My Review: Dragon Man by Garry Disher

This is the first book in the Detective Inspector Hal Challis police procedural series by Australian author Garry Disher. The book is set in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and revolves around the happenings of a police station in the fictitious coastal town of Waterloo. 

Amidst the usual summertime madness of small town petty crimes and vandalism, there is a killer on the loose. So far, two Peninsula women have been abducted, raped and murdered and indications are that the killer will not stop at two. With little evidence to go on, and coupled with some aggravated burglaries and torching of letterboxes, cars and houses in the region, Detective Inspector Challis and his cohorts have their work cut out for them.

The characters of the Waterloo police force make for interesting reading. Most of them are flawed or scarred by life. Some are corrupt and some as straight as an arrow. Challis has a suicidal wife in gaol for conspiring to murder him. Detective Ellen Destry has a penchant for lifting a bit of cash from crime scenes and is in a loveless marriage with a troubled daughter. Constable Pam Murphy is intent on having an an illicit affair with an underage surfer. Constable John Tankard is a lecherous and unlikeable bully who seems intent on getting people offside and policing with a big stick. Sergeant Van Alphen swipes drugs from the evidence cupboard to keep his lover on an even keel. Only Sergeant Scobie Sutton appears to be free from vice and/or personal baggage, but is perhaps the most bland character, and doesn't appear necessarily well-suited to police work.

The plotlines in Dragon Man were well-researched, intriguing and built suspense throughout the novel, although the killer was reasonably obvious from quite early on. In fact this is the only reason I rated this book 4.5 stars and not 5 stars. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable Australian police procedural novel, with interesting and meaty characters. Dragon Man provides a fantastic introduction to Hal Challis and his cohorts at the Waterloo Police Station and is a solid and entertaining launching pad for the ensuing books in the series.

MY RATING: 4.5/5