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Quick answer: If you like Robert G. Barrett, read Peter Corris's Cliff Hardy books, Jane Harper's The Dry, Matthew Reilly's Ice Station and Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. All are Australian reads full of dry humour, tough characters and a strong sense of place.
Robert G. Barrett (1942-2012) was an Australian author best known for the Les Norton series, comic crime novels about a bouncer who gets into scrapes around Sydney. His books are laconic, funny and very Australian. The books below offer similar Aussie crime, humour and adventure, from classic larrikin tales to modern thrillers.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dying Trade | Peter Corris | Adult | Cliff Hardy start |
| The Dry | Jane Harper | Adult | outback mystery |
| The Broken Shore | Peter Temple | Adult | literary crime |
| Ice Station | Matthew Reilly | Adult | action blockbuster |
| Cocaine Blues | Kerry Greenwood | Adult | 1920s Melbourne |
| The Power of One | Bryce Courtenay | Adult | coming of age |
| Cloudstreet | Tim Winton | Adult | Australian family saga |
| Jasper Jones | Craig Silvey | Adult | small-town mystery |
| Dirt Music | Tim Winton | Adult | love in the landscape |
| True History of the Kelly Gang | Peter Carey | Adult | bushranger novel |
| A Town Like Alice | Nevil Shute | Adult | wartime endurance |
| In a Sunburned Country | Bill Bryson | Adult | funny travel |
| Breath | Tim Winton | Adult | surfing and risk |
| The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion | Adult | romantic comedy |
| The Slap | Christos Tsiolkas | Adult | suburban Australia |
1. The Dying Trade by Peter Corris
Sydney private eye Cliff Hardy takes a case that turns violent. The classic Australian hard-boiled detective.
Best for: Cliff Hardy start.
2. The Dry by Jane Harper
Federal agent Aaron Falk returns to a drought-stricken town for a funeral. Tense and vivid.
Best for: outback mystery.
3. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
A damaged detective investigates a murder on the Victorian coast. Spare and brilliant.
Best for: literary crime.
4. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
A team of marines investigates a discovery in Antarctica. Fast, loud and fun.
Best for: action blockbuster.
5. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Phryne Fisher, a glamorous detective, solves a case in Melbourne. Stylish and witty.
Best for: 1920s Melbourne.
6. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
A boy in South Africa learns boxing and survival. Long, popular and inspiring.
Best for: coming of age.
7. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Two families share a house in Perth for twenty years. Lyrical and funny.
Best for: Australian family saga.
8. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
A boy in 1965 Western Australia helps hide a body. Funny and moving.
Best for: small-town mystery.
9. Dirt Music by Tim Winton
A woman and a poacher find each other on the Western Australian coast. Atmospheric and tense.
Best for: love in the landscape.
10. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Ned Kelly tells his own story. Wild and inventive.
Best for: bushranger novel.
11. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
A woman survives a march in Malaya and later builds a town in Australia. Warm and classic.
Best for: wartime endurance.
12. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Bryson travels across Australia. Light, funny and informative.
Best for: funny travel.
13. Breath by Tim Winton
Two boys in a Western Australian town push each other to dangerous limits. Lyrical and tense.
Best for: surfing and risk.
14. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
A genetics professor designs a questionnaire to find a wife. Light and charming.
Best for: romantic comedy.
15. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
A slap at a barbecue divides friends and family. Blunt and gripping.
Best for: suburban Australia.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Robert G. Barrett: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more Aussie crime choose Peter Corris, Jane Harper or Peter Temple. For action read Matthew Reilly. For historical glamour try Cocaine Blues. For comic travel read Bill Bryson. For literary family stories pick Cloudstreet or Jasper Jones. Barrett's books are light and fast, so these picks suit readers who like dry humour and Australian slang. Les Norton is a bouncer with a gift for trouble, and Barrett's novels were bestsellers in Australia, selling in the millions. Libraries and second-hand shops are good places to find them. Barrett's humour is rooted in Australian slang and Sydney beach life, so readers who enjoy the voice may like Australian comedy and memoir too. If you want something shorter, the Les Norton books move fast. If you want more crime, Peter Corris and Jane Harper offer a very different tone. Audiobooks bring out the accent.
Related: Robert B Parker Printable Book List · Printable List of Robert Crais Books
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Robert G. Barrett?
An Australian author of the Les Norton comic crime novels, who died in 2012.
Where should I start?
With You Wouldn't Be Dead for Quids, the first Les Norton book.
Are his books funny?
Yes, with broad, laid-back humour.
Are they violent?
They include fights and strong language.
Are they set in Sydney?
Mostly, with trips elsewhere in Australia and overseas.
Are they available as ebooks?
Check current listings for editions.
Who is similar to Barrett?
Peter Corris and Garry Disher are common comparisons.
What should I read next?
Try The Dying Trade or The Dry.
Is Les Norton a series?
Yes, it runs through many books, but each story is largely self-contained.
Which book here is best for action blockbuster?
Try Ice Station by Matthew Reilly, which suits readers looking for action blockbuster.
Which book here is best for Australian family saga?
Try Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, which suits readers looking for Australian family saga.