Dark Summer Cleary, Jon

A 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.