Anyone who has ever read The Hunchback of Notre Dame or seen the Disney version of the Victor Hugo book will be familiar with the concept of sanctuary. In his standalone book bearing that title, Garry Disher adds a modern twist.
A loner arrives in a small town in rural Australia, fleeing their past and hoping for better luck. Shades of Jack Reacher maybe? But this solo traveller is female, a talented thief and grifter… and when she lands in Battendorf, Grace is ready to leave all that behind.
She decides on the pivot of a lifetime after nearly being caught in the act at a stamp convention in Brisbane. Her best-laid plans go awry when she spots a familiar face in the crowd. Once, she and Adam were in care together and they were quite the crooked little team – until Grace’s skills were spotted by someone who lured her away and proceeded to make her life hell. She left Adam in the lurch back then, and managed to steal something valuable from him. It soon becomes clear that Adam has never forgiven Grace for what happened.
But in Battendorf it appears that Grace’s fortunes have changed and her dreams of going straight become a reality when Erin takes her on. Grace’s years as a thief taught her plenty about the value of things – so working in Erin’s antiques store is a perfect fit. Is it time for the wanderer to actually settle down?
Ah, it all sounds so straightforward, doesn’t it? But let’s remember that this is a Garry Disher book, and the man is a whizz at throwing a spanner in the works and sending the unwary reader off of a tangent or three. Because this is not just Grace’s story – Adam and even Erin have their tales to tell too.
Settle back as secret after secret is revealed, against a backdrop of high-end grifting and fraudulent shenanigans that would put the con artists of British TV series Hustle to shame. The duplicities are many and complex, and a really satisfying aspect of Sanctuary is the behind the scenes peeks at the who, what, how and why of scamming – with one particular plot line destined to bring a tear or two to the eye, whether of sorrow or anger depends on your viewpoint.
Disher is also a dab hand at characterisation, and whether they are in lead parts or mere walk-ons every person featured within his pages comes with a resounding aura of realism. The same applies to setting, with the fictional Battendorf becoming as familiar as your own home town.
Grace is a finely wrought protagonist, whose many layers are revealed bit by bit as the tale progresses and we gradually get to see the woman behind the hardened shell. Agoraphobic, meek and mild, Erin also has a great deal to offer here, with Adam’s story arc bobbing and weaving through the chapters and adding another tasty perspective. All three are running from the past, and as we crime fiction fans know only too well, that’s a dangerous path to tread.
It’s all played out against a backdrop of dirty dealings and crooked scams – and if Sanctuary falls down at all it is perhaps that Disher throws so much into this book it becomes an effort to keep the myriad stories straight in your head. Other lesser authors might have saved some of the juicier manoeuvres for another volume, but instead we are offered so much that it can feel overwhelming at times.
That said, I flew through Sanctuary and I’m now sorely missing the company of Grace and Erin who seem to have buried themselves into my brain. Another cracker from one of Australia’s best writers. Enjoy!
Looking for more Antipodean crime fiction? Take a look at our handy guide.
Viper Books
Print/Kindle/iBook
£3.99
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
