***ONE OF THE TIMES BEST CRIME BOOKS OF 2021*** *** WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL *** *** THE SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB STAR PICK *** 'A superb chronicler of cop culture' - SUNDAY TIMES 'The greatness of Garry Disher' IAN RANKIN 'The equal of Joseph Wambaugh and James Lee Burke' - THE TIMES ________________________________________ SMALL CRIMES CAN HAVE TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES Winter in Tiverton, and Constable Paul Hirschhausen has a snowdropper on his patch. Someone is stealing women's underwear, and Hirsch knows how that kind of crime can escalate. Then two calls come in: a child abandoned in a caravan, filthy and starving. And a man on the rampage at the primary school. Hirsch knows how things like that can escalate, too. An absent father who isn't where he's supposed to be; another who flees to the back country armed with a rifle. Families under pressure can break. But it's always a surprise when the killing starts. A hugely atmospheric police procedural set in the dust of the Australian outback. Perfect for readers of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer and Dervla McTiernan. ________________________________________ 'Disher is the gold standard for rural noir' - CHRIS HAMMER 'The Hirsch novels are Disher's finest work' - DOMINIC NOLAN 'This is a book that cannot be praised enough. Read it' - HERALD SUN 'Peter Temple and Garry Disher will be identified as the crime writers who redefined Australian crime fiction' - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

In the Ned Kelly Award-winning sequel to Bitter Wash Road and Peace, Hirsch returns to investigate a new case in Australia's wheatbelt

About the Author
Garry Disher is a genre-defining writer of Australian crime fiction, hailed as 'the gold standard for rural noir' by Chris Hammer, and as 'one of Australia's finest writers' by The Times. He has published fifty titles across multiple genres, and is known as Australia's King of Crime. He has won the German Crime Prize three times and the Ned Kelly Award twice. In 2018 he received the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reviews
Disher is the gold standard for rural noir -- Chris Hammer
The stories are complex without being complicated, the writing pared down yet run with rich seams of character and place. The Hirsch novels are Disher's finest work -- Dominic Nolan, author of After Dark
[It's] great that crime readers outside the Antipodes are being introduced to the greatness of Garry Disher -- Ian Rankin
A terrific police procedural that reveals the toll a man's professional life takes on his inner self. Garry Disher's writing exudes authority; his blend of comedy and tragedy is a joy to read. He is the equal of Joseph Wambaugh and James Lee Burke * The Times *
Disher is one of the foremost proponents of rural noir and events escalate quickly, revealing the murderous tensions that accumulate when resources are scarce and the fear of poverty is never far away * Sunday Times *
A top class writer * The Times *
A superb chronicler of cop culture * Sunday Times *
I honestly felt a huge sense of loss as I reached the final sentence - why were there not more pages to turn? - and just wanted to keep on reading, vicariously inhabiting the world Disher had so lovingly created. The Hirschhausen series is getting better and better, and if you haven't jumped on the merry-go-round as yet I urge you to do so. A slice of prime Aussie crime that just leaves you wanting more * Crime Fiction Lover *
Brilliant and drily amusing * Sun *



Book Information
ISBN 9781788168175
Author Garry Disher
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Viper
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 268g
Dimensions(mm) 206mm * 130mm * 30mm