 First edition | |
| Author | Jon Cleary |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Collins |
Publication date | 1959 |
| Pages | 320 |
| Preceded by | The Green Helmet |
| Followed by | Strike Me Lucky |
Back of Sunset is a 1959 Australian novel from Jon Cleary. [1]
The novel was serialised in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1959.
The novel follows Dr Stephen McCabe, a Sydney doctor who takes a working holiday with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia. When the doctor who runs the practice is injured, McCabe must step up in his absence as he deals with a variety of crises.
The book received good reviews abroad. [2] The Canberra Times called it a "potboiler". [3] The Age called it "a bad novel but it will make excellent film". [4]
The Bulletin called it "a most adroitly dramatised story... Cleary has become pretty well faultless in the contrivances which push a novel on easily and smoothly", adding that it was, "a first-rate novel in the field of fictional journalism, in which characteristic types are photographed against a carefully-studied background which has value as news. When the job is done as successfully as this is, it is hard to say what more could be required — less of the feeling, perhaps, that the author is the manager of a modelling-agency. Nevertheless, for such novels to support an Australian author in the style to which Jon Cleary is becoming accustomed is a step towards a necessary sophistication for our writing." [5]
Jon Cleary also wrote a film script of the book for producer Lawrence Bachman but no movie resulted. [6]
Jon Stephen Cleary was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including The Sundowners (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and The High Commissioner (1966), the first of a long series of popular detective fiction works featuring Sydney Police Inspector Scobie Malone. A number of Cleary's works have been the subject of film and television adaptations.
The Green Helmet is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on a 1957 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary.
The Sundowners is a 1952 novel by Australian writer Jon Cleary.
Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary.
Justin Bayard is a 1955 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary about a policeman working in the Kimberley region. It was Cleary's sixth novel.
The Long Shadow is a 1949 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. Cleary had just written his debut work, You Can't See 'Round Corners and was unsure what to do as a follow-up. His editor Graham Greene suggested he try his hand at a thriller "because it will teach you the art of narrative and it will teach you the uses of brevity."
The High Commissioner is a 1966 detective novel by Australian author Jon Cleary which introduced the detective hero Scobie Malone.
North from Thursday is a 1960 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It is set in New Guinea and concerns the eruption of a volcano, forcing a group of survivors to flee across the country. The story is based on the 1951 eruption of Mount Lamington.
Strike Me Lucky is a 1959 novel written by Jon Cleary in collaboration with his wife Joy. The plot concerns an Australian family who discover gold and the effect this has on their small town.
The Long Pursuit is a 1967 novel written by the Australian author Jon Cleary about the escape of a group of survivors from the Battle of Singapore in the Second World War, including a British soldier, an American engineer, an Australian soldier, an Italian auto distributor and a bank clerk, They run into a Dutch woman.
Helga's Web was a 1970 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary, the second to feature his detective hero Scobie Malone.
A Very Private War is a 1980 novel by Australian writer Jon Cleary about coastwatchers during World War II.
The Pulse of Danger is a 1966 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary. It is set in Bhutan with the background of the Sino-Indian War. A small group of Western botanists have just finished an expedition and are returning to India where they encounter an Indian officer who has a captured Chinese general. They are pursued by Chinese forces.
Dragons at the Party is a 1987 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the fourth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone, and marked the character's first appearance in print in fourteen years.
Forests of the Night is a 1963 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It is about a British plastic surgeon who visits his father in Burma and gets involved with a Catholic missionary, a killer tiger and a local rebel leader.
The Fall of an Eagle is a 1965 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary set in Anatolia. The hero is an American engineer building a dam.
Mask of the Andes, also known as The Liberators in the US, is a 1971 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary set in Bolivia.
The City of Fading Light is a 1985 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary about a Hollywood actress who tries to rescue her Jewish mother from 1939 Berlin. The book features Sean Carmody, the character from his earlier novel The Sundowners.
Now and Then, Amen is a 1988 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the fifth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone. There were plans to adapt the book into a mini-series, but this ended up not happening.
For the song "Murder Song " by Nordic indietronica singer AURORA, see All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.