{"product_id":"2026200011364-secondhand-the-dying-trade","title":"The Dying Trade","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Very good\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Previous owner\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSydney's sun-drenched harbour conceals more than its fair share of shadows in The Dying Trade, the debut novel that launched Peter Corris's iconic Cliff Hardy detective series. When private investigator Cliff Hardy takes on a seemingly routine missing persons case, he is rapidly pulled into a treacherous underworld of corruption, greed, and deadly secrets lurking beneath the glittering surface of 1970s Australian society. The case twists through Sydney's back alleys and wealthy enclaves alike, confronting Hardy with a cast of criminals, desperate souls, and ruthless operators who will stop at nothing to protect their interests.\n\nCorris, widely regarded as the godfather of Australian crime fiction, crafts a taut, atmospheric thriller that channels the hard-boiled tradition of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett while planting it firmly in an authentically Australian landscape. Hardy himself is a richly drawn protagonist — sardonic, principled, and perpetually out of pocket — whose world-weary voice gives the novel its distinctive moral edge. The Dying Trade not only introduced one of crime fiction's most enduring characters but also established a benchmark for the Australian detective novel that the genre has been measured against ever since. Readers who open this book will find themselves unable to put it down until the very last, chilling page.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49161033449691,"sku":"2026200011364-SECONDHAND","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/0f3e9c44-8cf3-4080-aaf0-49218c9aecd9.png?v=1787189474","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200011364-secondhand-the-dying-trade","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}