Blood Moon: A Thriller

by: Garry Disher

Published by: Soho Press (April release)

Reviewed by C. L. Rossman

Blood Moon is one of those in-depth thriller mysteries where you get involved in the characters’ lives as much as in the mystery. It doesn’t rely on the slash/shoot/gore kind of writing many do, but on the mental motivations and the clash of personalities which its characters display.

Certainly this book by an Australian author new to our shores has plenty of that going for it. In the first chapter you meet a man you will love to hate—Adrian Wishart, one of those nasty little jobs who supervises his wife like a slave-driver: he counts how many pieces of toilet paper she uses, times her in the shower, and often follows her to work, to be sure she isn’t cheating on him.

Then there are the two main detectives: Hal Challis and Ellen Destry, working together in Disher’s earlier novels, who have become lovers as well as partners and are now living together—an attempt not entirely honest because Ellen is hiding a dark secret from Hal.

Up against this background, the murder of a local rightwing preacher almost gets lost in the shuffle—almost. A local woman’s murder follows and the detective team finds itself involved in trying to solve several crimes at once.

It took me a little while to find my way into this book, but once I did, I enjoyed reading it and following all the various characters on their rounds. The author has his people speaking their minds without regard for namby-pamby “political correctness.” They’ll call a racist a racist and they haven’t much use for religious fanatics either. I got a kick out of that.

This may be Disher’s first novel introduced on this side of the Pacific, but it’s a good one, and while readers may have a bit of trouble getting to know the police force and their past relationships, I believe you’ll enjoy the well-packed plot and vivid characters.
Disher has earned Australia’s Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a mystery/crime story/ thriller well-suited for those who like more than the splatter-punk style of writing.