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y separately published work icon Truth single work   novel   crime   thriller  
Issue Details: First known date: 2009... 2009 Truth
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Stephen Villani is the acting head of the Victoria Police homicide squad. But his first months on the job have not gone well: two Aboriginal teenagers shot dead in a botched operation he authorised in the provincial city of Cromarty; and, no progress on the killing of a man in front of his daughter outside a private girls' school.

Now five men are found dead in horrifying circumstances on the outskirts of the city. Villani's superiors and the media are baying for arrests. To add to his woes, some of the country's richest people are alarmed by the baffling killing of a young woman in the high-security tower where they live.

Villani, a man who has built his life around his work, begins to find the certainties of both crumbling. As the pressure mounts, he finds that he must contemplate things formerly unthinkable. Truth is a novel about murder, corruption, family, friends, honour, honesty, deceit, love, betrayal and truth.' (from Quercus website)

Adaptations

form y separately published work icon Truth ( dir. John Polson ) Australia : 2012 Z1762206 2012 single work film/TV

Reading Australia

Reading Australia

This work has Reading Australia teaching resources.

Unit Suitable For

AC: Year 12 (English Unit 3 and Unit 4)

Themes

corruption, justice, masculinity, parenting and childhood, Power, redemption and the media., The nature of truth

General Capabilities

Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Information and communication technology, Literacy, Personal and social

Notes

  • Sequel to The Broken Shore.
  • Dedication: For Anita and for Nick: the lights on the hill. And for MH, whose faith has transcended reason.
  • Reading Group Guide available through the Text Publishing website.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Text Publishing , 2009 .
      image of person or book cover 1171381221063506417.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 387p.
      Reprinted: 2010 , 2014
      Note/s:
      • Publication date: November 2009.
      ISBN: 9781921520914 (hbk.), 9781921520716 (pbk.)
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Quercus ,
      2010 .
      image of person or book cover 2596326946092414973.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 400p.
      Note/s:
      • Publication date: 10 January 2010.
      ISBN: 9781847242426
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Farrar Straus and Giroux ,
      2010 .
      image of person or book cover 4115522872784300573.png
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 386p.
      Note/s:
      • Published May 11th 2010
      ISBN: 9780374279370, 0374279373
    • Toronto, Ontario,
      c
      Canada,
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Random House Canada ,
      2010 .
      image of person or book cover 7780752519597779723.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 387p.
      Note/s:
      • Published May 11th 2010
      ISBN: 9780307358851
    • Toronto, Ontario,
      c
      Canada,
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Vintage Canada ,
      2011 .
      image of person or book cover 4344964685399509129.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 387p.
      Note/s:
      • Published February 22nd 2011
      ISBN: 9780307358875
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Picador ,
      2011 .
      image of person or book cover 7269286155297193680.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 386p.p.
      ISBN: 9781429925044 (ebk), 1429925043 (ebk), 9780312572907 (pbk), 0312572905 (pbk)
Alternative title: Waarheid
Language: Dutch
    • Amsterdam,
      c
      Netherlands,
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Cargo ,
      2010 .
      image of person or book cover 7995834952533793692.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 443p.
      ISBN: 9789023456957
    • Amsterdam,
      c
      Netherlands,
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Cargo ,
      2012 .
      image of person or book cover 882633648585009612.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 608p.p.
      Description: Ebook
      Note/s:
      • Published January 2012.
      ISBN: 9789023449638

Other Formats

  • Sound recording.
  • Large print.
  • Braille.
  • Sound recording. (German)

Works about this Work

Tell 'em You've Told 'em Sean O'Brien , single work review
— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel
Cover Stories W. H. Chong , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17 August 2019; (p. 26)

'Are words and images allies or enemies on book covers? Book designer WH Chong has some thoughts on striking the right balance between the two.' (Introduction)

'Peaches and Lemons' Eugen Bacon , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Bukker Tillibul , no. 10 2016;
The Representation of Aboriginality in the Novels of Peter Temple Bill Phillips , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: Coolabah , no. 20 2016; (p. 9-21)
'Identity politics is fraught with difficulties. Of few places is this truer than in Australia when it comes to the representation of Aboriginality. On the one hand the absence or invisibility of Aboriginality in Australian life and culture maybe interpreted as a deliberate exclusion of a people whose presence is uncomfortable or inconvenient for many Australians of immigrant origin. Equally, the representation of Aboriginality by non-Aboriginals may be seen as an appropriation of identity, an inexcusable commercial exploitation or an act of neocolonialism. Best-selling and prize-winning South African-born author Peter Temple appears to be very much aware of these pitfalls. In his crime novels, written between 1996 and 2009, he has obviously made the decision to grasp the nettle and attempt to represent Aboriginality in a way that would be as acceptable as possible. This paper traces the evolution of Temple's representation of Aboriginality through the three major Aboriginal characters present in his novels: Cameron Delray (Bad Debts, 1996; Black Tide, 1999; Dead Point, 2000; and White Dog, 2003), Ned Lowey (An Iron Rose, 1998) and Detective Sergeant Paul Dove (The Broken Shore, 2005 and Truth, 2009).' (Publication abstract)
Peter Temple’s Truth and Truthfulness : “The Liquid City, the Uncertain Horizon” Stephen Knight , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 16 no. 2 2016;
'The essay first locates Temple among Australian authors and this novel among his work. It then explores meaning in the plot and structure of the novel, and next focuses on the charaterisation of the leading police detective in it, Steven Villani. A following section analyses the stylistic and tonal approaches Temple tales in this novel, and finally the essay summarises the meaning and impact of Truth.' (Publication abstract)
Fiction Books Bruce McMahon , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 26 - 27 September 2009; (p. 22)

— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel
Well Read Katharine England , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 26 September 2009; (p. 24)

— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel ; Stealing Picasso Anson Cameron , 2009 single work novel
Gangland Crime, Summer's Ravages Jeff Popple , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 26 September 2009; (p. 15)

— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel
The Hard Truth Shane Maloney , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , October vol. 4 no. 9 2009; (p. 14-15)

— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel
Cover Notes Lucy Sussex , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 11 October 2009; (p. 17)

— Review of Truth Peter Temple , 2009 single work novel
Wriitng to His Own Tune Madeline Healy , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 26 - 27 September 2009; (p. 20-21)
Burning Issues in a Quest for Truth Jason Steger , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 26-27 September 2009; (p. 26-27) The Age , 26 September 2009; (p. 26-27)
The Unvarnished Truth Peter Craven , 2009 single work biography
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3-4 October 2009; (p. 8-9)
The Truth Will Out Matthia Dempsey (interviewer), 2009 single work interview
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , September vol. 89 no. 2 2009; (p. 36)
Prophecy from the Temple The Heckler , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 29 November 2009; (p. 28)
Last amended 13 Jul 2021 10:51:30
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