The character of Cliff Hardy has dominated Australian crime fiction since 1980, in a career catalogued in 26 books. This new offering sees Hardy in a different literary form – the short story – but he is still the same likeable rogue detective.
Hardy’s clients range from a highly strung corporate whisteblower to a computer genius and his local florist. The cases are varied – invloving missing people, missing paintings, missing money. Yet two things bind the collection together – a common theme of money and a common quality of writing.
For fans of Peter Corris, the change to the shorter form is refreshing – showing another side of his talents, and for those who’ve not read previous books, this is a good introduction the character of Cliff Hardy. The form is not actually new to Corris and some of the stories have been previously published, but for many readers this will be a new side of Corris’ work.
Taking Care of Business is superb crime fiction.
Taking Care of Business, by Peter Corris
Allen & Unwin, 2004