 First UK edition | |
| Author | Jon Cleary |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Scobie Malone |
| Genre | Detective |
| Publisher | Collins (UK) William Morrow (US) |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Preceded by | Ransom |
| Followed by | Now and Then, Amen |
Dragons at the Party is a 1987 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. [1] It was the fourth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone, and marked the character's first appearance in print in fourteen years. [2] [3]
Cleary did not originally intended to turn Scobie Malone into a long-running series. However, after his daughter's death in 1987 his wife fell ill, and Cleary was not able to travel as widely as he liked in order to research his novels. This forced him to write about Sydney and he thought that returning to the crime genre was a way to write about Australia while still appealing to the international market. [4] The novel was a success and Cleary concentrated on writing Malone adventures until 2003.
The novel is set in 1988 with the background of the Australian Bicentenary. President Timori of the fictitious Pacific country the Spice Islands has been deposed in a coup and granted asylum in Australia. His aide is murdered in a bullet meant for the President and Malone must find the assassin before he strikes again. [5]
The novel was generally well reviewed. Fellow crime writer Peter Corris said that "younger writers could learn a lot from Jon Cleary: how to draw a credible character with a few strokes, how to keep a story moving, build suspense and satisfy every real reader's desire for good writing... [The book] contains some of the best action sequences I've read in years and the dialogue is always crisp and effective." [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 stories featuring Sydney Police Inspector Scobie Malone. A number of Cleary's works have been the subject of film and television adaptations.
Nobody Runs Forever, also called The High Commissioner, is a 1968 British political neo noir spy thriller action film directed by Ralph Thomas and based on Jon Cleary's 1966 novel The High Commissioner. It stars Rod Taylor as Australian policeman Scobie Malone and Christopher Plummer as the Australian High Commissioner in Britain caught up in corrupt dealings, during delicate negotiations. Taylor's production company was involved in making the film, as was the American company Selmur Productions.
Degrees of Connection is a 2004 Ned Kelly Award-winning novel by the Australian author Jon Cleary.
Peter Robert Corris was an Australian academic, historian, journalist and a novelist of historical and crime fiction. As crime fiction writer, he was described as "the Godfather of contemporary Australian crime-writing", particularly for his Cliff Hardy novels.
Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary.
The High Commissioner is a 1966 detective novel by Australian author Jon Cleary which introduced the detective hero Scobie Malone.
Scobie Malone is a 1975 Australian erotic mystery film based on the 1970 novel Helga's Web by Jon Cleary and starring Jack Thompson and Judy Morris.
Helga's Web was a 1970 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary, the second to feature his detective hero Scobie Malone.
Ransom was a 1973 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary, the third to feature his detective hero Scobie Malone. Cleary also wrote The Sundowners and The High Commissioner. The novel was published by Fontana Press on November 3, 1975.
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.
Babylon South is a 1989 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary.
Pride's Harvest is a 1991 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the eighth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone.
Dark Summer is a 1992 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the ninth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone, and begins with the discovery of a corpse in Scobie's swimming pool. The dead man was an informer involved in Scobie's recent drug investigation. Scobie puts his family under police protection and tracks down the killer.
Bleak Spring is a 1993 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the tenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone.
Endpeace is a 1996 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the thirteenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone.
A Different Turf is a 1997 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary, the fourteenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone. A series of gay bashings have taken place throughout Sydney and someone is murdering the culprits. Cleary explored the psychology of serial killers from Australia's leading police profiler, Inspector Bronwyn Killmier, who inspired the character of Tilly Orbost.
Bear Pit is a 2000 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the seventeenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone and involves the assassination of the State Premier by a sniper in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Yesterday's Shadow is a 2001 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary, his 50th over all. It was the eighteenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone.
Miss Ambar Regrets is a 2004 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary, the first new work he published since 1987 which was not a Scobie Malone novel.
The Dying Trade (1980) is a crime novel by Australian writer Peter Corris. It was originally published by McGraw-Hill in Australia in 1980.