Bitter Wash Road
Garry Disher
ISBN: 9781616953959
Published: July, 2014
Pricing
Paperback $15.95
More books by Garry Disher
Description
A modern western set in an isolated Australian bush town with a soaring crime rate, where a local constable with a troubled past must investigate the death of a teenage girl whose murder threatens to set the dusty streets ablaze.
Constable Paul Hirschhausen—“Hirsch”—is a recently demoted detective sent from Adelaide, Australia...
A modern western set in an isolated Australian bush town with a soaring crime rate, where a local constable with a troubled past must investigate the death of a teenage girl whose murder threatens to set the dusty streets ablaze.
Constable Paul Hirschhausen—“Hirsch”—is a recently demoted detective sent from Adelaide, Australia’s southernmost booming metropolis, to Tiverton, a one-road town in the country three hours north. Hirsch isn’t just a disgraced cop; the internal investigations bureau is still trying to convict him of something, even if it means planting evidence. When someone leaves a pistol cartridge in his mailbox, Hirsch suspects that his career isn’t the only thing on the line.
But Tiverton has more crime than one cop can handle, due largely to the town’s stagnant economy, rural isolation, and entrenched racism and misogyny. When the body of a 16-year-old local girl is found on the side of the highway, the situation in Tiverton gets even more sinister, and whether or not Hirsch finds her killer, there’s going to be hell to pay.
Media
“Terrific plot, nuanced characters and solid procedures, served up on a refreshing new turf. ”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Top-notch ... Trust me, mate: Readers will want to make a return visit to Disher's Australia. ”
—The Christian Science Monitor
“Disher has drawn both a vivid and visceral picture of a backblocks bush town, its inhabitants ground down by the stresses of isolation, hard work and irregular, relentlessly shrinking incomes... The story pulls no punches. ”
—The Guardian
“Turning the pages, readers can almost feel themselves squinting into the sun while wiping dust and sweat off the back of their necks ... Hirschhausen is a character I'll remember for a good long time.”
—Kittling Books on Hell to Pay
“A fast, gritty story is given texture by its individually crafted characters and thoroughly realised rural setting. ”
–The Morning Star (UK)
“A perfect introduction to the work of veteran crime novelist Garry Disher ... Stark descriptions of the sweltering outback will have your reaching for a cool drink. Hirsch is a classic lone wolf — or should I say lone dingo? — whose laconic stoicism and basic decency will have you longing for a sequel. ”
–The Seattle Times on Hell to Pay
“Hell to Pay is well worth reading ... How it all is resolved demonstrates the author's unusual talent.”