Ludo

Ludo

Sydney, 1961: How is a boy expected to cope with a woman like Ludo Crane? Glamorous unattainable Ludo, who plays everyone by her own rules.
Fifteen year old Jockey McAuley is simply looking for a little direction in life, but finding himself surrounded by murder and suicide, he has to grow up fast.
It began simply enough, with a job at Paton Electrical working as an errand boy for Mr Hardaker.

"Mr Hardaker explained that my duties involved sticking by his side and watching and listening. 'Pay attention to everything and everyone,' he said, 'because you're my living, breathing notebook and I'll be referring to you whenever I forget.' He said that these days he couldn't afford to forget anything, and he said these days like circumstances had taken a worrying turn for him".

What Jockey unknowingly stumbled into is the notorious Phoenix affair. In the strangely calm eye of its storm are Hardaker, a man with more sides to him than a cut diamond, and Fred Paton, wheelchair bound Gallipoli hero and now prime murder suspect. Circling them is famous Ray 'the Gunner' Kelly, the detective who always wins.

And then there's Ludo, the woman who has almost everyone under her spell and asking the wrong questions.
Jockey has graduated from high school to the old school, where a wink and a nod can get a capable young man anything from a gun in the face to a fortune in his kick.

Boyd Anderson spent several years as a creative director in advertising, winning many awards in New York, Cannes, London, Los Angeles and Sydney. His novel Errol, Fidel and the Cuban Rebel Girls (UQP 2010) was based on the relationship between movie star Errol Flynn and Fidel Castro. Boyd also co-authored the novel, Children of the Dust (Random House 1997). Ludo is his third novel. Boyd lives in Sydney and writes full-time.

Ludo
UQP
Author: Boyd Anderson
ISBN: 9780702238987
Price: $32.95