Dragons at the Party Cleary, Jon

Jon 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.