dokidoki's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
carolynm's review
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
4.5
msliz's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Excellent third instalment in a favourite crime series. Gripping and complex, with interesting characters and multiple plot threads that come together in a satisfying conclusion. Particularly love the strong sense of place in these books (rural South Australia), the wry humour, and Hirsch, a likeable but also realistically flawed protagonist with an interesting back story. Looking forwards to the next book.
avrbookstuff's review
4.0
This is Garry Disher's third book centred around Constable Paul Hirschhausen, and it is as good as, if not better than, the first two. I especially enjoy that the sometimes banal life of a rural/small town police officer is profiled - every Thursday Hirsch travels around an outer portion of his jurisdiction, helping fix gutters, checking on elderly and just generally doing the rounds as a doctor might in their hospital ward. And yet, there is also extreme violence and serious crime in the books. The combination of the two gives us a rip-roaring rollock through Central Australia. The only let-down is some poor proofreading; typos really bother this editor!
I do recommend going back to the first book in the series (Bitter Wash Road) to get that continuity of Hirschhausen's story - his relationship with the people in his town and jurisdiction - as this really helps strengthen the book and our relationship with the protagonist. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this adapted into an ABC series à la Peter Temple's work with Jack Irish. Disher has a large bibliography and a long list of awards for his work, so I am interested to delve into his past work. I highly recommend the series for a nice holiday read if crime fiction is your thing, and even if crime fiction isn't your thing, it's got a bit of rural romance and intrigue, and a generally interesting picture of inland rural Australian life that really appeals (if you don't live there).
Disher has done an excellent job of creating an amazing sense of place and of building out this complex character who has come from the big city and big crime into a world of very different kinds of crime and challenging landscapes. Utes feature prominently and Hirsh spends a lot of time driving back roads. The cast of rural types he introduces feels very real, although I wonder if rural readers feel stereotyped at times. I especially enjoyed the long-suffering farmer who had to use her tractor to de-bog both a baddie and the cop ute. I also learnt a new word reading this book: snowdropper. Sounds nicer than it is.
#garrydisher
#textpublishing
#hirshhausen
Please shop at your local indie bookshop.
You can read more reviews from me at https://www.instagram.com/avrbookstuff
I do recommend going back to the first book in the series (Bitter Wash Road) to get that continuity of Hirschhausen's story - his relationship with the people in his town and jurisdiction - as this really helps strengthen the book and our relationship with the protagonist. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this adapted into an ABC series à la Peter Temple's work with Jack Irish. Disher has a large bibliography and a long list of awards for his work, so I am interested to delve into his past work. I highly recommend the series for a nice holiday read if crime fiction is your thing, and even if crime fiction isn't your thing, it's got a bit of rural romance and intrigue, and a generally interesting picture of inland rural Australian life that really appeals (if you don't live there).
Disher has done an excellent job of creating an amazing sense of place and of building out this complex character who has come from the big city and big crime into a world of very different kinds of crime and challenging landscapes. Utes feature prominently and Hirsh spends a lot of time driving back roads. The cast of rural types he introduces feels very real, although I wonder if rural readers feel stereotyped at times. I especially enjoyed the long-suffering farmer who had to use her tractor to de-bog both a baddie and the cop ute. I also learnt a new word reading this book: snowdropper. Sounds nicer than it is.
#garrydisher
#textpublishing
#hirshhausen
Please shop at your local indie bookshop.
You can read more reviews from me at https://www.instagram.com/avrbookstuff
pgchuis's review
5.0
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
I have not read the first two in this series, but that didn't really matter, apart from the fact that I suspect I would have been more invested in Paul's relationship with Wendy if I had. Paul is the only police officer in his town and the author shows clearly what being a good community officer involves. There was an awful lot going on here: child cruelty and neglect; shootings; a fire; fraud and embezzlement; kidnap; stalking etc etc. The plot remained coherent, despite all these different threads, although I did lose track of all the regional officers who were drafted in from time to time.
The motivation behind Katie's kidnap seemed a bit of a stretch to me, and that part of the plot was left slightly unresolved: I wanted to hear more about what Child Protection determined.
Overall though I enjoyed the wry tone and it was definitely a page-turner. Recommended.
I have not read the first two in this series, but that didn't really matter, apart from the fact that I suspect I would have been more invested in Paul's relationship with Wendy if I had. Paul is the only police officer in his town and the author shows clearly what being a good community officer involves. There was an awful lot going on here: child cruelty and neglect; shootings; a fire; fraud and embezzlement; kidnap; stalking etc etc. The plot remained coherent, despite all these different threads, although I did lose track of all the regional officers who were drafted in from time to time.
The motivation behind Katie's kidnap seemed a bit of a stretch to me, and that part of the plot was left slightly unresolved: I wanted to hear more about what Child Protection determined.
Overall though I enjoyed the wry tone and it was definitely a page-turner. Recommended.
eleellis's review
4.0
Consolation by Garry Disher is the third novel featuring small town, Australian Constable Paul Hirschhausen. Reading the ARC of Consolation was like taking a slow, meandering drive in the country on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The tale unfolds with no big hurry while you take in the countryside and all of its attractions with no previously planned destination.
In Consolation, Constable Paul Hirschhausen is drawn into several investigations at once, while meeting more and more memorable characters throughout his patrolling territory.
The novel opens with "Hirsch" trying to catch a suspect creating havoc by snatching the undergarments of elderly women off of their clotheslines. With the development of this storyline, Disher throws even more at Hirsch by way of a father-son rampaging duo that seems to disappear into the wilderness at will, the unwanted attention of a school teacher, and questionable behavior of a local businessman.
The novels in this series are like watching a more adult version of America's "The Andy Griffith Show," with Hirsch interacting with memorable, often oddball Australian characters woven within interesting storylines.
Garry Disher's Paul Hirschhausen novels are highly recommended, especially to those that enjoy novels with fully developed characters, with wonderfully descriptive writing that tells stories best enjoyed as they slowly unfold.
Netgalley provided an ARC of this novel for the promise of a fair review.
In Consolation, Constable Paul Hirschhausen is drawn into several investigations at once, while meeting more and more memorable characters throughout his patrolling territory.
The novel opens with "Hirsch" trying to catch a suspect creating havoc by snatching the undergarments of elderly women off of their clotheslines. With the development of this storyline, Disher throws even more at Hirsch by way of a father-son rampaging duo that seems to disappear into the wilderness at will, the unwanted attention of a school teacher, and questionable behavior of a local businessman.
The novels in this series are like watching a more adult version of America's "The Andy Griffith Show," with Hirsch interacting with memorable, often oddball Australian characters woven within interesting storylines.
Garry Disher's Paul Hirschhausen novels are highly recommended, especially to those that enjoy novels with fully developed characters, with wonderfully descriptive writing that tells stories best enjoyed as they slowly unfold.
Netgalley provided an ARC of this novel for the promise of a fair review.
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