Former homicide detective Alan Auhl has returned to the force after spending a few years deciding whether or not he really wanted out. He’s working with the Cold Case Unit, which suits this old-school detective, as his persistence and dogged nature gets results – but in his own time.

As a long-time fan of Garry Disher’s writing, I recognised his signature loner figure in Alan. But unlike some of the more stereotypical characters in other police procedurals, Alan is a man of many layers whose personal life is almost as unusual as the cases he investigates.

He lives in a leafy inner-Melbourne suburb in a rambling house that he inherited from his parents, and he shares it with an assorted cast of characters who drift in an out, including an ex-wife who sometimes stays over, and a mother and daughter who have fled from a violent relationship. As Alan works diligently through the cases he is assigned – which include a long-buried body found under a concrete slab, a doctor whose first two wives met with mysterious ends, and the death of a farmer whose daughters are sure it was no accident – he can’t help getting involved in a personal way. His methods may not be textbook, but in the end he gets his man.

One of the most engaging aspects of Disher’s writing is the way he evokes a sense of place, and Melbourne and its surrounds are just as much a part of the story as any of the characters. He is also a master of intrigue; his characters often walk a fine line between what is considered inside and outside the law – and Alan Auhl is no exception.

This is an absorbing read and I look forward to finding out more about ex-detective Alan.

Reviewed by Maryanne Vagg