Throughout Prime Cut, Carter skilfully evokes the seedy environment in which his characters move. Witness passages such as: ‘The room was a dingy box, ten feet by twelve, dimly lit by a narrow window which looked out on to a postage stamp backyard patterned with curls of dog shit.’ Kwong is a refreshing alternative to the standard macho, unfeeling, Anglo-Saxon gumshoe. This detective must solve a crime that grows more complex by the day. Kwong must also cope with memories of his professional downfall, and the racial slurs made by his colleagues.

The novel has too many characters, not all of whom are sufficiently developed. This makes it difficult to identify with, or even care about, them. I quite liked Tess Maguire, Cato’s workmate and ex-girlfriend. Maguire’s no-nonsense demeanour is nicely evoked by Carter, and the tension (erotic and otherwise) between Maguire and her former boyfriend is palpable. Unfortunately, she appears too briefly.

According to the puff piece on the front cover, Prime Cut was ‘shortlisted for the 2010 Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award’. Carter’s novel is no masterpiece, but it does signal the emergence of a promising new talent in the field of Australian crime fiction.

CONTENTS: APRIL 2011