Kittyhawk Down Garry Disher 2003

Dustjacket synopsis:
"An unidentified man is fished out of the sea with an anchor strapped to his waist. And for Detective Inspector Hal Challis, this sparks the beginning of a chilling series of shotgun killings.

"As Challis investigates, an unstable farmer erupts into violence and is the target of a massive manhunt. Meanwhile, Challis's emotional like is strained and, adding further complications, some of his police colleagues have allowed their private and public responsibilites to blur in ways that could have unforeseen results. And then Challis finds some aerial photographs in the possession of his friend, Kitty, that link her to the murders.

"Kittyhawk Down is the second in Garry Disher's Detective Inspector Challis series, following the internationally renowned The Dragon Man, winner of the German Crime Fiction Critics Award 2001 and shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award."

First Paragraph

The National Parks sign said 'Bushrangers Bay 2.6 km' and 'Cape Schank 5.4 km'. Hal Challis edged through the barrier designed to thwart trail-bikes and stepped out along the track, the bushland warm and some of the flora turning red and yellow on this Easter Saturday afternoon in early autumn.

Bushranger.

A name that denoted violent crime and romance. An apt name, given that Chalis had come here or a murder and had come here for love.

Autumn. 'Fall', as the Yanks called it.

You couldn't get a better word than 'fall' to describe the season and his life now. Leaves everywhere had begun to fall. Since yesterday, Good Friday, his spirits had fallen, love gone wrong. And he thought of the body falling, falling through the water.

From the Allen & Unwin paperback edition, 2003.

Note:
This novel is number 2 in the Detective Inspector Hal Challis series.

This page and its contents are copyright © 2006 by Perry Middlemiss, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Last modified: November 17, 2006.