The Case of the Cock Robin Killer

Rainbow’s got the blues. His girlfriend’s dumped him; his assassin mate Rory’s found God; his Aunt Rube’s as sick as a bad joke; and his ex-wife’s thrown up a barricade all right, a cordon bleu around his daughter Imogene.So when a snake’s let loose in a laboratory, his ballet teacher’s under siege and a nasty little joker by the name of Cock Robin cops it, Rainbow climbs into the ring because it’s his job but also because he needs the distraction. In the red corner he finds an unpredictable dame called Tsunami; a crooked cop; a tough-as-granite developer; a politician; a couple of thugs; a paparazzo; and too many bodies. While in the blue corner yeah, that’s Rainbow’s there’s just two dames in distress and a bald journo. The clue is blue. But is that blue as in the moody blues, blue blood, a bad blue, a stoush or just plain old-fashioned blue murder? The Case of the Cock Robin Killer, the fifth novel in the sensational Mister Rainbow series, is a modern story with a wink and a nod to the golden age of pulp fiction. With its memorable characters, witty dialogue and fast-paced plot, it signals the arrival of an arresting new Australian talent. Praise for Mister Rainbow ‘Mister Rainbow is that rare creature a PI with depth. Down at heel, shabby, inept he’s a born loser, at his best when the odds are stacked against him. Somehow, in a taut contest, he wins.’ Barry Oakley, novelist and former literary editor of The Australian ‘Charles Boag’s delightful Mister Rainbow series is a must for lovers of the detective thriller, a setting which is familiar, and a clever use of language in developing both the plot and the characters. The hero’s name is as thought-provoking as is the style of writing itself: quirky and challenging, with an underlying sense of humour which is both dark and memorable. Each of the first three books in the series was hard to put down and leaves the reader anxious for the next.’ Belinda Kendall-White