Whispering Death

Chapter 1
 
   Grace was as good a name as any, and this morning Grace was in Hobart, strolling through a well-heeled corner of Sandy Bay, casing the secluded houses. A Friday morning in spring, a sea fret receding to Storm Bay and the Tasman Sea, it was good to be alive, and she attracted no attention in her tennis whites worn over tracksuit pants, sunglasses, Nike trainers and perky billed cap. A racquet handle poked out of her gym bag, telling you she was an idle young wife, maybe a young professional on her day off, even if you were the suspicious type an adulterer wearing a cover story.
But no warning bells. No cause for a stop-and-search. She belonged there.
   In fact, it was hide in plain sight, Grace hiding behind the cap and shades, hiding the fact that the tennis skirt was Velcroed to the bodice and the gym bag held burglary tools, gloves and heavy-duty vinyl sacks. One shouted accusation, one query, and she d be gone.  Rip away the skirt, ditch it together with the cap, bag and shades and she d be transformed into a jogger, and who looks twice at a jogger?
    Always expect the worst, Galt had drummed into her, and you ll never be caught off guard.
   Another thing Galt told her was to avoid apartment buildings. Well, there were none here. There s always someone at home in an apartment block, Galt said, always a sad soul sitting at a window all day long, hoping for a diversion to brighten the unvarying hours.
   Next, Grace checked for children: toys, bikes, skateboards, even a little pink gumboot, discarded in a front yard. Yes, kids go to school, Galt would say; but not if they re a toddler or they ve got the chickenpox, not if it s a curriculum day for their teachers. And a kid at home means an adult at home.
   Vehicles were on Galt s checklist too. Grace knew she was in a land of two-car households, two adults working 9 to 5 in highly paid jobs. No shift workers here.

Garry Disher is one of Australia's best-known novelists. He's published over 40 books in a range of genres, including crime, children's books, and Australian history. His Wyatt series is also published in the US by Soho Crime. He lives on the Mornington Peninsula, southeast of Melbourne.

Praise for Whispering Death

"Top-notch ... Trust me, mate: Readers will want to make a return visit to Disher's Australia."
The Christian Science Monitor

"Versatile and prolific, Disher keeps this series fresh and again delivers a procedural with real authority."
Booklist

"It's hard to convey the richness and fluidity of Disher's style as he sends us along the ride...saving room for a perfectly placed line or the gesture that sums up a character ... those who haven't read Disher before will wonder why it took them so long."
Reviewing the Evidence

"Very entertaining."
Gumshoe Review

Praise for the Hal Challis series
 
"Terrific plot, nuanced characters and solid procedures, served up on a refreshing new turf."
The New York Times Book Review
 
"Delightful ... BUY IT."
New York Magazine
 
"First rate."
Washington Post Book World
 
"The fifth book featuring Disher's team of romantically involved crime-solvers has them investigating the Down Underbelly of an Australian vacation spot."
Entertainment Weekly
 
"Colorful.... Disher has literary talent and imagination."
Chicago Tribune
 
"Terrific."
Seattle Times
 
"This series boasts careful, realistic casework, but there s enough darkness and ambiguity to suit John Harvey fans and a kind of which-way-is-up sense of the police force that recalls early James Ellroy. Moody, inventive, and extremely hard to put down." 
Booklist