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“Crime Fiction is the new Rock n Roll.”
― Ken Bruen
Reading Prompt: ‘Aussie Crime Fiction’.
In this post we’ll need to build trust with a hermit who’s been living off-grid in the Australian bush for more than 15 years; navigate small-town politics to pin down a murder suspect; and use all of our senses to work out who has killed an old friend.
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Happy Reading, Friends!
“After a puzzling death in the wild bushlands of Australia, detective Dana Russo has just hours to interrogate the prime suspect – a silent, inscrutable man found at the scene of the crime, who disappeared without a trace 15 years earlier.
Where has he been? Why won’t he talk? And exactly how dangerous is he? Without conclusive evidence to prove his guilt, Dana faces a desperate race against time to persuade him to speak. But as each interview spirals with fevered intensity, Dana must reckon with her own traumatic past to reveal the shocking truth…”
I’m loving Aussie crime fiction lately!
‘Hermit’ is Book One in the Detective Dana Russo series. In a moment of madness a few weeks back, I read Book 3 – Red Dirt Road – first and loved it. To correct the timeline, I’ve jumped back to the first book in the series where we meet Dana and understand a bit more of her backstory.
Dana is brought in to investigate the murder of Lou Cassavette, a local store owner. The reclusive Nathan Whittler was caught kneeling by Lou’s body with blood on his hands. Whittler is obviously the favourite for the crime, but Dana gets a sense that there’s more to discover beneath the surface.
I enjoyed learning more about Dana’s character. Something traumatic happened when she was 8 years old, and she carves out a day each year on the ‘anniversary’ of the event, to decide if she has the strength to keep living another year. This year, because of the Lou Cassavette case, she has to work on the anniversary – which adds an additional mental and emotional load to an already high-pressure investigation. A lot of Nathan’s family history resonates with Dana which allows them to develop a connection and gives her an insight into the case.
As an introvert, I was already predisposed to like Nathan. He’s been living as a hermit in the Australian bush, and the influx of new people and sensory input make it hard for him to defend or explain himself as he gets caught up in the crime.
The thought of living remotely away from society holds a lot of appeal. I won’t be establishing myself as a hermit any time soon though, as I also want every convenience and luxury that society can provide. I also have no practical skills and would need all the animals to band together and fashion me a shelter.
This was an interesting read and I’m keen to keep reading the series – on to Book 2!
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“Constable Paul Hirschhausen runs a one-cop station in the dry farming country south of the Flinders Ranges. He’s still new in town but the community work, welfare checks and working bees, are starting to pay off. Now Christmas is here and, apart from a grass fire, two boys stealing a ute and Brenda Flann entering the front bar of the pub without exiting her car – Hirsch’s life has been peaceful.
Until that is, he’s called to a strange, vicious incident in Kitchener Street, and the Sydney police ask him to look in on a family living outside town on a forgotten back road.
Suddenly, it doesn’t look like a season of goodwill at all.”
This is the second book in the ‘Hirsch’ series. Check out my review of Book One – ‘Bitter Wash Road’.
When we meet back up with Constable Hirsch, he has been the police presence in small-town Tiverton for one year. He’s still a long way from being accepted as a ‘local’, though he has a budding romance with Wendy and a friendship with her daughter Katie. Hirsch is putting down roots and has been roped in to play Santa for the town this year.
Disher writes small-town characters well, weaving a portrait of complicated, simple lives amongst the main plot lines. As Hirsch makes his rounds of the town, we see a couple sitting on their veranda, the husband with dementia – “The woman smiled and nodded, but didn’t wave, didn’t break the spell of her husband’s hand in hers. She’s counting the Christmases left to them, Hirsch thought.’ (p164) . One of the town characters, Martin Gwynne, is a great example of a harmless character gradually becoming more and more toxic as the story progresses. Martin calls his wife ‘mother’ which always creeps me out. He’s described as a man with a “… little pot belly, skinny legs, innocent round cheeks, neat scrape of greying sandy hair. Avid eyes behind prissy rimless glasses. An earnestness to make an ordinary person run for the hills. A small man at home in corners, scurrying away from searching eyes.” (p261).
I made some guesses as to the “perps” as the story progressed, and was partially right – but still had a few surprises. Which is not really surprising, as I’m not a detective and would be the worst person to call if you needed a crime solved.
There are four books in this series at the time of writing this post, and I’m excited to read the next two!
— Trigger warnings in this book for animal cruelty. —
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“Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since early childhood, has always lived on the outside – watching, picking up telltale signs people hide in a smile, a cough, a kiss. When a childhood friend is murdered, a sense of guilt and a determination to prove his own innocence sends Caleb on a hunt for the killer. But he can’t do it alone. Caleb and his troubled friend Frankie, an ex-cop, start with one clue: “Scott” – the last word the murder victim texted to Caleb. But Scott is always one step ahead.
This gripping, original and fast-paced crime thriller is set between a big city and a small coastal town, Resurrection Bay, where Caleb is forced to confront painful memories. Caleb is a memorable protagonist who refuses to let his deafness limit his opportunities, or his participation in the investigation. But does his persistence border on stubbornness? And at what cost? As he delves deeper into the investigation Caleb uncovers unwelcome truths about his murdered friend – and himself.”
Another solid Aussie crime read from a new-to-me Australian author.
I found Caleb to be a really refreshing lead character. There’s a strong focus on Caleb’s relationships and the interlinking connections between the friend he finds murdered and those closest to him. We find out very early in the piece that Caleb’s friend was a Senior Constable. Was he on the take? Did he find out something he wasn’t supposed to know? Why are internal affairs sniffing around?
Caleb runs a small company called ‘Trust Works’, handling corporate security and fraud investigation. He relies heavily on his ex-cop partner Frankie’s investigative skills and ability to assist him through situations that may be harder to navigate due to his deafness and unwillingness to ask for extra help.
I liked that Caleb’s ex-wife Kat is Koori – from an Aboriginal ‘mob’ in Victoria. Kat’s mum is a force of nature, and it’s handy that she’s a former ER specialist who now runs the local clinic. I enjoyed the sense of community that the extended family connections brought into play.
Viskic did a great job of incorporating Caleb’s hearing challenges and the added skills that this also provides – helping to build a well-rounded and interesting character.
I did go down a rabbit hole when someone had highlighted in my library book copy the wording ‘a sheath of papers’ – and crossed out ‘sheath’ to be ‘sheaf’. Looks like both can be right, so I was tempted to put a red line through their cross out and start an editing war.
With some nice plot twists and turns, this is a great Aussie crime novel to add to your list. Yay Australians!
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