{"product_id":"book-hf9o","title":"Carnage","description":"\u003cb\u003eMillions have been entertained by the viral video of a man being arrested after a ‘succulent Chinese meal’. But when Mark Dapin investigated, it emerged that this man's story went to the heart of the Australian underworld. A true crime cult classic in the making. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Whether you know it as the ‘succulent Chinese meal’ video, or ‘democracy manifest’, chances are you have seen the video of baritone larrikin Jack Karlson getting arrested outside a Brisbane Chinese restaurant in 1991. The \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e called it ‘perhaps the pre-eminent Australian meme of the last 10 years’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When Karlson called crime writer Mark Dapin out of the blue, though, Dapin hadn’t heard of him. But there was enough that intrigued him about this theatrical outlaw to continue the conversation. Over the following months emerged a dark and complex past. It turned out that Karlson had been in the background of many notorious incidents in late-twentieth century Australian crime, from collaborating with infamous prison-playwright Jim McNeil to befriending hitman Christopher Dale Flannery (Mr Rent-a-Kill).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But most shockingly of all, Karlson’s life story led Dapin to shed new light on a number of unsolved murders, by two serial killers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe result is an extraordinary, deeply revealing portrait of Australian crime from the 60s to the 2010s – a portrait of carnage.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘Mark Dapin could never be accused of glorifying crime, but he is guilty as sin for understanding it. Inhabited by flawed humans, filled with violence, humour, tears and dreams, \u003ci\u003eCarnage\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic Australian crime story.’ \u003cb\u003eGary Jubelin, author of\u003ci\u003e I Catch Killers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'True crime at its grim and richly entertaining best, and – let’s face it – its \u003ci\u003etruest\u003c\/i\u003e.’ \u003cb\u003eRobert Drewe, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Shark Net\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘If ever there was a book crammed with colourful villains who are “mad, bad and dangerous to know,” it’s definitely Mark Dapin’s extraordinary book, \u003ci\u003eCarnage\u003c\/i\u003e.’ \u003cb\u003eKate McClymont, author of \u003ci\u003eHe Who Must Be Obeid\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘\u003ci\u003eCarnage\u003c\/i\u003e is a window into Australian mayhem, killingly funny and beautifully told. Dapin finds pathos in a twisted world.’ \u003cb\u003eMatthew Spencer, author of \u003ci\u003eBlack River\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘\u003ci\u003eCarnage\u003c\/i\u003e begins by probing what seems a minor curiosity – an internet meme centred on a colourful character – then takes a turn into the lives of traumatised youths hurled without care or thought into brutalising reformatories. From there they graduate to rorts, robberies, violence. Bleak lives interspersed with occasional forays into squaresville – spouses, kids, even jobs – and attempts at betterment via theatre and literature. A unique, deeply felt take on the Australian underworld.’ \u003cb\u003ePeter Doyle, author of \u003ci\u003eCrooks Like Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ​‘The moment I start reading anything by Mark Dapin I’m captivated, intrigued and engaged for the entire journey. There is no finer writer documenting the history and characters of Australian criminality.’ \u003cb\u003eStuart Coupe\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Audio","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49346640838960,"sku":"BDhf9o","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/426047-hf9o-Square.jpg?v=1734168584","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-hf9o","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}