Shooting Star

In May 2019 Text Publishing announced their Text Classics version of Peter Temple's SHOOTING STAR, two decades on from the original release date. 

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, show more 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:

He took a long time to answer, lit another stolen Camel, one of the last. 'The difference between us,' he said, 'is that I'm just doing this for the money. You're another matter entirely.'

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:

I went over to the printer, watched the paper being spat into the collating trays, felt the ache growing in my back, the pointment of pain advancing down my legs.

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.

I poured a finger of the peaty liquid, dusted it with water, sat down opposite the old man. There was something about the room, the panelling, the armchairs, the soft lights. At the end of a long and fruitless day, my lunch engagement excepted, it brought a little peace to the soul.

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. show less

Frank Calder, ex-soldier, ex-policeman, aspiring horticulturist, is employed as a mediator. We first meet him departing from established mediation practice, about to dispense "a solid kick up the arse" to a big man with a neck brace and a wronged wife. It’s an encounter that leaves him (and us) thinking about life, about "how the wide vista of childhood shrinks to a passage in Footscray with a man in a plastic neck brace charging at you".

The story of Shooting Star is at its heart simple, although many twists and complications are wrapped around it which require reader concentration. A teenager, Anne Carson, has been kidnapped from a music store after school. The girl’s family is extremely rich, and eager to comply with the ransom show more demand in the light of a similar experience 10 years ago, when another woman from the same family, Alice, was also kidnapped. On that occasion, the family turned to the police despite being told not to by the villains, and had regretted it. This time, determined not to mess about, they call upon Frank Calder, an ex-cop and ex-soldier.

Shooting Star is Peter Temple’s fourth book and his second Ned Kelly Award winner from the Australian Crime Writer’s Association. This is his second standalone novel, though Frank Calder shares some characteristics with both earlier (Jack Irish) and later (Joe Cashin) Temple protagonists. His main theme in this novel the corrosive effect of money and power – and, once more, he delivers an emotionally sensitive, credible, edge-of-the-seat read.

It doesn't get much better than this. show less

As an Australian I'm embarrassed that I discovered this Aussie author only recently. His writing is sparse, tense with interesting characterisations - this is the second book of PT I have read & I find I get drawn into his novels. PT has won many awards as a crime writer. Shooting Star is about the kidnapping of a member of a high profile wealthy family. Highly recommended.

Very professional and entertaining thriller. Temple wastes not a paragraph, a sentence or even a word as he delivers this very fast-paced story of a kidnapping. I have read some other books by him, but this is the best so far. He is now high on my watch list.6

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 show more 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. show less

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.

A new author for me -- really enjoyed this and looking forward to more.