An Iron Rose

'When men in police uniforms came to execute me on the roadside, beside dark fields, it was a definite sign that my new life was over.' A regular at the local pub, a mainstay of the footy team, Mac Faraday is a man with a past living the quiet life of a country blacksmith. But when his best friend Ned Lowey is found hanged, Mac - who has learned the hard way never to accept things at face value - isn't convinced he committed suicide and starts asking questions. Why did Ned keep press cuttings about the skeleton of a girl found in an old mine shaft? What was he doing at Kinross Hall, the local detention centre for juvenile girls? Who was the beaten girl found naked beside a lonely road? As Mac's search for answers pushes deeper into the past, it resurrects the terrifying spectre of what he calls his 'old life', forcing him to turn to long-discarded skills not only to discover why his best friend died, but also to save his own life. Review 'An Iron Rose shows just how good he is... The laconic dialogue is terrific and the characters are brilliantly realised' Sunday Telegraph. 'Australian crime writing is hitting new heights, thanks in no small part to Peter Temple. Pace and plot, along with a stylishly cool approach to prose push him above the rest' Daily Mirror. 'Read this book and you'll be heading to the bookshop to search out more of Temple's utterly addictive books' Irish Independent. About the Author Peter Temple is the most acclaimed crime and thriller writer in Australia. He has won the Ned Kelly Award for crime fiction an unprecedented five times. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Broken Shore, In the Evil Day and Shooting Star. He is also the author of four novels featuring lawyer, gambler and private eye, Jack Irish: Bad Debts, Black Tide, Dead Point and White Dog. His most recent novel, Truth, won the 2010 Miles Franklin award. Peter lives in Ballarat, Australia with his family. The Pain Seemed To Dissolve. Cold And Rough Tarmac Against The Face, Chill Wind Down Here At Ground Level, Smell Of French Perfume On My Shirt, Delicious. I Registered That But All I Felt Was Sad. This Is A Stupid Way To Go, I Thought. Careless. When Mac Faraday's Best Friend Is Found Hanging, The Assumption Is Suicide. But Mac Is Far From Convinced, And He's A Man Who Knows Not To Accept Things At Face Value. A Regular At The Local Pub, A Mainstay Of The Footy Team, Mac Is Living The Quiet Life Of A Country Blacksmith – A Life Connected To A Place, Connected To Its People. But Mac Carries A Burden Of Fear And Vigilance From His Old Life. And As This Past Of Secrets, Corruption, Abuse And Murder Begins To Close In, He Must Turn To Long-forgotten Resources To Hang On To Everything He Holds Dear, Including His Own Life. MacFaraday is a man with a past living a quiet life in the country - until his beloved friend New Lowey is found hanged. Is it suicide? Faraday won't accept that and starts to ask questions. As Faraday's search begins to uncover chilling secrets, he finds himself thrown back into the past, forced to confront the dangers of his old life