The Broken Shore

For some reason I'm entirely sure of, mystery novels seem to be big in audio books. 

For that reason, not so much because I like them (at least not the serial ones) I listen to a lot on audio. 

The Broken Shore didn't seem very different. It was written by an Australian author Peter Temple and was obviously meant for audiences Down Under -- the accents, the slang, the cultural references were all hard to grasp at first. 

Then there was his writing style, shocking in its sparse use of adjectives or even transitional words or phrases. Its all nouns and verbs and constrained use of those as well. I found it jarring at first, then almost poetic. It suits the main character, a reserved cop undergoing emotional and physical pain, and the storyline. I can't help but wonder if it would have captivated me so much if I read a hard copy of the book. The audio version made the most of the writer's style- so terse every  word was a jewel. 

Think I may look him up again.