This entry in the Constable Hirschausen series has Paul running all over hell's half acre trying to hunt down a father and son gone rogue, as well as the man they are presumably hunting, who owes money to everyone in the district, and may have been responsible for a couple deaths as well. The usual good story-telling, but I do think the antipathy of the CIB and its agents, and their disdain for local policing is a bit overdone. It may be totally accurate, for all I know...it just gets monotonous and doesn't help the narrative. I have praised Disher in the past for replacing Hirsch's original dimwit mean-spirited Sergeant with an intelligent woman who appreciates his abilities and treats him with respect. Time for him to do the same with the CIB people, methinks. ( )

I am a little late to the party when it comes to Garry Disher’s award-winning Constable Hirsch series. On the flipside, that does boost the credibility of my assurance that this third title in the series, Consolation, can still prove a highly enjoyable read as a standalone. Or in my case overdue starting point, since I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

Australian rural crime fiction typically features small dusty towns that have seen better days baking in the summer heat. So Disher’s evocative depiction of the relatively lively one-cop town of Tiverton in South Australia’s wheatbelt as it shivers through a winter chill makes for a refreshing change of scene. Continue reading >> https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2022/02/consolation-garry-disher-audio-book... ( )

Australia’s leading writer of rural crime fiction, Garry Disher, has been quietly crafting an excellent series set in the dry wheatbelt of South Australia. Full review at Newtown Review of Books ( )

"Consolation" by Gary Disher is the third book in the Paul Hirschhausen, rural noir series. It's been 18 months since Constable Hirschhausen (Hirsch) was posted in Tiverton and he is getting to know the locals and has set a regular routine. Things become remarkably busy in the small town. Hirsch is trying to identify a 'snowdropper' who is pinching mature women's undergarments in the dead of night, manage a child welfare case and locate a couple of roof repair scammers. And this is before issues with the EPA send a couple of gun-totting locals on the run, a curious embezzlement case involving a prominent local businessman and a series of murders. Hirsch has all of this to deal with, along with interference from head office, and a personal stalker. This is a fast-paced, action-packed story, full of vibrant characters and colourful descriptions. ( )

When I read Peace by Gary Disher earlier this year, I thought it was a stand-alone. Actually, it was the second in a series in which this one is the third. This one is very like Peace, which I liked very much. Described as "rural noir", one Amazon reviewers says Disher "drags you into the heart of Australia."

It begins quietly, with small crimes, in this case "snow-dropping," or stealing old ladies' underwear off their clotheslines. We are many pages in before a murder occurs. While, as in Peace, I really enjoyed getting to know the town's characters, their foibles, and the life of a small town constable as he is torn in many directions by many crimes, large and small, at a certain point this got to be too much for me to keep track of--who was who and what crime belongs to what suspect. We move from the snow-dropping to child neglect (and by the way the child's father is missing--was he murdered?), to stalking, to an irate parent threatening the school principal, to a father and son attacking a bureaucrat from a government environmental agency and then going on the run, to a possibly cancelled music festival, to a scam involving Irish roofers, to potential bank embezzlement, to a Ponzi scheme involving Sun Coast property, to graffiti at a wind farm, and oh, by the way, all these crimes may be connected.

I ultimately got these crimes all straightened out (or Disher's skill as a writer did), so I still think this is a worthwhile read. I checked with my library, and it does not have the first book in the series. I'm not in a book buying mode now, so I will have to wait to read that one, if it ever turns up.

Recommended for Disher fans.

3 stars ( )