{"title":"Jon Cleary","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary's crime thrillers are Australian storytelling at its finest—gritty, clever, and utterly compelling. Whether you're after the intricate plotting of \u003cem\u003eFive Ring Circus\u003c\/em\u003e or the atmospheric noir of \u003cem\u003eThe City of Fading Light\u003c\/em\u003e, his novels capture the texture of Australian life with real flair. A true legend of the genre, Cleary's work rewards readers who appreciate intelligent crime fiction with genuine character. Browse our collection of secondhand Jon Cleary books and rediscover why he remains essential reading.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"five-ring-circus-cleary-jon","title":"Five Ring Circus Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eSydney, 1999. The Olympics are coming, the city's a construction site, and Detective-Inspector Scobie Malone is trying to keep his head down. Then the head of the Olympic Organizing Committee is murdered in his own home, and suddenly Malone's knee-deep in corporate corruption, political backstabbing, and a killer who knows how to work a crowd. Jon Cleary's long-running Sydney cop navigates the chaos with his trademark wit and weary pragmatism, peeling back the glittering facade of the Games to expose the money, egos, and secrets underneath. The pressure's on, the world's watching, and Malone just wants to solve the case before the opening ceremony. Perfect for fans of procedural mysteries with bite, or anyone who's ever suspected the Olympics are more circus than sport.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45535543394469,"sku":"BIN-A3-0942-05-16-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/51ySt7fsHJL.jpg?v=1748321421"},{"product_id":"bear-pit-cleary-jon","title":"Bear Pit Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary drops you into the mud and politics of 1920s Australia, where a young cop named Scobie Malone investigates a murder that leads him straight into the belly of Sydney's underworld. The city is raw, violent, and crawling with corruption — gangsters, crooked politicians, and police who can't always tell which side they're on. Cleary writes with a hardboiled edge but never loses sight of the human cost. Malone is sharp, decent, and way out of his depth, navigating a world where the rules are bent and loyalty gets you killed. This is crime fiction with grit and heart, the kind of book that makes you want to pour yourself a drink and keep reading. Perfect for fans of Raymond Chandler or anyone who likes their mysteries dark, tense, and unapologetically Australian.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45535543623845,"sku":"BIN-A3-0943-05-16-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/51XfGQ4FLTL.jpg?v=1748321434"},{"product_id":"the-city-of-fading-light-cleary-jon","title":"The City of Fading Light Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eBerlin, 1988. The Wall still stands, the Stasi still watches, and a former Olympic athlete turned detective is caught between two worlds. Jon Cleary drops his reluctant hero into the crumbling heart of Cold War espionage — a city where everyone's compromised and trust is the rarest currency. What starts as a missing person case spirals into something darker, tangled up with old debts, political theatre, and the kind of moral ambiguity that makes sleep difficult. Cleary, who wrote for decades with unflinching clarity about power and survival, brings his usual sharp eye to a setting on the edge of collapse. The atmosphere is thick, the paranoia real, the stakes personal. For readers who like their thrillers atmospheric and character-driven, with history breathing down the neck of every scene.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45535545557157,"sku":"BIN-A3-0946-05-16-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/51tcMDo4kKL.jpg?v=1748321470"},{"product_id":"endpeace-cleary-jon","title":"Endpeace Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary drops you into the corridors of power where diplomacy is a blood sport and everyone's got a hidden agenda. Scobie Malone, Sydney's most principled detective, finds himself tangled in international intrigue when a high-profile political murder threatens to unravel more than just one case. Cleary, one of Australia's most decorated crime writers, builds tension like a master—each chapter tightens the noose while Malone navigates the murky waters between justice and political expedience. The prose is lean, the plotting is sharp, and the moral questions linger long after you close the book. This is crime fiction with substance, set against a backdrop where the stakes are measured in headlines and body counts. For fans of political thrillers where the detective actually has a conscience, or anyone who likes their mysteries with an Australian edge and zero patience for fluff.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45535545884837,"sku":"BIN-A3-0947-05-16-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/91UmyhipY-L.jpg?v=1748321483"},{"product_id":"yesterdays-shadow-paperback-cleary-jon","title":"Yesterday's Shadow [Paperback] Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary's crime thriller drops you into a world where the past refuses to stay buried. When a decades-old murder resurfaces, it threatens to unravel carefully constructed lives and expose secrets that powerful people would kill to protect. Cleary — an Australian master of taut, character-driven suspense — weaves together crime, romance, and moral ambiguity with the kind of plotting that makes you suspicious of everyone. The investigation peels back layers of deception, forcing his protagonist to confront not just a killer, but the compromises we all make to survive. This is crime fiction that lingers, where the real mystery isn't just whodunit but whether anyone involved deserves to walk away clean. For readers who like their thrillers atmospheric and their characters flawed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45535546507429,"sku":"BIN-A3-0948-05-16-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61OIfDe-JYL.jpg?v=1748321494"},{"product_id":"dark-summer-cleary-jon","title":"Dark Summer Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eA heatwave grips Sydney, and so does fear. Someone is murdering priests, execution-style, and Detective Scobie Malone is hunting a killer who seems to be settling old scores with the Catholic Church. The investigation drags him through the city's underbelly — corrupt politicians, desperate informants, and secrets the Church would rather stay buried. Jon Cleary writes crime with the humidity of an Australian summer: sticky, tense, and suffocating. Malone is sharp but world-weary, the kind of detective who knows the case will cost him something personal before it's done. The plot moves fast, but Cleary takes time with character — everyone here has motives, and most of them are ugly. If you like procedurals with moral ambiguity and a strong sense of place, this is solid mid-90s crime fiction from one of Australia's best.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536077414565,"sku":"BIN-C3-1876-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61J3muyjzRL.jpg?v=1748331938"},{"product_id":"winter-chill-cleary-jon","title":"Winter Chill Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary's thriller drops you into the frozen landscapes of the Austrian Alps, where Sydney detective Scobie Malone finds himself investigating murder far from home. When an Australian skier is found dead at a luxury resort, Malone must navigate international intrigue, Cold War tensions, and a web of suspects who all have something to hide. Cleary, one of Australia's most prolific crime writers, brings his trademark sharp dialogue and eye for character to a story that moves between glittering ski chalets and shadowy diplomatic circles. It's police procedural meets espionage novel, with Malone's dry Australian sensibility cutting through European pretension at every turn. For fans of classic detective fiction with an international twist, or anyone who's ever wondered what would happen if you dropped a straight-talking cop into the middle of alpine glamour and Cold War paranoia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536078561445,"sku":"BIN-C3-1877-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61M-m6mk_2BYL.jpg?v=1748331950"},{"product_id":"autumn-maze-cleary-jon","title":"Autumn Maze Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eSydney homicide detective Scobie Malone lands a case that could detonate the city's power structure: a body in a park, a Japanese man with ties to organized crime, and a trail leading straight into the offices of politicians and corporate titans. Jon Cleary drops Malone into a web of yakuza money, property deals gone sour, and the kind of corruption that thrives where big money meets ambition. This is procedural fiction with teeth — Cleary writes Sydney like he knows every alley and boardroom, and Malone's the kind of cop who won't look away when the case gets complicated. The plot moves fast, the dialogue crackles, and the city itself becomes a character. Perfect for readers who like their crime fiction smart, atmospheric, and set somewhere other than London or New York.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536079085733,"sku":"BIN-C3-1878-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61t-aOObV8L.jpg?v=1748331962"},{"product_id":"murder-song-cleary-jon","title":"Murder Song Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary drops Scobie Malone into Sydney's music industry when a fading rock star is found dead — and everyone from the band's manager to the roadies had motive. This isn't a glamorous backstage pass: it's all ego, money, and the kind of bitter rivalries that turn lethal. Malone navigates groupies, contracts, and family drama while trying to separate performance from reality. Cleary writes crime fiction with a sharp eye for class and ambition, and his Australian settings feel lived-in, never postcard. The prose is lean, the pace steady, and Malone remains one of the more grounded detectives in crime fiction — a cop who feels like he's actually worked homicide. If you like procedurals with bite and a Sydney you can smell, this delivers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536079544485,"sku":"BIN-C3-1879-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"the-easy-sin-cleary-jon","title":"The Easy Sin Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eSydney homicide detective Scobie Malone walks into a luxury apartment to find a high-class escort dead and a Japanese businessman holding the gun. Case closed? Not when the victim's client list reads like a who's who of Sydney's elite — politicians, judges, businessmen — all suddenly very interested in making this investigation disappear. Jon Cleary's long-running detective navigates police politics, media scrutiny, and pressure from above while trying to solve a murder that too many powerful people want buried. It's Australian noir with a sardonic edge: gritty, morally complex, and sharply observed. Cleary writes lean, no-nonsense prose that keeps the pages turning without sacrificing character depth. For fans of Michael Connelly or anyone who likes their crime fiction anchored in real-world corruption rather than serial killer theatrics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536084557989,"sku":"BIN-C1-1783-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/51n1uhMMenL.jpg?v=1748332050"},{"product_id":"dragons-at-the-party-cleary-jon","title":"Dragons at the Party Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Cleary drops detective Scobie Malone into Sydney's power elite during the 1988 Bicentennial celebrations — a glittering party about to turn deadly. When a prominent politician is murdered at a high-society gala, Malone finds himself navigating a web of corruption, old money, and dangerous secrets that reach into the upper echelons of Australian society. Cleary, one of Australia's most prolific crime writers, knows how to blend social commentary with tight plotting. This is the fifth Scobie Malone novel, and it captures late-80s Sydney at its most glamorous and most ruthless. The title's dragons aren't mythical — they're the kind of people who smile at fundraisers and destroy lives before dessert. For fans of classic detective fiction with a sharp political edge, or anyone who likes their mysteries served with champagne and venom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45536127582373,"sku":"BIN-C5-1931-05-22-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/81rypGWbnjL.jpg?v=1748332595"},{"product_id":"bleak-spring-cleary-jon","title":"Bleak Spring Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eSydney, 1929. The city's reeling from the Depression, and Detective Inspector Scobie Malone is hunting a killer who's butchering women in the slums of Surry Hills. The streets are hungry, the underworld's restless, and the bodies keep turning up. Jon Cleary drops you into a gritty, pre-war Sydney where desperation breeds violence and the line between law and survival blurs. This is early Malone — before the long-running series found its groove — and it's bleaker, meaner, more interested in the rot beneath the city's surface than procedural neatness. Cleary's atmospheric prose captures the stink and sweat of 1920s Sydney with forensic precision. Perfect for fans of noir-soaked Aussie crime, historical mysteries with teeth, or anyone who likes their detectives operating in moral grey zones when the world's falling apart.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45539961208997,"sku":"Bin-A4-1027-05-20-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61MUc51qIML.jpg?v=1748392259"},{"product_id":"autumn-maze-cleary-jon-1","title":"Autumn Maze Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003eA bomb goes off in Sydney's Chinatown, and suddenly Detective-Sergeant Scobie Malone is neck-deep in a case that threads through triads, political corruption, and old money trying to stay clean in a dirty game. Jon Cleary — one of Australia's crime fiction heavyweights — drops Malone into a maze where every lead doubles back and no one's hands are entirely clean. The plot tightens like a noose, the Sydney setting feels lived-in and authentic, and Cleary writes with the kind of lean precision that keeps you turning pages without realizing you've burned through fifty. This is procedural crime done right: gritty, smart, and unafraid to let its detective get bruised. For fans of classic detective fiction with an Australian edge, or anyone who likes their crime novels more Parker than Patterson.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45588825505957,"sku":"BIN-H2-4065-06-03-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/61t-aOObV8L_08870ff0-f9ef-4739-87c1-3b07af5b0d6a.jpg?v=1749105305"},{"product_id":"yesterday-s-shadow-cleary-jon","title":"Yesterday’s Shadow Cleary, Jon","description":"\u003cp\u003e**Yesterday's Shadow by Jon Cleary - Preloved Paperback**\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis gripping crime thriller from master storyteller Jon Cleary delivers another pulse-pounding adventure featuring Inspector Scobie Malone. When a decades-old murder case resurfaces in modern Sydney, Malone finds himself unraveling dark secrets that powerful people desperately want buried. Cleary expertly weaves themes of justice, corruption, and the weight of past sins into a taut mystery that'll keep you guessing until the final page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for fans of Australian crime fiction, police procedurals, and anyone who enjoys smart detective stories with genuine heart. Cleary, one of Australia's most celebrated thriller writers, brings his trademark wit and razor-sharp plotting to this compelling installment in the beloved Malone series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis preloved copy from Patina Paperbacks has plenty of life left in it - just like Cleary's enduring characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e**Reader Reviews:**\u003cbr\u003e\n\"Cleary never disappoints - another brilliant Malone mystery that kept me up way too late!\" - Sarah M.\u003cbr\u003e\n\"The perfect blend of gritty police work and emotional depth. Absolutely loved it!\" - Michael K.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patina Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45947013759141,"sku":"BIN-F4-15737-10-02-2025","price":6.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/1407\/9909\/files\/279adbe6-b177-478f-8c2a-ec349366d1e7.jpg?v=1759444811"}],"url":"https:\/\/patinapaperbacks.com\/collections\/jon-cleary.oembed","provider":"Patina Paperbacks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}