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David Free | Picador Australia | $30

You don’t want reviewer Ray Saint casting a critical eye over your new novel. In constant pain, using bourbon as an anaesthetic, his world view is bleak and his self-loathing strong. He will eviscerate your literary love child, sending your career to the remainder bin. So imagine his surprise when publicist Jade dangles a $10,000 carrot – and sex – if Ray will give a positive review to one of her clients. Ray takes the bait but when Jade is murdered, he finds himself in the frame. Clive James reckons David Free – a critic who has crossed over – writes “with the prose of a neurotic angel” and, on the strength of this debut noir thriller, it would be a harsh judge who disagreed.