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This page lists books that feature the Australian private investigator Cliff Hardy.

The Dying Trade

Peter Corris

1980

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Meet Cliff Hardy - he's a smoker, drinker, ex-boxer and private investigator, a real tough guy. When the wealthy yet eccentric Bryn Gutteridge hires Hardy to help his twin sister, it looks as if blackmail is the problem - that is, until the case becomes more brutal, twisted and shocking than even Hardy could have guessed."

White Meat

Peter Corris

1981

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy is stony broke, which makes it hard to resist a job from the man he's been losing money to. Ted Tarleton is a rich bookie with a beautiful, spoiled daughter who's gone missing, and Ted wants Hardy to find her. Her boyfriend is no help, and Hardy faces opposition from all sides as he delves into the increasingly violent wreckage of Noni's past."

The Marvelous Boy

Peter Corris

1982

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Lady Catherine presides over the declining fortunes of the Chatterton estate, which is lacking a suitable heir. When she hears of a grandson she never knew, Cliff Hardy takes the job, reluctantly, of finding him. From the run-down boarding houses of Darlinghurst to the social set of Canberra, Hardy finds the case forcing him into some of the strangest roles a private detective has ever had to play."

The Empty Beach

Peter Corris

1983

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"A case in Bondi attracts him as an ex-surfer and admirer of the suburb. It began as a routine investigation into a supposed drowning. But Hardy soon finds himself literally fighting for his life in the murky, violent underworld of Bondi. The truth about John Singer, black marketeer and poker machine king is out there somewhere amidst the drug addicts, prostitutes and alcoholics. Hardy's job is to stay alive long enough in that world of easy death to get to the truth."

Heroin Annie and other Cliff Hardy stories

Peter Corris

1984

Cliff Hardy short stories.

"Cliff Hardy is in action again: trying to keep one step ahead of his client's troubles - and his own. He goes from sleazy backstreets to boardrooms in skyscrapers - dealing with everyone from fashion models and teenage junkies to urban developers and crooked funeral directors. Hardy copes, with his guts and his savvy; and all for a hundred and twenty-five dollars a day (plus expenses)."

• Marriages Are Made In Heaven
• Heroin Annie
• The Luck Of Clem Carter
• Silverman
• Stockyards At Jerilderie
• Blood Is Thicker
• Mother's Boy
• Man's Best Friend
• Escort To An Easy Death
• California Dreamland

Make Me Rich

Peter Corris

1985

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"It is just another party in Sydney's eastern suburbs, a routine security job for Cliff Hardy. It leads, though, to an interesting meeting and a dangerous job. No one is more familiar than Hardy with the sleazy back streets and pubs of Kings Cross, and he follows a twisted trail over dangerous ground. As well as a hitman out to get him he deals with politically protected criminals and corrupt journalists - and meets the intriguing Helen Broadway for the first time."

The Big Drop and other Cliff Hardy Stories

Peter Corris

1985

Cliff Hardy short stories.

"A client falls from the twentieth storey of a building; a rock star goes missing; an erotic Mongol scroll vanishes; a film star has a problem that has nothing to do with creativity - it's all in a day's work for Cliff Hardy. .... Nothing really surprises Hardy, and, for a hundred and twenty-five a day (plus expenses), he'll provide a few surprises of his own."

• The Big Drop
• P.I. Blues
• The Arms Of The Law
• Tearaway
• What Would You Do?
• The Mongol Scroll
• The Mae West Scam
• Rhythm Track
• The Big Pinch
• Maltese Falcon

The Greenwich Apartments

Peter Corris

1986

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"s brilliant young filmmaker Carmel Wise the innocent victim of gangland violence or is she enmeshed in a pornography racket as the press and the police imply? Carmel's businessman father hires Cliff Hardy to find the real reason 'the video girl' was shot dead outside the Greenwich Apartments in Kings Cross. Hardy follows a trail which is broken but clear .... The trail takes him to the sunny peninsula, leafy Lane Cove and the industrial waterfront. Hardy finds that every question and every answer has to be paid for in pain and fear. And to some questions there may be no answers at all."

Deal Me Out

Peter Corris

1986

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy starts out to help a friend but before long he's looking for an enemy - William Mountain: boozer, TV scriptwriter, would-be novelist who is missing and searching for adventure. Mountain's adventure is Hardy's 'case' which rapidly becomes a case he would rather not have. Mountain is the dealer in a deadly game and the hands he deals become more and more bizarre."

The January Zone

Peter Corris

1987

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Politician Peter January is having trouble staying alive so he hires Cliff Hardy to help him. Hardy dislikes the role of politician's 'security consultant' but he dislikes bombers, hit men and hatemailers even more. Protecting January leads to protecting his assistant, Trudi Bell, which is a more enjoyable assignment. It also takes Hardy to Washington DC where the threats are real and the rules are different. To stand close to January is to stand close to danger and corruption, but there are even greater evils and Hardy cannot back away."

The Man in the Shadows

Peter Corris

1988

A Cliff Hardy short novel and six short stories.

"Gareth Greenway wasn't all he seemed, but Cliff Hardy was used to that. What he wasn't used to was the shadowy world Greenway leads him into: neurosurgeons, mental patients, AIDS sufferers, all negotiating a landscape of dreams and delusions. An old friend of Hardy's ends up dead while Hardy chases the shadows, catching some, losing others. The accompanying stories find Hardy on more familiar ground. When organised crime, political corruption and the Australian army are involved, Hardy battles the odds. But when it comes to a man-to- man contest, put your money on Hardy to win."

• Man In The Shadows
• Cloudburst
• High Integrity
• Box On!
• The Deserter
• Byron Kelly's Big Mistake
• Norman Mailer's Christmas

O'Fear

Peter Corris

1990

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"When Todd Barnes, war veteran and popular drinking mate, leaves Cliff Hardy a tidy sum to find out who killed him, Hardy can hardly refuse - and he needs the money. Todd's widow and some of his cronies are not always cooperative, however, and it's hard to tell friends from enemies, especially when it comes to the mysterious Kevin O'Fearna, known as O'Fear. Hardy's battered Falcon takes him from the familiar mean streets of Sydney to equally dangerous bushland, where he's on his own up against heavy odds."

Wet Graves

Peter Corris

1991

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Someone's trying to cancel Cliff Hardy's license, and he needs to find out why. He also needs to work out why the case of the missing schoolteacher Brian Madden keeps leading him back more than 50 years later to the construction of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Finding the answers takes all his contacts--police, underworld, and press--and keeps Hardy moving across Sydney, asking questions, probing the past, and finding the bodies."

Aftershock

Peter Corris

1991

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"When Oscar Bach's body is found crushed under rubble, his death was classified as another tragic statistic of the earthquake. So how could he have been seen alive five minutes after the quake? Who would want this man dead? Oscar's quiet life was not all that it appeared to be. He was a man with no apparent past. But something - and someone - has caught up with him now, and they are trying to stop Cliff Hardy from finding the answers."

Beware of the Dog

Peter Corris

1992

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"The woman was dangerous, even over the phone. Cliff Hardy knew he should have listened to his instincts when he first met Paula Wilberforce. Instead he becomes embroiled in a high-society family full of old rivalries and hatred, his gun is stolen, and he is wanted in relation to a shooting. He has to find the answers quickly, before the murderer strikes again. The only lead he has is a mutilated photograph. Whose face is it? And what are those strange shadows in the background?"

Burn, And Other Stories

Peter Corris

1993

Cliff Hardy short stories.

"This collection of stories finds Cliff Hardy in his usual milieu of inner Sydney mixing with the good, the bad, and the quirky as he works on his cases."

• Burn
• Eye Doctor
• Ghost Writer
• Airwaves
• Cadigal Country
• Kill Me Someone
• Lost And Found
• The Big Lie
• The House Of Ruby
• Almost Wedded Bliss

Matrimonial Causes

Peter Corris

1993

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"The early 70s, and in Cliff Hardy's first case there were perjury, fraud, murder, crooked cops, lawyers, PIs, and a call girl - scarcely an honest citizen in sight. Cliff Hardy was caught in the middle with a client he couldn't trust and nothing but questions for guidelines. In the end his survival became more important than the answers."

Casino

Peter Corris

1994

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy is flattered to be offered the job as head of security at the new Sydney casino. But the thought of office hours and wearing a suit put him off and he refuses in favor of his friend, Scott Galvani. But when Galvani is murdered and the police are indifferent, Galvani's widow pleads with Hardy to help. How can Hardy refuse? In the course of his investigation Cliff reluctantly takes the job at the casino where he meets the attractive but unpredictable Vita Drewe who is quickly added to Hardy's list of enemies. Galvani's killers are closer to home than Hardy anticipated; his life is on the line and so is his relationship with Glen Withers."

The Washington Club

Peter Corris

1997

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Claudia Fleischman is beautiful, rich, intelligent . . . and has just been charged with the murder of her developer husband. Hardy, hired to look into the background of the case, is soon up to his neck in trouble. When his car is blown up and then a friend is killed, Cliff finds himself with a personal stake in the action. His investigations introduce him to the shadowy world of corporate high-fliers at Sydney's exclusive Washington Club and bring him into contact with loose cannon 'Haitch' Henderson and his soft but unpleasant pimp of a son, Noel. In one of his grittiest cases ever, Hardy has to take drastic action before the pieces fall into place and very rough justice is seen to be done."

Forget Me If You Can: Cliff Hardy Stories

Peter Corris

1997

Cliff Hardy short stories.

"In these stories a whistleblower is himself betrayed, a son turns against his father, brothers feud, men are harassed by women, and things are never quite what they seem. Whether on the familiar streets of Sydney or out of town, Hardy's cases don't always have tidy endings - and sometimes he has to take the law into his own hands."

• The Hearing
• Copper
• The Brothers
• Lucky Jim
• Forget Me If You Can
• Close Enough
• Archie's Last Case
• Gone Fishing
• Cross My heart
• Christmas Visit
• Meeting At Mascot
• TV
• Treasure Trove

The Reward

Peter Corris

1997

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy is distracted by a romantic entanglement, but low on funds, and with his private investigator's licence restored, he is persuaded to take on a dubious case - a scheme to claim the reward on an abduction. When one of those involved is murdered, the problem takes a whole new turn. Cliff's relations with the police have never been easy, and the boys in blue are far from helpful as he tries to piece together a puzzle that can only end in violence."

The Black Prince

Peter Corris

1998

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy goes to Leichhardt gym proprietor Wesley Scott for a 'fitness assessment' and is soon trying to get his son Clinton - known as The Black Prince - back on the rails. A sports star in the making and destined for the top, Clinton is obsessed with tracking down the dealer who sold his girlfriend the steroids that led to her death. Hardy has to find Clinton before he ends up on a murder charge - the trail leads him up to North Queensland and into the shadowy world of illegal boxing."

The Other Side of Sorrow

Peter Corris

1999

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"It's been twenty years since Cliff Hardy saw his ex-wife Cynthia, and he's amazed to get a phone call from her. Cyn is dying of cancer and she's desperate to get in touch with the daughter she gave up for adoption - the daughter who, she confesses, is Cliff's. Cliff is sceptical but agrees to take on the search for her daughter. The trail is far from simple - and more violence threatens him the further he goes."

Lugarno

Peter Corris

2001

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Although the meaner streets of inner Sydney are his traditional stamping grounds, Cliff Hardy finds that crime can flourish in the leafy, well-heeled outer suburbs as well. Lugarno may be an unlikely centre for drug dealing and corruption but the trail starts with the daughter of a wealthy client and leads quickly to threats of violence from some serious characters. Once again, Hardy treads a fine line between police and suspects, coming up against blackmail and bullets before a surprising finale."

Salt and Blood

Peter Corris

2002

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"An old flame, former police officer Glen Withers, is back in Cliff Hardy's life - but it's strictly business as Glen is now also a private investigator, with a wealthy family for a client. She and Hardy join forces to take on the case of Rodney St John Harkness, a recovering alcoholic with a murky past. Hardy's digging into Harkness's past becomes urgent when Rodney and Glen disappear, and the trail leads to the beaches of the Central Coast. The plot tangles and the danger grows as Hardy tries to stay one step ahead of some desperate players."

Master's Mates

Peter Corris

2003

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"When rich, attractive Lorraine Master hires Cliff Hardy to investigate the circumstances surrounding her husband's conviction for smuggling heroin from New Caledonia, Hardy welcomes the assignment. A week on generous expenses sniffing about under a tropical sky, escape from a cold, dry spell in Sydney just the job. But Stewart Master's mates in Noumea prove to be a difficult and dangerous bunch. The danger follows Hardy back to Sydney where he and his client become targets when an intricate conspiracy goes seriously wrong. Hardy deals with a tricky lawyer, a man on the run and Sydney's most corrupt ex-cop. He has allies as well, but in the end his survival will depend on his own guts, experience and savvy."

The Coast Road

Peter Corris

2004

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Wealthy Frederick Farmer died when his weekender burned to the ground. Death by accident, the police found. But his daughter, Dr Elizabeth Farmer, a feisty academic who resembles the younger Germaine Greer, hires Cliff Hardy to investigate. Is her only motive jealousy of her father's attractive second wife, now very rich? He has his hands full when a panic-stricken call leads to a second case the search for the precocious daughter of Marisha Karatsky, an exotic, dark-eyed interpreter who gets well and truly under Hardy's guard. Hardy has narrow escapes and people die as his probing hits nerves. Corrupt cops, compromised insurance agents, feral bikies as well as a few good guys are drawn into the maelstrom."

Taking Care of Business: Cliff Hardy Cases

Peter Corris

2004

Cliff Hardy short stories.

"Hardy's tasks are many and his clients are from all walks of life. He is minder for Thomas Whitney, the highly strung whistle blower, whose company is siphoning money off through Vanuatu. He is hired by computer genius Charles Marriott, whose shady dot com partner wants control of the business and is letting nothing and no one get in his way. And ever keen for some spare cash, he even takes a case from Spiro, his local florist, whose son seems to be involved in some very dodgy business involving tobacco and big bucks. This collection of stories featuring Australia's favourite PI is fast-paced and entertaining."

• A Gift Horse
• Death Threats
• Whatever it takes
• The Pearl
• Solomon's Solutions
• Cocktails for Two
• Black Andy
• Globalisation
• Christmas Shopping
• Insider
• Chop Chop

Saving Billie

Peter Corris

2004

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"When journalist Louise Kramer hires Cliff Hardy to find Billie Marchant, Hardy heads for unfamiliar territory of the far south-western suburbs of Sydney. Billie claims to have information about media big-wheel Jonas Clement - the subject of an incriminating expose by Kramer. Clement doesn't want Billie found and Clement's enemies want to find her first. Hardy tracks Billie down, but saving Billie' means not only rescuing her, it means saving her from herself. Billie, ex-stripper, sometime hooker and druggie, is a handful. Hardy gets help from members of the Pacific Islander community and others, but the enemies close in and he is soon fighting on several different fronts."

The Undertow

Peter Corris

2006

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Frank Parker, retired senior policeman and Cliff Hardy's long time friend, has a problem. A case from early in his career involving two doctors, one of whom was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill the other and went to gaol for the crime, is coming back to haunt him. The convicted, now dead doctor may have been innocent, and Parker had been the lover of the beautiful Catherine Castiglione, the doctor's wife. Hardy tracks back through the now ageing names and faces, trying to tease out the truth. If the doctor was set up, who was responsible and why? Animosities, arrogance and ambition create a spider's web around the violence that breaks out as Hardy searches for the spider."

Appeal Denied

Peter Corris

2007

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Stripped of his investigator's licence and with his appeal denied, Cliff Hardy faces an uncertain future. Then something very personal happens that sends him off doing what he does best - confronting, questioning, provoking violence - with the lack of credentials not an issue. Is policewoman Jane Farrow bent or straight? Will vertically challenged but charismatic media star Lee Townsend be a help or an obstacle? Taking and dealing out punishment, mostly on Sydney's North Shore, Hardy encounters corrupt cops, bereft wives and computer geeks. In a shadowy showdown at Balmoral Beach, Hardy sorts out those who need to be sorted, but his future remains even more clouded than before."

The Big Score: Cliff Hardy Cases

Peter Corris

2007

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"In this brand new collection of short stories, Cliff Hardy has his hands full with murder, blackmail, embezzlement and more. True to form, Cliff doesn't waste words or pull punches as he untangles an ugly divorce, investigates the killing of a Glebe drinking buddy, and takes care of a nasty case of blackmail. The eleven tales are set in Cliff's Sydney, a place of thugs, mid-morning beers and crooked cops."

• Ram Raid
• Copper Nails
• D-I-V-O-R-C-E
• The Big Score
• Crime Writing
• Blackmail
• Last Will & Testament
• Break Point
• Worst Case Scenario
• Bookworm
• Patriotism

Open File

Peter Corris

2008

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy, with his PI licence cancelled and his career in Sydney at an end, is preparing for a trip overseas. Cleaning out his office, he comes across an open file - an unresolved case from the late 1970s. He starts reading and is thrown back to his investigation of the disappearance of Justin Hampshire. At first glance a straightforward missing person matter, the investigation took on twists and turns involving military history, Sydney criminals and corruption at high levels. The Hampshire case took Cliff from the south coast to the Blue Mountains and posed some unresolved questions which have preyed on his mind for 20 years."

Deep Water

Peter Corris

2009

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Still reeling from the shock death of his partner, Cliff suffers a heart attack-but this isn't enough to keep him from investigating the disappearance of the father of the woman nursing him back to health. The search for the renowned geologist takes Hardy behind the scenes at one of Sydney's biggest basin aquifers and ignites the wrath of local big businesses which stand to lose even bigger money if his discoveries are revealed."

Torn Apart

Peter Corris

2010

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Hardy has never been much of a family man, so when he meets his second cousin Patrick Malloy it's like being hit with a left hook to the solar plexus - Malloy is his double. Cliff and his cousin become friends and travel to attend a gathering of the Irish Travellers - the gypsy-like folk from whom they are descended. On their return, a shotgun blast shatters their camaraderie. But who was the bullet aimed at, Malloy or Hardy? Hardy has his enemies and Malloy's to consider as he searches for a killer. Clues point in many directions - to Sheila's motives, to Malloy's suspect business dealings, to old scores being settled. The search takes Hardy north to a paramilitary training camp and to a meeting of Traveller descendants in Kangaroo Valley; everyone seems to have an interest and the playing style is ruthless."

Follow the Money

Peter Corris

2011

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff Hardy may still have the moves but he's in trouble. The economy's tanking and he's been conned by an unscrupulous financial advisor and lost everything he's got. Cliff only knows one way, and that's forward, so he's following the money trail. It's a twisted road that leads him down deep into Sydney's underbelly, into the territory of big money, bent deals, big yachts and bad people. Cliff's in greater danger than ever before, but he's as tenacious as a dog with a bone."

Comeback

Peter Corris

2012

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff reckons the skills are still there, if a little rusty, and actor Bobby Forrest's case looks promising. Bobby's a nice-enough guy, but why is he being stalked by a red-hot brunette? And why did he have to go online to find a date? When Bobby is murdered, it comes as a shock. Cliff's only solid lead is a white Commodore, the most ubiquitous car around. When a surprising connection with his own past surfaces, Cliff is forced to put some of his skills to the test. But is he heading in the wrong direction? Somehow he has to put it all together without losing his licence again, but in true Hardy fashion he's managing to find his way into trouble, not out of it."

The Dunbar Case

Peter Corris

2013

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"This wasn't Hardy's usual brief - uncover the mysteries of a nineteenth-century shipwreck - but he could do with an easy case and the retainer was generous. But is it ever that simple? Not with a notorious crime family tearing itself apart, and an undercover cop playing both sides against the middle. These and an alluring but fiercely ambitious female journalist give Hardy all the trouble he can handle. 'Ever feel manipulated?' Hardy asks. The body count mounts up as he pushes closer to the truth about the mystery and the loot."

Silent Kill

Peter Corris

2014

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"When Cliff Hardy signs on as a bodyguard for charismatic populist Rory O'Hara, who is about to embark on a campaign of social and political renewal, it looks like a tricky job - O'Hara has enemies. A murder and a kidnapping cause the campaign to fall apart. Hired to investigate the murder, Hardy uncovers hidden agendas among O'Hara's staff as well as powerful political and commercial forces at work. His investigation takes him from the pubs and brothels of Sydney to the heart of power in Canberra and the outskirts of Darwin. There he teams up with a resourceful indigenous private detective and forms an uneasy alliance with the beautiful Penelope Marinos, formerly O'Hara's PA. A rogue intelligence agent becomes his target and Hardy stumbles upon a terrible secret that draws them into a violent - and disturbing - confrontation."

Gun Control

Peter Corris

2015

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Is Sydney gun city? It certainly seems so when Cliff Hardy is hired by entrepreneur and one-time pistol-shooting champion Timothy Greenhall to investigate the violent death of his troubled son. Soon Hardy is pitched into a world of crooked cops - former members of the Gun Control Unit - outlaw bikers and honest police trying to quietly clean the stables. Two more murders raise the stakes and relationships are stretched to breaking point. Hardy hooks up with a determined policewoman and forms an unlikely alliance with a charismatic biker chief. Uncovering the tangled conspiracy behind the murders takes Hardy to the Blue Mountains and Camden, to plush legal chambers and a confrontation in an inner-west park - all against the roar of 750cc engines."

That Empty Feeling

Peter Corris

2016

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"Cliff is reminded of a case involving 'Ten-Pound Pom' Barry Bartlett and racing identity and investor Sir Keith Mountjoy. Bartlett, a former rugby league player and boxing manager, then a prosperous property developer, had hired Hardy to check on the bona fides of young Ronny Saunders, newly arrived from England, and claiming to be Bartlett's son from an early failed marriage. The job brought Hardy into contact with Richard Keppler, head of the no-rules Botany Security Systems, Bronwen Marr, an undercover AFP operative, and sworn adversary Des O'Malley. At a time when corporate capitalism was running riot, an embattled Hardy searched for leads - was Ronny Saunders a pawn in a game involving big oil and fraud on an international scale? Two murders raise the stakes and with the sinister figure of Lady Betty Lee Mountjoy pulling the strings, it is odds against a happy outcome."

Win, Lose or Draw

Peter Corris

2017

A Cliff Hardy novel.

"A missing girl, drugs, yachts, the sex trade and a cold trail that leads from Sydney to Norfolk Island, Byron Bay and Coolangatta. The police suspect the father, Gerard Fonteyn OA, a wealthy businessman. But he's hired Cliff to find her, given him unlimited expenses and posted a $250,000 reward for information. Finally there's a break - an unconfirmed sighting of Juliana Fonteyn, alive and well. But as usual, nothing is straightforward. Various other players are in the game - and Cliff doesn't know the rules, or even what the game might be. He's determined to find out, and as the bodies mount up the danger to himself and to Juliana increases."

A Cliff Hardy Collection

Peter Corris

1986

A Cliff Hardy omnibus.

Combines the three novels: The Dying Trade; The Marvellous Boy; and White Meat.

The Cliff Hardy Omnibus

Peter Corris

1988

A Cliff Hardy omnibus.

Combines the three novels: The Empty Beach; Make Me Rich; and Greenwich Apartments.

The Cliff Hardy Case Files

Peter Corris

1998

A Cliff Hardy omnibus.

Combines the three novels: Wet Graves; Beware of the Dog; and Casino.