{"product_id":"9781460716472","title":"The Afterlife of Harry Playford: The second literary mystery in the Stephen Minter series, from the award-winning author, perfect for readers of Ian McEwan, Sebastian Barry and William Boyd","description":"From acclaimed writer Steven Carroll, comes the second in his new series of post-war literary crime novels featuring Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'What does a pile of clothes left on a deserted beach tell you? It's a cold midwinter Monday. Seaweed and shells litter the flat expanse of sand. There is a light wind, the sea more disgruntled than choppy, the tide out. And there amongst it, the neat pile of clothes. Almost like a coded message waiting to be deciphered.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQueenscliff, Victoria, 1951: A man has disappeared, leaving only a pile of neatly folded clothes on a beach. Missing, presumed drowned. But for Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter, newly emigrated from England, it's far from an open-and-shut case. Because this is no ordinary man. Harry Playford is a successful politician, a charming man who is a rising ministerial star, a possible contender for the top job, who leaves behind a beautiful wife - and a mistress. There could be a simple explanation. But, these murky days of the Cold War, in a time of rising mistrust and suspicion, spies and espionage, Stephen can't throw off his feeling that something's definitely not right. About the whole business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom one of Australia's finest, most critically acclaimed writers, \u003cem\u003eThe Afterlife of Harry Playford\u003c\/em\u003e is an absorbing, poignant and moving novel of hard choices and past mistakes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Beautifully written ... A quick survey of the many comments about the award-winning Carroll's prose style include the following adjectives: mesmerising, hypnotic, measured, lyrical, poetic, rhythmic and poised. All true ... So pause, settle back and prepare for a beguiling philosophical journey through time and space in the guise of a crime novel. You will not be disappointed.' \u003cem\u003eThe Age\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'This is literary fiction at its finest, with beautifully rendered, fully rounded characters and an ambiguous mystery at its heart ... Carroll's writing is pure. This is not a page-turning frenzy; it's magnificently crafted, page-savouring bliss.' \u003cem\u003eGood Reading \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for the first Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter novel, \u003cem\u003eDeath of a Foreign Gentleman\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A riff on the novels of the golden age of detective fiction ... A novel of remarkable poise, which marries its weighty concerns and deeply felt sensibility to a playful delight in the very real pleasures of the genre it so deftly inhabits' \u003cem\u003eThe Age\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An impressive start to a new series' \u003cem\u003eThe Australian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Steven Carroll","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46919475527829,"sku":"9781460716472","price":14.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9781460716472_5bf4759a-e4e3-4442-b07c-bf6ab0277816.jpg?v=1776889873","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9781460716472","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}