Signal loss by Garry Disher
Inspector Challis bk 7. Text Publishing, 2016. ISBN
9781925355260
(Age: 15+) Recommended. The seventh book in the Inspector
Challis series, set on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria,
sees Hal investigating not only the spread of the drug ice, but the
reason that two hit men from Sydney are found in a burnt-out
Mercedes after a bushfire. Meanwhile Ellen Destry, head of the sex
crimes unit, is investigating a serial rapist who breaks into the
homes of young women.
It is not necessary to have read all the previous books in the
series to enjoy Signal Loss - although of course, a reader would
have a fuller picture of the background and personalities of the
main character if the books had been read. Disher is a master of the
written word and he fleshes out his detectives very well even for a
newcomer to the series.
The reader will find plenty of complexity and interest as each of
the detectives investigates the difficult situations that confront
them. Detective Constable Pam Murphy has to confront her beliefs as
she gets to know one of the suspects in the drug case. The dangers
of the ice trade and how it is conducted are frightening and the
reader becomes aware of the problems surrounding sex crimes.
Excellent descriptions of the people, the landscape and emotions
provide a great background to the tightly written plot, and the
reader is left wanting to read more novels about Hal and Ellen and
the police force on the Mornington Peninsula.
A must read for people who like crime novels.
Pat Pledger