Hirsch’s rural beat is wide. Daybreak to day’s end, dirt roads and dust. Every problem that besets small towns and isolated properties, from unlicensed driving to arson. In the time of the virus, Hirsch is seeing stresses heightened and social divisions cracking wide open. His own tolerance under strain; people getting close to the edge.
Today he’s driving an international visitor around: Janne Van Sant, whose backpacker son went missing while the borders were closed. They’re checking out his last photo site, his last employer. A feeling that the stories don’t quite add up.
Then a call comes in: a roadside fire. Nothing much—a suitcase soaked in diesel and set alight. But two noteworthy facts emerge. Janne knows more than Hirsch about forensic evidence. And the body in the suitcase is not her son’s.
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
3CR: Published or Not
Canberra Times
Cass Moriarty
Pile by the Bed
ReadPlus
Through the Biblioscope
Two Chairs podcast (0:04:20)
West Australian
‘Hirsch is one of my favourite characters. Day’s End is unmissable.’
‘Once again, Disher nails place, the atmosphere of a changing area and the tension and frustration of continuing a private investigation without resources. This book confirms just what a rare writer Disher is.’
‘A new crime novel from the prolific old master is always a treat, and this one is no different. The past intrudes into the present as Charlie Deravin, banished from his job in the police sex-crimes unit, still puzzles over his mother’s disappearance 20 years earlier that had his father fingered as a possible murderer. You will be intrigued, very intrigued.’
‘Disher is, as always, a deft and compelling crime novelist, and he has crafted a provocative whodunnit that is grounded firmly in the current moment.’
‘Lyrical and haunting…Read the The Way It Is Now for its big heart and the way in which it lyrically captures a moment in time.’
‘The best of Australian crime was definitely Garry Disher’s The Way It Is Now (Text), cleverly combining a tragic cold case with social commentary.’
‘Examining the insular culture of the police force has been another staple of Disher’s fiction, and it is deployed here to great effect…Each summer I see people lying by public swimming pools, or in the sand on beaches, sometimes along the Mornington Peninsula, reading crime fiction. Readers often tell me they enjoy the genre as “light relief”, a puzzling response considering the endlessly macabre ways that crime fiction writers concoct new ways to torture, murder, and dismember characters. A Garry Disher novel is never an exercise in light reading. He respects the genre and his readers. His novels can also disturb a reader, for his characters are quite ordinary people, in the best sense. They are men and women like you and me – characters capable of good and bad, courage and murder.’
‘The prolific master of Australian rural noir returns to his home turf…a subtle, slow-burning standalone mystery.’
‘Disher’s output is soaked in quality: crisp prose, fascinating characters, rich settings. Maybe his quiet, unflashy nature and consistent excellence mean he gets a little overlooked in some quarters, but those cognisant of the global boom of Australian crime writing know he is a giant on whose shoulders many of the hottest new stars are standing.’
‘This is storytelling at its best…Another sophisticated and compelling offer from an author at the peak of his powers.’
‘Disher is one the foremost proponents of rural noir.’
‘Consolation is a very impressive piece of crime fiction. It holds attention, impresses with its depth and raises important issues, while being very entertaining. It once more confirms Disher’s place as the master of outback noir.’
‘Well written and very entertaining, Consolation cements Disher’s place as the master of outback noir.’
‘Garry Disher may not have quite the same level of name recognition as fellow bestselling Australian rural noir writers such as Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, but he has long been one of the genre’s best.’
‘Sheer class.’
‘This is a book that cannot be praised enough… Read it.’
‘The outback noir master returns to Tiverton and it’s only cop Paul ‘Hirsch’ Hirschhausen.’
‘Enjoyable and engaging, a book you don’t want to put down.’
‘[In Day’s End] the characters are depicted with nuance and emotion and even the minor players feel very fleshed out and real. Disher’s ear for dialogue is pitch perfect and his pacing and sustained tension make for a page-turning read.’
‘By setting his action in a small community, Disher is able to explore a number of disparate threads without anything feeling contrived or forced…Day’s End is another great rural crime novel.’
‘Garry Disher is not just a master of this genre but is also the social chronicler of our times with contemporary Australia reflected in his work…Hirsch is seeing social cracks in his community with the pressure of the pandemic…A book of our times!’
‘For a cracking good read with a clever plot and relatable hero, Day’s End is another winner for Garry Disher and for Australian rural noir.’
‘Disher manages to describe [Hirsch] as a very believable, fair person who takes his duties, both of solving crimes and watching over vulnerable people very seriously. [Hirsch] is intelligent and observant, and his wry comments alleviate the underlying tension in the story…There are many layers to Day’s End…[it] is a great read.’
‘Day’s End, with its complex plot and empathetic policeman, is crime fiction at its best…culminat[ing] in an ending that took this reader’s breath away.’
‘Garry Disher is the master of Australian crime fiction…Day’s End, is more of the good stuff.’
‘Well written and very powerful, Day’s End once more confirms Disher’s place as the master of outback noir.’
‘[Day’s End, the] latest from the prolific and highly acclaimed Australian crime writer [Garry Disher] is a new instalment in his popular series centred on Paul “Hirsch” Hirschhausen…In true Disher style, it’s a tightly plotted rural noir…wind[ing] its way towards a satisfying conclusion.’
‘Disher is a master at controlling his material, taking his readers along the dusty, rutted roads that always pop up when we expect bitumen smoothness. But it’s a journey worth taking, for the pure his of the writing.’
‘Disher once again masterfully soaks readers in the millieu of rural Australia, delivering a riveting crime tale centred on a likeable hero, threaded with relevant issues.’