The Literate Detective & Other Crimes

"Shiv", Shiva the Destroyer, shiver

-a sonata of spine and fear-

I have loved this word waywardly...

In Paul Scully's The Literate Detective and Other Crimes you will travel with the subconscious of a cadet cop, from his first days in the academy, to first body and first solve. Other sections of the book build on Scully's signature historical, theological and philosophical themes, which he tackles with erudite and gentle irony, as well as quiet reflections on life in suburbia. The Literate Detective and Other Crimes delivers on the prophecy of Les Wicks in his launch speech for Scully's first collection in 2014: "I've got some bad news for all my fellow poets out there...I have to warn you that the competition has just got hotter."

"Scully shapes language like a master lapidarist cuts stone: his intricately faceted metaphors dazzle. From the 'swaddling ambivalence' of an opening suite that traces the evolution of a budding criminal detective, to chilling portraits of the criminally insane, and glistering studies of everyday aberrations of the mind, it's impossible not to partake in the poet's sheer delight in his craft. The collection shifts to high art, where 'there is a tidal zone / pigment between thought and brushstroke, ' and tender suburban fables that are 'vigil for the impaling moment... / a crescendo of awareness...'. I couldn't resist phrases like 'the hour soon dwindles into fractions of itself' and 'Hope's brain centre... / resides north of the liver, south of Heaven...'. Scully's poetry is polyhedral, a dexterous geometry that is a joy to study and return to."

-Dimitra Harvey, author of A Fistful of Hail

"Paul Scully's poetry reveals an astute and curious mind able to penetrate both the light and dark of human morality. Whether revealing the details of gruesome crimes or the tender devotions of an elderly couple, Scully invents stunning images and phrases which immerse the reader in unexpected scenarios and complexly imagined personae. His work is buoyed by wonder and compassion, by metaphorical richness rarely matched by other contemporary poets. In all these engaging, wide-ranging poems, there is a deep commitment to poetry's ability to perpetually renew insight and knowledge."

-Judith Beveridge, author of the Prime Minister's Literary Award-winning Sun Music