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When Murray Whelan, lovelorn political minder and part-time fitness fanatic, is recruited to massage Australia's bid for the Olympics he has no idea how tough the going will get. Not even the sight of the gorgeous Holly Deloite in her taut blue leotard at the City Club can stop him diving head first into trouble. And, when the death of the young Aboriginal athlete Darcy Anderson proves that murder is a contact sport, Murray is soon breaking all the rules. Mixing it with a savvy black show more activist, a body-building psychopath and the enigmatic Dr Phillipa Knox, Murray jumps the gun every time. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Maloney is in top form here as his protagonist Murray Whelan, Australian Labor Party apparatchik, is seconded to the 1996 Melbourne Olympic Games bid. As history tells us, Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics, so this a story of failed skullduggery and arse-kissing, which I always find more interesting than stories of successful skullduggery and arse-kissing.
Whelan is swept up in the machinations behind Melbourne's bid to win the right to be host city for the 1996 Olympics and much of it is hilarious. And, as Whelan notes at the end, coming third in an arse-licking competition is somewhat embarrassing.
Whelan is swept up in the machinations behind Melbourne's bid to win the right to be host city for the 1996 Olympics and much of it is hilarious. And, as Whelan notes at the end, coming third in an arse-licking competition is somewhat embarrassing.
The peak of the Murray Whelan series. This is screamingly funny, never takes itself too seriously and moves at lightning pace. The way Maloney captures the beating heart of Melbourne is spot on, I recognise the places, smells and people in this novel.
A deeply biased four stars. Murray for PM.
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Books Set in Australia
41 works; 9 members
Author Information
13+ Works 954 Members
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Nice Try
- Original title
- Nice Try
- Original publication date
- 1998
- People/Characters
- Murray Whelan
- Important places
- Australia; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Victoria, Australia
- Important events
- Summer Olympics (1996)
- Dedication
- To Gary Foley
Dare to struggle, dare to win.
In Memoriam
Kevin and Aileen - First words
- They confronted him at the Royal Exhibition Building, just before the first lift of the final round.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The sex is great, but the part we both like best is the cigarette we share afterwards.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 142
- Popularity
- 229,694
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.82)
- Languages
- English, Finnish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 3
