Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher

‘This is the second of Garry Disher’s Challis and Destry Mystery series and is a well-constructed piece of crime fiction. The once peaceful resort of Bushrangers Bay, not far from Melbourne, is the site of multiple crimes that must be investigated by Homicide Squad Inspector Hall Challis and Sergeant Ellen Destry of the Mornington Peninsula Police Force. Diverse incidents such as a missing toddler, an unidentified corpse fished from the sea, cars stolen and torched and letterboxes being burned make up the portfolio of this complex investigation. Then one of Challis’s friends, Kitty Casement, who runs the aerial photography service and flies a Kittyhawk, is murdered. The characters of the cast of policemen and women caught up in solving this crime wave are sympathetically drawn and complement the fine detail of the policing procedure in this whodunit.’ - reFresh

‘A crime wave is engulfing an Australian beach resort near Melbourne. Inspector Hal Challis of the Homicide Squad has to look into the killing of an unidentified corpse fished from the sea, as well as searching for a missing toddler and trying to find out who is stealing cars and torching them – and then there's a more mundane letter-box arsonist. This solid police-procedural provides a capable investigating team, good local colour, and an excellent ending.’ - Scotsman

‘The once peaceful resort of Bushrangers Bay, near Melbourne, Australia, is the site of a number of crimes keeping the Mornington Peninsula Police Force busy. A toddler is missing, an unidentified body has been fished from the sea, a rapist is on the loose and a man appears to have shot his wife and then killed himself. The second mystery to feature Inspector Hal Challis and Sgt Ellen Destry. But unlike most police procedurals, in which the supporting cast are peripheral, Disher has created a squad of well-drawn and interestingly flawed cops. It's a satisfyingly twisty whodunnit from a publishing company which consistently turns out interesting noir thrillers from around the world.’  - Norwich Evening News

‘Homicide cops Inspector Hal Challis and Sergeant Ellen Destry have got their hands full in the resort of Bushrangers Bay near Melbourne. A toddler’s missing, an unidentified corpse has been fished from the sea, there’s an arsonist on the loose, and then Challis’ aerial photographer friend Kitty Casement is murdered in this engrossing crime thriller. No wonder Disher is hot news Down Under.’ - Peterborough Evening Telegraph

'When aerial photographer Kitty Casement takes shots of the Australian coastline, she often tries to sell them door-to-door to the people who live in the area. But in plain sight on one of her snaps is a huge plantation of cannabis plants.
Although she doesn't recognise it, her policeman friend and fellow aircraft enthusiast Hall Challis does - so when she comes to a very sticky end, he has a plain trail to follow. This is the second in the Inspector Challis franchise - and there's no reason why there shouldn't be plenty more.
This is small-town Australia where the police and their families are woven tight into the communities that fringe Melbourne. Challis and his team have to deal with issues from murder to how the kids are getting on at school. And Disher captures the intimacy of the rural community very well.
He also serves up a very neat twist to what turns into a serial murder hunt.' - Coventry Telegraph

‘The once peaceful resort of Bushrangers Bay, not far from Melbourne, Australia, is the site of a number of crimes keeping the Mornington Peninsula Police Force busy. A toddler is missing, an unidentified body has been fished from the sea, a rapist is on the loose and a man appears to have shot his wife and then killed himself. Kittyhawk Down is the second mystery to feature Insp Hal Challis and Sgt Ellen Destry. But unlike most police procedurals, in which the supporting cast play a peripheral role, author Garry Disher has created a squad of well-drawn and interestingly flawed cops. As well as Challis - whose mentally unstable wife is in prison for conspiring to murder him and who is having an on-off relationship with the local newspaper editor - we have sexually-frustrated, chauvinistic, gun-obsessed Constable John Tankard; Pam Murphy, a promising young constable who is in hock to a shadowy loan company, and Destry, whose teenage daughter's boyfriend may be involved in drugs. When an angry farmer flips out and disappears with his shotgun, his lawyer is found dead in bed with shotgun wounds and one of Challis’ friends is murdered, the team pull out all the stops to find the killer - or is it killers? It's a satisfyingly twisty whodunnit from a publishing company which consistently turns out interesting noir thrillers from around the world. The first Challis and Destry mystery, The Dragon Man, was published in the UK last year. Here's hoping more follow.’ - Ilford and Newham Recorder

'A police procedural … featuring a squad of interestingly flawed homicide cops … working multiple cases that feature multiple puzzles and a pool of incisively well-drawn murder suspects …. First rate.’ - New York Times Book Review

‘Procedural fans looking for something a little different will devour this one…. Enough dark overtones to elevate the series into the Ian Rankin league.’ - Booklist

Gripping.… As the story neatly advances from the viewpoints of characters both major and minor, Disher artfully employs misdirection…. Fans of Peter Temple will find much to like in this dark whodunit.’ - Publishers Weekly

‘Challis is a fine creation: strong and resourceful, yet with enough human frailty to satisfy the tastes of readers raised on Connelly, Rankin or Patricia Cornwell. This is intelligent, well-crafted fare, enlivened by a sharp awareness of society and the dark undercurrents beneath it.’ - West Australian