Shane Maloney | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1953 (age 70–71) Hamilton, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Notable works | Murray Whelan series |
| Notable awards | Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Fiction |
Shane Maloney (born 1953) born in Hamilton, Victoria is a Melbourne author best known as the creator of the Murray Whelan series of crime novels. [1] [2]
Maloney was educated at Christian Brothers' College, St Kilda (CBC St Kilda). He started writing after studying politics and Asian history at the Australian National University. He has worked in a wide range of situations, [3] having held the positions of: Director of the Melbourne Comedy Festival (1987–1989), Cultural Director of Melbourne's Olympic bid and swimming pool lifeguard. [1]
Maloney lives in Melbourne.
The six titles in the Murray Whelan crime thriller series (Stiff, The Brush-Off, Nice Try, The Big Ask, Something Fishy and most recently Sucked In [2] ) all feature the eponymous Murray Whelan, initially as a Labor Party staffer who provides support to a Victorian State Government minister but later as a member of the Victorian State parliament. The novels are ordered chronologically and follow Whelan's progression through the Labor Party's ranks during the late 1980s and early 1990s at a time when the Labor Party was in power at both a federal and state level in Victoria.
Each novel follows the protagonist, Murray Whelan, as he attempts to uncover the truth behind murders, fraudulent schemes and shady dealings in and around the suburbs of Melbourne. Although his motives are usually genuine - protecting his own tenuous employment and sparing his minister from political death - Whelan inevitably ends up in over his head after implicating himself and faces enmity from the criminals, the police, party colleagues and his estranged wife who wants custody of their son.
The series of novels trace Whelan's career and in each novel he is older, wiser and has risen to a more senior position. Maloney described the progress as, "episodic biography of Murray Whelan as he falls up the political ladder". [4]
The novels Maloney writes have a definite sense of place. Maloney has said that he wanted "Melbourne [as] a character in the stories". [4] His distinctly Australian writing style stems from his prodigious use of local vernacular and dry wit, which pervade his writing. Maloney is a long-term resident of Brunswick, a suburb in Melbourne's inner north.
The first two novels in the series, Stiff and The Brush Off were adapted for screen by John Clarke and shown as telemovies on the Seven Network in 2004 [1] starring David Wenham in the lead role, as part of The Murray Whelan Series. [5]
In 2009, Maloney received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers Association of Australia.
The Brush-Off won the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction in 1997 [6] and was shortlisted for the Premiers Literary Award as well as being set as an English text for Victorian secondary students. [2]
Shane Maloney was the subject of a 2005 Archibald Prize painting by artist Rick Amor.
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Friar Carl in Van Helsing and Van Helsing: The London Assignment, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire, Al Parker in Top of the Lake, Lieutenant John Scarfield in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Hank Snow in Elvis. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange and Price Galese in Les Norton.
John Morrison Clarke was a New Zealand comedian, writer and satirist who lived and worked in Australia from the late 1970s. He was a highly regarded actor and writer whose work appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in both radio and television and also in print. He is principally known for his character Fred Dagg and his long-running collaboration with fellow satirist Bryan Dawe, which lasted from 1989 to his death in 2017, as well as for his success as a comic actor in Australian and New Zealand film and television.
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Stiff may refer to:
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Stiff is a 1994 Australian crime thriller novel, written by Shane Maloney. It is the first novel in a series of crime thrillers following the character of Murray Whelan, as he investigates crimes in the Melbourne area in the course of trying to keep his job with the Australian Labor Party.
The Brush-Off is a 1996 Australian, Ned Kelly Awards-winning crime thriller, written by Shane Maloney.
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Angela Savage is an Australian author.
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