The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island - Softcover

Hooper, Chloe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099520761 ISBN 13: 9780099520764

Publisher: Vintage, 2010

Synopsis

When Cameron Doomadgee, a 36-year-old member of the Aboriginal community of Palm Island, was arrested for swearing at a white police officer, he was dead within forty-five minutes of being locked up. The police claimed he'd tripped on a step, but the pathologist likened his injuries to those received in a plane crash. The main suspect was the handsome, charismatic Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley, an experienced cop with decorations for his work.

In following Hurley's trail to some of the wildest and most remote parts of Australia, Chloe Hooper explores Aboriginal myths and history and uncovers buried secrets of white mischief. Atmospheric, gritty and original, The Tall Man takes readers to the heart of a struggle for power, revenge and justice.

About this title

Review:

"Chloe Hooper's masterful book of reportage is a kind of moral thriller about power, wretchedness and violence" (Philip Roth)

"It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this book" (Peter Carey)

"Hooper fills in the background with a light touch.... She instinctively grasps the most telling detail... This is a brilliant vignette in which one appalling incident illuminates a saga of social breakdown" (Sara Wheeler The Times)

"Queensland's police force - along with its tourist board - won't thank Hooper for The Tall Man, but the rest of us should. This meticulous, compelling portrayal of the dark side of Australian life deserves the widest possible audience" (Sunday Times)

"An important, brilliant, perceptive book" (Literary Review)

Book Description:

'A powerful non-fiction novel in the tradition of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood' - Sunday Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0099520761
• ISBN 13: 9780099520764
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272