Cirrus@Austlit

'Born December 21, 1938, Nowra, NSW; died Sydney, June 26, aged 83. In late 1988, friends and work colleagues organised, out of the goodness of their hearts, a launch party for my first book, The Motorcycle Cafe.'  (Introduction)

'One recent Saturday morning, I once again drove my children to the street in Brisbane’s west where I grew up as a boy.

'They had been on this journey too many times to remember: the pleasant drive through The Gap in the Taylor Range, past the old jam factory and the golf course, left into Payne Road and then sharp left into the dogleg that is Bernarra Street.' (Introduction)

'‘He takes you in the middle of the night, like an angel, and you’re gone for good.’ — Witness at Vincent O’Dempsey’s committal hearing for murder, 2015.

'In 2017, Vincent O’Dempsey was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two young daughters. It took over 40 years to bring him to justice. Feared for decades by criminals and police alike, O’Dempsey associated with convicted underworld figures and has been linked to a string of haunting cold cases, including the deadly Whiskey au Go Go nightclub firebombing that killed 15 innocent people.

'Award-winning investigative journalist Matthew Condon has interviewed dozens of ex-cons, police and witnesses to put together a compelling picture of the calculating killer who spent his life evading the law before he was finally brought to justice.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I recall meeting Lewis on a number of occasions in company with Tony Murphy. I recall conversation getting around to payments of money with Murphy and Lewis. Lewis thanked me on several occasions and said ‘Little fish are sweet’. – Jack ‘The Bagman’ Herbert in evidence to the Fitzgerald Inquiry 1988.

'Little Fish Are Sweet is Matthew Condon’s extraordinary personal account of writing the Three Crooked Kings trilogy. When Condon first interviewed disgraced former police commissioner Terry Lewis, he had no idea that it would be the start of a turbulent six-year journey. As hundreds of people came forward to share their powerful and sometimes shocking stories, decades of crime and corruption were revealed in a new light.

'Risking threats and intimidation, Condon tirelessly pursued his investigations into a web of cold murder cases and past conspiracies. What he discovered is much more sinister than anyone could have imagined.' (Publication summary)

'The gripping finale to Three Crooked Kings and Jacks and Jokers brings to a close Matthew Condon's best-selling true-crime trilogy.

'In 1983, the soon-to-be-knighted Police Commissioner Terry Lewis continues to turn a blind eye to the operation of The Joke, a highly organised system of graft payments from illegal gambling, prostitution and illicit drugs. As the tentacles of this fraudulent vice network spread, the fabric holding together the police, judiciary and political system starts to unravel. All Fall Down offers an unprecedented insight into the Fitzgerald Inquiry and Lewis's subsequent years in prison, and explores the real story behind the dramatic exit of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Drawing from interviews with key players who have, until now, been afraid to speak publicly, All Fall Down celebrates the bravery of those unsung heroes who risked everything to expose the truth.

'This epic trilogy provides the definitive account of an unforgettable period in Queensland's history. The devastating consequences of those decades of corruption still reverberate today.' (Publication summary)

Domenico 'Mick' Cacciola open the lid on crime and corruption in Queensland in the '70s, writes Matthew Condon.

'In Three Crooked Kings we read about the shocking true story of Queensland and how a society was shaped by almost half a century of corruption. In Jacks and Jokers, the story continues as Terry Lewis becomes police commissioner and the era of corruption at the highest levels of the police and government continues. As the Queensland police become more connected with their colleagues in Sydney, the rise of heavy drugs and crime escalates. Tony Murphy and Glen Hallahan, two of the original ‘crooked kings’, become more enmeshed with ‘The Joke’ which is run by bagman Jack Herbert.

'Jacks and Jokers introduces new characters, more extraordinary behaviour outside the law by the law, and along the way charts the meteoric rise of police commissioner Terry Lewis, documenting events up until the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the late 1980s.

'Once again, award-winning journalist and novelist Matthew Condon has drawn from unprecedented access to Terry Lewis, as well as hundreds of interviews with key players and conspirators to craft the definitive account of the rise – and spectacular fall – of one man, an entire state and over a generation of corruption.' (Publisher's blurb)

'In Three Crooked Kings we read about the shocking true story of Queensland and how a society was shaped by almost half a century of corruption. In Jacks and Jokers, the story continues as Terry Lewis becomes police commissioner and the era of corruption at the highest levels of the police and government continues. As the Queensland police become more connected with their colleagues in Sydney, the rise of heavy drugs and crime escalates. Tony Murphy and Glen Hallahan, two of the original ‘crooked kings’, become more enmeshed with ‘The Joke’ which is run by bagman Jack Herbert.'

'Jacks and Jokers introduces new characters, more extraordinary behaviour outside the law by the law, and along the way charts the meteoric rise of police commissioner Terry Lewis, documenting events up until the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the late 1980s.'

'Once again, award-winning journalist and novelist Matthew Condon has drawn from unprecedented access to Terry Lewis, as well as hundreds of interviews with key players and conspirators to craft the definitive account of the rise – and spectacular fall – of one man, an entire state and over a generation of corruption. ...' (Source: Booktopia website)