Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher
Written: Oct 05 '05 (Updated Apr 26 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Enthralling mystery accompanied by in-depth characterizations.
Cons: ..
The Bottom Line: This is the second DI Hal Challis mystery returning us to the quiet Peninsula District of southern Victoria.
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| damieng's Full Review: Garry Disher - Kittyhawk Down |
What Australia lacks in quantity when it comes to producing police procedural novels is made up for by the quality that is published as evidenced by Jon Cleary’s Scobie Malone books and Barry Maitland’s DI Brock and DS Kolla series. Now, Garry Disher has continued the trend with his DI Hal Challis series, following the absorbing first book (The Dragon Man) with Kittyhawk Down. With emphasis placed just as heavily on the development of the characters who make up the Waterloo CIB as on the investigation of the crimes committed around the Peninsula District, this is an enthralling and enjoyable book.
The book opens with the day to day business of policing the Peninsula district of southern Victoria which rolls along steadily fuelled by the usual petty crimes to investigate. To spice things up we are treated to a sting operation to catch a serial rapist. The detailing of all of these more petty crimes serves to introduce us to the police of Waterloo CIB as well as establishing the inter-relationships of the residents of the area. Our appetite is effectively being whetted before the upcoming main event.
At the hub of all of this activity is Detective Inspector Hal Challis, an extremely interesting homicide detective who has a passion for restoring aircraft and a wife who is in prison after attempting to have him murdered. Here is a complex man who is dealing with more than the burden of solving ghastly crimes. He is at a bit of a loose end working on a case involving a body that had been recovered from the sea, weighed down by an anchor. With little to go on, it looks likely that his case will stall.
So once we’ve been well and truly primed and we're comfortable in our surroundings, all hell breaks loose for the Waterloo CIB. Constable Pam Murphy takes a call from a man who informs her that he has just killed his wife and is about to turn the gun on himself. Despite racing to the man’s house they’re too late and are met with a grisly scene containing two bodies. It doesn’t take Challis very long, though, to decide that he’s not looking at a murder-suicide, but in fact a double homicide that has been staged.
The discovery of a further 2 bodies, both suffering fatal shotgun wounds, leads the police to the grim conclusion that they have on their hands a local who has gone on a murderous rampage. Having a pretty good idea who it is they’re after they go to the property of Ian Munroe but before they can take him in for questioning he slips away sparking a huge manhunt in the area.
The Peninsula District, and in particular the communities of Waterloo and Penzance Beach, are portrayed as typical small towns with their share of busybodies and gossips, petty criminals, deadbeats and dropouts all providing entertaining anecdotes that keep the story rolling along at a healthy clip. From the moment the suggestion that a murder has taken place though, the pace becomes frantic as many of what seemed to be unrelated small crimes from earlier on take on added significance.
The strength of Kittyhawk Down, and The Dragon Man before it for that matter, is the rich depiction of the police who comprise the Waterloo CIB. These people are not only police officers but also vital members of a community with concerns, problems and faults that not only flesh them out but give us a reason to care about them and relate to them.
Garry Disher writes with a style that is quickly engaging, throwing in quirky, humorous observations to situations that might otherwise take on a more serious tone. The dialogue strikes me as sounding realistic and is very expressive, noticeably changing from character to character to give them each a voice.
Kittyhawk Down opens up into a well-constructed mystery revealing that there are secrets everywhere and cautions us that nothing (and no-one) can be taken for granted. With moments of deep tragedy mixed with scenes of extreme danger, it becomes an emotionally harrowing story. I found myself completely immersed in the Peninsula District and the lives of the people who police it.
The complete Hal Challis series:
The Dragon Man (1999)
Kittyhawk Down (2003)
Snapshot (2005)
Chain of Evidence (2007)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
damieng
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Location: Sydney, Australia
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