Australian cop Alan Auhl came back from retirement to work cold cases. Some he has been working for years. One case involved a man whose wives suspiciously keep dying but no solid proof against him has been found. His newest case was assigned when a man was found buried beneath a concrete slab in a backyard.

He lives in a large house that he inherited. Since his wife comes in and out of his life and his young adult daughter is so busy, he rents out rooms. One renter is a young mother and her elementary age daughter who are in a custody battle with the ex-husband. Auhl even briefly houses a co-worker after she finds out her husband is cheating.

Auhl is at the end of his career, and it seems like he has begun to take some of these cold cases into his own hands rather than stick strictly to protocol. While he is uncomfortable with his own misdeeds, he does find solace in knowing that justice has been done.

When the custody battle of the young mother and her daughter turns from bad to worse, the mother kidnaps her daughter. During their flee, they are in a car accident, leaving the mother in a coma. The girl’s teacher comes forward and lets the authorities know that she believes the father has sexually abused the daughter.

At the end, we see the father in Bali, seemingly having fled Australia. We also see Auhl trailing him, seeking justice in less than legal ways.

This was not my typical type of novel. I did find some of it slow with too many unimportant characters that didn’t move the story forward. There were also too many plots. For example, the man found buried beneath the concrete had an entire side cult story. This felt too sporadic and lacked cohesion.

A stand-alone (at least so far) from Garry Disher, who is just. so. darned. good. I really tore through this one. Acting Sgt. Alan Auhl has returned to work after a brief retirement, and is now assigned to Cold Cases and Missing Persons. Nevertheless, he seems to run across a lot of pesky recent crimes, which he'd much rather be working on. And then there are the domestic troubles of the tenants who share his three-story house in the Melbourne neighborhood of Carlton. Auhl has been hosting a sort of safe house for "waifs and strays"--friends or family members between jobs, women escaping abusive relationships, his own underemployed daughter, troubled teenagers needing a time-out, and since his wife moved out, the occasional overnight visit from her as well.

As a procedural, this was pretty good, my only quibble being that everyone in Auhl's work circle seems to be a bit too snarky and uncooperative just for the hell of it. But Auhl's personal set-up is the most intriguing part of the story; he has a bit of a messiah complex, and can't resist trying to help "fix" things for people who he sees as having got a raw deal. This leads him into some murky moral dilemmas, and left this reader slightly discomfited about her own reactions. Auhl is a very interesting character, and I hope Disher isn't through with him.

Unfortunately, some of Disher's books are very hard to come by in the U.S. I'll read everything I can get my hands on. ( )

After an absence of 5 years Sargent Alan Auhl is working cold cases in Melbourne, one of which has been open since he left the force. 3 unconnected cases, and the effort to help a young woman keep her estranged husband away from their daughter keep the book moving. Gloriously while all the cases have interesting developments they remain entirely unconnected nor do they have to do with dark corners of Auhl's former life. This book appears however to only slightly shade its moral grey. ( )

This was well-narrated and I found the narrative compelling throughout. The hero, cold case detective Alan Auhl was a mature, thoughtful and kind character who worked well with others.

SPOILERS

It was a bit of a surprise then when he travelled to Bali to murder the vindictive and abusive estranged husband of one of the waifs and strays he had taken in. This was particularly odd, given that there was plenty of material available to deal with him using the courts and due legal process. Given that I always say how much I disapprove of characters taking the law into their own hands, it is a testimony to how well-written this book is that I'm still giving it 5 stars. ( )

Well I am starting to enjoy my foray into crime fiction.
This story had a taut opening with the appearance of a snake. His hiding place revealed a dead body and so begins the series of cold cases. Alan Auhl , a policeman is brought out of retirement to put his practiced eye over unsolved murders. Alan's personal life is unusual. He and his wife, although separated, come together for occasional sex in Alan's three story home, which he inherited. He has an eclectic mix of boarders including his daughter, Bec. Through his wife Liz he has taken in Neve and Pia Fanning, who are seeking refuge from Neve's ex-husband. Alan does his best to support them both through custody hearings. As well as his regular work he has an annual look at a case that he worked on some years previously, as he is dissatisfied with the outcome.
So there are several cases in the mix as well as his personal problems. He is determined to resolve these issues but does he overstep the mark due to his frustration with the system? ( )