Introduction by Jean Bedford -- The best of Cliff Hardy, the short stories -- Man's best friend -- Silverman -- The arms of the law -- Tearaway -- The deserter -- The big lie -- The House of Ruby -- Meeting at Mascot -- Black Andy -- Death threats -- Last will and testament -- Break point -- An ABC of Crime Writing -- Crime and crime writing, the Godfather columns -- On being reviewed -- On booze -- On the origin of his ideas -- On Lee Child -- On his editors -- On El Dorado -- On literary vs popular fiction -- On retrospectives -- On his swansong -- On the Neddies -- On writing his final book -- List of books.

For almost four decades Peter Corris was known as 'the godfather of Australian crime fiction', and Cliff Hardy has been Australia's favourite private investigator since he solved his first case in 1980. This selection of stories starts with Cliff's early days driving round Glebe in his battered Falcon, drinking at the Toxteth Hotel and taking on cases that more often than not leave him as battered as his car. As Cliff becomes older and wiser, he prefers to use his head more than his fists, but the cases are as tricky as ever and Hardy's clients lead him to the murkiest surroundings. To further celebrate Peter Corris's legacy, editor Jean Bedford has also included a selection of his columns on the world of crime and crime writing, along with his 'ABC of Crime Writing'.