Signal Loss (Peninsula Crimes Book 7)

‘Here’s a meth head, and we’re getting fifty grand to waste him. Makes you think, right? Whatever this Valentine character did to piss off Hector’s mate, it must have been big.’

‘So?’

‘So he knows something.’

It’s bushfire season on Inspector Hal Challis’s patch. The fire itself isn’t Challis’s problem, but the bodies in the burnt-out Mercedes are. There’s also an epidemic of ice crimes to be dealt with. And as Challis explores a connection between the two inquiries, Ellen Destry, head of the new sex crimes unit, is on the hunt for a predator.

The seventh instalment in Garry Disher’s celebrated Peninsula Crimes series sets up new challenges, both professional and personal, for Challis and Destry. And Disher delivers with all the suspense and human complexity for which readers love him. 

Garry Disher has published almost fifty titles—fiction, children’s books, anthologies, textbooks, the Wyatt thrillers and the Peninsula Crimes series. He has won numerous awards, including the German Crime Prize (twice) and two Ned Kelly Best Crime novel awards, for Chain of Evidence (2007) and Wyatt (2010). Garry lives on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

‘Garry Disher’s crime fiction is as prolific as it is highly decorated…One for the summer holiday reading stack.’ Guardian

‘A commentary on celebrity and the influence of the media in convicting or acquitting regardless of the legal system, equity or the consequences for those involved. Most chillingly, Signal Loss portrays a world in which life is cheap and where the most vulnerable are traded and abused.’ Good Reading

‘Disher is a world-class crime novelist, and Signal Loss is another superbly written police procedural that mixes strong characterisations with a taut, intelligent plot and biting social commentary…the Peninsula locations are richly evoked. Highly recommended.’ Canberra Weekly

‘Disher handles the theme of ice and its impact upon small rural communities with fascinating insight, one which will inform and sadden all his readers, but cheer as Hallis and co are able to stamp out a small part of the syndicate causing chaos for those least able to cope.’ ReadPlus

‘It’s the kind of Australian gangland killing that’s so grubby and pseudo comical that it could almost be real…It’s small town Australia in all its narrow, tinder-dry, community-minded gloriousness.’ Australian Women’s Weekly

‘Disher is not afraid to use his novels to explore difficult questions, to highlight injustices and to dig deep into law-enforcement frustrations—and what causes a lot of crime in the first place. Pointed, and often slyly funny, there’s a willingness to let readers draw conclusions as well as plenty of ‘What the …?!’ moments along the way.’ Newtown Review of Books

‘ One of the godfathers of Australian crime writing…Disher’s Mornington Peninsula reflects many of the problems for small town residents across Australia—including drugs, persistent unemployment and poverty along with gangs and racial tension for some, while others accrue great wealth and move to mansions by the sea.’ Literary Hub

‘Sometimes, like a lot of readers, I have two or three books going at once: one by the bed, one by the couch, one in my bag for reading on the Metro. But sometimes a book will command attention across all venues because of the story, the characters, or the writing, and the other simultaneous books simply have to wait. Garry Disher is a quietly compelling writer whose new novel, Signal Loss, caused me to set everything else aside, pulling my attention away from the competition.’ LA Review of Books