Dinny Huckling is the kind of journalist who gives even journalists a bad name. An 'Agony Uncle' for the Sydney Examiner, Huckling has no qualms about using his problem page to seduce troubled women. Take Edith, who writes, 'I hope you can give me better service than my husband.' In truth, Huckling would be far better off seeking advice from his column Helping Hand than writing it. His idealistic dreams of exposing Sydney's corrupt underbelly have given way to cynicism and endless clashes with colleagues. His personal life is no less stable: a serial adulterer, he suspects wife Lenore of being the same, a hypocritical belief that leads to stalking, brawls and separation from his young son, Noel. As O'Grady's title suggests, Huckling is drowning and finding it harder and harder to come up for air. The antics that used to make this self-appointed 'wild man of Sydney' attractive now appear pathetic; the machismo and misanthropy that once seemed sexy are increasingly out of step in the modern world. A coming-of-middle-age novel, Dinny Going Down is great fun. O'Grady writes with all the assurance of someone who knows his subject intimately. You will laugh, you will groan, but there is enough human warmth here to make you think as well.