Bryan Brown pens new crime novel, Sweet Jimmy

By Jarrod Wolfhunter

Australian screen legend, and national treasure, Bryan Brown (AM), has written an outstanding crime novel that is set in and around Sydney, titled, Sweet Jimmy.

Sweet Jimmy involves seven vivid individual short-stories that are, at-times, very disturbing, but always, very difficult to put down.

Brown admits that crime novels have always been a favourite for him, and he is right on the money with this exceptional first novel.

Sweet Jimmy has revenge, treachery, Machiavellian scheming, and is punctuated with twists and turns that leave the reader guessing outcomes.

Eastern, Western and Inner-city suburbs feature as the backdrop to this collection of suburban crime tales. These are the fictional backstories to many of the headline grabbing true crime legends that characterise, and ooze from the trenches of Sydney’s crime syndicates, clandestine drug labs, sex parlours, police stations, hospitals, prisons, and rehab centres.

Writing crime-novels is new territory for Brown. He concedes that he has always had a flair for writing but it’s something that he rarely has had time to work on.

At the time of our interview Brown was quarantining in a Brisbane Hotel with nine days ahead of him before freedom, and film obligations with Aussie-screen royalty, Greta Scacchi (OMRI). The upcoming eight episode television series has ex-cop (Brown) meeting English lady and aristocrat (Scacchi) in outback Queensland following a car-crash.

Brown is never short of projects. His illustrious career has him appearing in over 80 films, in 25 different countries, over 40 years. His contribution to Australian cinema was recognised in 2018 with his acceptance of the eminent Longford Lyell Award at the AACTAs.

The Aussie icon has been there from the beginning, in Cocktail, alongside Tom Cruise. As crime-boss, Pando, opposite Health Ledger in Two Hands. As the male lead in Gorillas In The Mist opposite Sigourney Weaver. Brown describes his time filming Gorillas In The Mist – and spending time with Silverback Gorillas in legendary Virunga National Park – as a career highlight beyond his most ambitious pursuits.

When asked about the importance of the Arts in Australia, Brown waxes passion, and uses our current situation – of people stuck in their homes, unable to go out, using creativity as a coping mechanism – to demonstrate the importance of art and creativity to society as a whole. “The Pollies (sic.) don’t get it. Because the Arts are difficult to put into numbers, they don’t understand their contribution to the people. They need a kick in the pants every-so-often to be reminded. And now is one of those times.”

Sweet Jimmy will be ready to purchase through click and collect, or, online via Booktopia in early to mid-September.

Sweet Jimmy will have you enthralled and compelled – don’t miss out!