The twists and turns of the central mystery here are deftly rationed by Maloney, and the intervening action – Murray’s love life and some tricky manoeuvring amid the Labor Party’s factions – are just as amusing.

Set during the lead-up to the opening of Melbourne’s casino, Sucked In is full of time-specific references. Maloney is happy to indulge in descriptions of the city’s locales, which Melbourne readers will enjoy. It is fun, too, to guess the true identities of those on whom Murray’s cohort is based (although the strutting premier Kenneth Geoffries isn’t hard to pick). Whether all this Melbourne detail will hit the spot with readers in other states is questionable, but there is much here to entertain, generally. Maloney fans won’t be disappointed.