note down to look at again later. There will never be another Peter Temple, but for now, there's a whole lot more to love in this book.' * Readings *
'[Unfinished Jack Irish novel High Art] is vintage Temple with black humour, crackling dialogue, suspense and achingly beautiful descriptions...I kept turning the page and holding it up to the light, hoping for more words between the lines. I wanted to ring him up and demand an ending. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that a quarter of a Peter Temple novel is worth more than the whole of many others.' -- Michael Robotham * Sydney Morning Herald *
'A book that simultaneously provokes joy and sadness...dropping back into the world of [Jack Irish], part-time lawyer, debt collector, gambler and furniture maker is a treat as always.' * Advertiser *
'At the beginning of this anthology there sits a perfect literary gem: 100 pages of the fifth and very last Jack Irish novel...I spun out the experience as long as I could.' * Good Reading *
'[Temple] had an honesty-and concision-in his literary writings that will be sorely missed.' * Herald Sun *
'A treasure trove of wit and humour.' * Daily Advertiser *
'What there is of [unfinished Jack Irish novel 'High Art'] is dazzling...instantly engaging.' * Australian Book Review *
'Temple's characters leap from the pages. His strikingly original and witty narrative had me enthralled.' * Chronicle *
'[Temple's stories] are a pleasure to read; energetic, idiosyncratic and big-hearted, like everything he published.' * The Times *
'Exacting, elegant prose offers rewards for newbies and die-hards alike.' * Booklist *
