Resurrection Bay, by Emma Viskic

Private Investigator Caleb Zelic finds the body of his best mate, cop Gary, who has been helping him out on a job. The police seem to think Gary was bent, so Caleb and his partner, ex cop Frankie, have to battle officialdom as well as a vicious crime gang to clear his name and find his killer. Caleb is deaf and has a complicated relationship with his ex wife, Kat. His disability doesn’t hold him back, but his stubborn attitude about it sometimes does. The action is divided between inner northern Melbourne and Caleb’s hometown, Resurrection Bay, on the western Victorian coast. It’s a wild ride, with plenty of bloody violence and twists and turns caused by police corruption and the thorny question of who to trust. The fast and furious plot gets so convoluted towards the end that it disappears up its own backside, which is a pity. The pace and engagement cannot maintain the suspension of disbelief and an otherwise thrilling tale becomes just another average crime story. The vivid characters make it ripe for TV adaptation, a la Jack Irish; hopefully the scriptwriters can improve the plot issues.