{"title":"Matthew Condon","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the gripping and immersive works of \u003cstrong\u003eMatthew Condon\u003c\/strong\u003e, an acclaimed Australian author renowned for his masterful storytelling in the \u003cem\u003eCrime \u0026amp; Thriller\u003c\/em\u003e genres. Dive into the gritty underworld of Queensland's past with titles such as \u003cem\u003eAll Fall Down\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eJacks and Jokers\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Night Dragon\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThree Crooked Kings\u003c\/em\u003e. These books explore deeply entrenched tales of corruption, power, and justice, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with every page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCondon's attention to detail and captivating style extends to his exploration of place, particularly through striking portrayals in works like \u003cem\u003eBrisbane\u003c\/em\u003e. This title delves into the heart of the city, articulating its rich history and vibrant culture, making it a must-read for those intrigued by \u003cem\u003eTravel \u0026amp; Adventure\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a more personal glimpse into his storytelling style, \u003cem\u003eLittle Fish Are Sweet\u003c\/em\u003e offers a collection of personal stories that reveal his experiences and insights into the world. Condon's contributions to literature are both educational and thrilling, offering readers a unique lens through which to understand the complexities of real-life crime and the cultural fabric of Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDiscover Matthew Condon's intense narratives today and unravel stories that are as hauntingly real as they are moving.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"three-crooked-kings-by-matthew-condon-9780702268458","title":"Three Crooked Kings","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the landmark Australian true-crime books, with a new introduction following the death of disgraced Police Commissioner Terry Lewis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'It was the genius of the system ... from day to day you didn't know who was on the take or not. You didn't know who you could trust.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree Crooked Kings\u003c\/em\u003e is the shocking true story of Queensland and how a society was shaped by almost half a century of corruption. At its core is Terry Lewis, deposed and jailed former police commissioner. From his entry into the force in 1949, Lewis rose through the ranks, becoming part of the so-called Rat Pack with detectives Glen Hallahan and Tony Murphy under the guiding influence of Commissioner Frank Bischof.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe next four decades make for a searing tale of cops and killings, bagmen and blackmail, and sin and sleaze that exposes a police underworld that operated from Queensland to New South Wales. This gripping book examines the final pieces of the puzzle, unearths new evidence on cold cases, and explores the pivotal role that whistleblower Shirley Brifman, prostitute and brothel owner, played until her sudden death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBased on extensive and unprecedented access to Terry Lewis and his personal papers, as well as hundreds of interviews with key players and conspirators, \u003cem\u003eThree Crooked Kings\u003c\/em\u003e is the first of three explosive books. Awarded journalist and novelist Matthew Condon has crafted the definitive account of an era that changed a state and is still reverberating to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46556463169772,"sku":"9780702268458","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780702268458.jpg?v=1750150682"},{"product_id":"all-fall-down-by-matthew-condon-9780702253539","title":"All Fall Down","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gripping finale to \u003cem\u003eThree Crooked Kings\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eJacks and Jokers\u003c\/em\u003e brings to a close Matthew Condon's best-selling true-crime trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1983, the soon-to-be-knighted Police Commissioner Terry Lewis continues to turn a blind eye to the operation of The Joke, a highly organised system of graft payments from illegal gambling, prostitution, and illicit drugs. As the tentacles of this fraudulent vice network spread, the fabric holding together the police, judiciary, and political system starts to unravel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll Fall Down\u003c\/em\u003e offers an unprecedented insight into the Fitzgerald Inquiry and Lewis's subsequent years in prison, and explores the real story behind the dramatic exit of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Drawing from interviews with key players who have, until now, been afraid to speak publicly, \u003cem\u003eAll Fall Down\u003c\/em\u003e celebrates the bravery of those unsung heroes who risked everything to expose the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis epic trilogy provides the definitive account of an unforgettable period in Queensland's history. The devastating consequences of those decades of corruption still reverberate today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'For a long time in the Queensland police force, speaking out achieved nothing but hardship, loneliness, and fear. Those involved in misconduct were not punished. Those who reported it were.' – Fitzgerald Inquiry Report\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46608766828780,"sku":"9780702253539","price":42.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780702253539.jpg?v=1751579756"},{"product_id":"jacks-and-jokers-by-matthew-condon-9780702249969","title":"Jacks and Jokers","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe message was powerfully clear. If you threatened the harmony of the Joke, you didn't last long.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eContinuing on from the bestselling \u003cem\u003eThree Crooked Kings\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eJacks and Jokers\u003c\/em\u003e opens in 1976. Terry Lewis, exiled in western Queensland, is soon to be controversially appointed Police Commissioner. As for the other two original Crooked Kings, Tony Murphy is set to ruthlessly take control of the workings of 'The Joke', while Glen Hallahan, retired from the force, begins to show a keen interest in the emerging illicit drug trade. Meanwhile, ex-cop and 'Bagman' Jack Herbert collects the payments and efficiently takes police graft to a whole new level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Joke heralds an era of hard drugs, illegal gambling and prostitution, and leaves in its wake a string of unsolved murders and a trail of dirty money. With the highest levels of police and government turning a blind eye, the careers of honest police officers and the lives of innocent civilians are threatened and often lost as corruption escalates out of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRevealing more incredible facts and previously untold stories, award-winning journalist and novelist Matthew Condon once again exposes the shocking behaviour outside the law by the law. \u003cem\u003eJacks and Jokers\u003c\/em\u003e is the gripping second instalment of the rise—and spectacular fall—of one man, an entire state and generations of corruption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46674460115180,"sku":"9780702249969","price":42.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/143673482438.jpg?v=1752912416"},{"product_id":"little-fish-are-sweet-by-matthew-condon-9780702254109","title":"Little Fish Are Sweet","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLittle Fish Are Sweet\u003c\/em\u003e is Matthew Condon's extraordinary personal account of writing the Three Crooked Kings trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Condon first interviewed disgraced former police commissioner Terry Lewis, he had no idea that it would be the start of a turbulent six-year journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs hundreds of people came forward to share their powerful and sometimes shocking stories, decades of crime and corruption were revealed in a new light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRisking threats and intimidation, Condon tirelessly pursued his investigations into a web of cold murder cases and past conspiracies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat he discovered is much more sinister than anyone could have imagined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46674533220588,"sku":"9780702254109","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780702254109.jpg?v=1752914309"},{"product_id":"the-night-dragon-by-matthew-condon-9780702260209","title":"The Night Dragon","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow a famous cold case, a deadly fire and a quest for justice finally brought down one of Australia's worst killers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'He takes you in the middle of the night, like an angel, and you're gone for good.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Witness at Vincent O'Dempsey's committal hearing for murder, 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2017, Vincent O'Dempsey was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two young daughters. It took over 40 years to bring him to justice. Feared for decades by criminals and police alike, O'Dempsey associated with convicted underworld figures and has been linked to a string of haunting cold cases, including the deadly Whiskey au Go Go nightclub firebombing that killed 15 innocent people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAward-winning investigative journalist Matthew Condon has interviewed dozens of ex-cons, police and witnesses to put together a compelling picture of the calculating killer who spent his life evading the law before he was finally brought to justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46675483099372,"sku":"9780702260209","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/246073482438.jpg?v=1752936545"},{"product_id":"brisbane-by-matthew-condon-9781742237190","title":"Brisbane","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI keep coming back to the light of Brisbane. If you are born into it, this palette of gentle pinks and oranges at dawn and dusk, the blast white of midday in summer, the lemon luminescence of mid-morning and mid-afternoon, you keep it with you and measure all other light by it. If you live away from it, then step back into it, it is the first thing that tells you you're home.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrisbane\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a city of wooden houses where mango trees abound, where the serpentine river seems to be of the city and yet somehow not, where ghostly memories of demolished landmarks like Cloudland and The Bellevue Hotel hover and where the chime of the City Hall clock echoes through time and place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTaking readers on a unique personal journey, Matthew Condon unearths the city's history—sometimes literally—and paints a portrait of transformation from a sleepy capital city that's more like a big country town, to a vibrant, confident place, but one where time can still move slowly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a new epilogue, Condon returns to the house he grew up in; standing and looking out from the verandah, the past collides with the present, but the view is as he remembers it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘...a beautifully produced guide to the city that also evokes the soul of the place and establishes the historical context.’ - \u003ci\u003eThe Brisbane News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Dismayed, enmeshed and enchanted by Brisbane, he has added himself to the long line of its eccentric rhapsodists.’ - Peter Pierce, \u003ci\u003eThe Canberra Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘One of the finest writers of his generation...Condon weaves forensic examination of the city's ever-shifting history through intimate personal recollections of his childhood perceptions of the place.’ - John Birmingham, \u003ci\u003eThe Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072145178860,"sku":"9781742237190","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/8273583482808.jpg?v=1765081393"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/matthew-condon.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}