THE BURDEN OF LIES

Richard Beasley / Simon & Schuster / $30

Dodgy former banker Oliver Randall has only been out of jail for a few weeks when a man puts a bullet in his head – after putting one in each knee. Caught by the cops moments later, the hapless hitman sings like a drunken budgie, implicating failed property developer Tina Leonard for bankrolling the murder. Convinced his client is being framed, Sydney lawyer Peter Tanner barrels through a conspiracy of drug dealers, crooked cops and cover-ups to uncover a sticky web of corruption at the big end of town. In the abrasive Tanner, the author has re-created

Rake’s Cleaver Greene with a smaller ego, a social conscience and much sharper teeth.