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Matthew Condon Matthew Condon i(A2790 works by) (a.k.a. Matt Condon; Matthew Steven Condon)
Born: Established: 1962 Brisbane, Queensland, ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 Loving a Life on the Ledge Matthew Condon , 2024 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 21-22 September 2024; (p. 7)
1 ‘Stories’ Fill Vacuum Left by Writer, Friend Matthew Condon , 2022 single work obituary (for Frank Moorhouse )
— Appears in: The Australian , 28 June 2022; (p. 14)

'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)

1 Foreword Matthew Condon , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: Bjelke Blues : Stories of Repression and Resistance in Joh Bjelke-Petersen's Queensland 1968-1987 2019; (p. 8-11)
'The afternoon before the state funeral for former Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen in early May 2005, I took a quiet drive to Bethany — the late leader's family spread in the peanut capital that is Kingaroy, 210 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. I was in town to report on the funeral, along with dozens of other journalists, and instinct told me to head to Bethany. ' (Introduction)
 
1 Revisiting the Dark Man : A Journey into Queensland’s Shadow Matthew Condon , 2019 extract autobiography (Revisiting the Dark Man : A Journey into Queensland’s Shadow)
— Appears in: The Conversation , 9 August 2019;
1 Revisiting the Dark Man : A Journey into Queensland’s Shadow Matthew Condon , 2019 single work autobiography
— Appears in: Griffith Review , August no. 65 2019;

'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)

1 2 y separately published work icon The Night Dragon Matthew Condon , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2019 15422518 2019 single work biography

'‘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.

1 Lotus Matthew Condon , 2018 single work short story
— Appears in: Reading the Landscape : A Celebration of Australian Writing 2018; (p. 72-85)
1 1 y separately published work icon Little Fish Are Sweet Matthew Condon , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2016 10526256 2016 single work autobiography

'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)

1 Dispute Over Write and Wrong Matthew Condon , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 13 September 2016; (p. 20)
'Author Lionel Shriver poked the Writers Festival with a big stick last week, writes Matthew Condon ...'
1 6 y separately published work icon All Fall Down Matthew Condon , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2015 8929883 2015 single work biography crime

'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)

1 Krissy Kneen - Sex Machine Matthew Condon , 2015 single work biography
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 30 May 2015; (p. 15-19)
'Australia’s queen of erotic literature sees sex all around her. And, she says, Brisbane is not as conservative as many might think.'
1 Introduction Matthew Condon , 2015 single work essay
— Appears in: Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2015; (p. ix-xii)
1 Thanks Wayne Matthew Condon , 2014 single work obituary (for Wayne Goss )
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 22 November 2014; (p. 16-17)
'His life was, in its own way, a political work of art...'
1 April Fools' Day Matthew Condon , 2014 single work prose
— Appears in: Bumf 2014;
1 Another Briefcase Full of Cash Matthew Condon , 2014 extract
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 23 March 2014; (p. 42-43)
1 Real-Life Account of Corruption and Crooks Matthew Condon , 2014 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 15 February 2014; (p. 18-19)

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

1 y separately published work icon Murder on the Hog Matthew Condon , 2014 6869085 2014 single work novel crime
1 5 y separately published work icon Jacks and Jokers Matthew Condon , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2014 6856928 2014 single work biography

'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)

1 y separately published work icon Jack and Jokers Matthew Condon , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2014 10080296 2014 single work biography crime

'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)

1 A Good Night to Die Matthew Condon , 2013 extract biography (Three Crooked Kings)
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 4 March 2013; (p. 16-17)
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