The Red Hand

'Exacting, elegant prose offers rewards for newbies and die-hards alike.' * Booklist * '[Temple's stories] are a pleasure to read; energetic, idiosyncratic and big-hearted, like everything he published.' * The Times * 'Temple's characters leap from the pages. His strikingly original and witty narrative had me enthralled.' * Chronicle * 'What there is of [unfinished Jack Irish novel 'High Art'] is dazzling...instantly engaging.' * Australian Book Review * 'A treasure trove of wit and humour.' * Daily Advertiser * '[Temple] had an honesty-and concision-in his literary writings that will be sorely missed.' * Herald Sun * '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 * '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 * '[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 * '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 * 'Entertaining... [but] a sad reminder of what we have lost.' * Canberra Times * 'Peter Temple is an addiction. Read one book and you will want to read them all.' * Val McDermid *