Snapshot by Garry Disher

Publisher's Synopsis

The neat suburban homes of the peninsula seem like an improbable setting for sex parties, blackmail and murder. Winter is closing in on the coastal community of Waterloo, and behind the closed doors its residents have some peculiar ways of keeping warm.

When Detective Inspector Hal Challis is called to investigate the brutal murder of Janine McQuarrie, shot in a deserted country lane as her seven-year-old daughter looks on, his progress is hampered by lies and secrets. It doesn't help that Challis's superior - bureaucrat, golfer and toady Superintendent McQuarrie - is Janine's father-in-law. Or that Challis has his own personal demons to confront.

Everybody has something to hide, something to lose. And someone in Waterloo is determined to kill again.

My Review 

When Janine McQuarrie is shot on a quiet country road near Penzance Beach, the impact on the small community is going to be much more significant than that of the simple shock that extreme violence brings to an otherwise quiet area. Janine has connections and was keeping a secret, and both of these facts will prove problematic for Hal Challis and his officers when investigating her death.

The first problem stems from the fact that Janine McQuarrie is the daughter-in-law of Detective Superintendent McQuarrie, Hal Challis' boss and his personal interest in the case is going to be a major hurdle for Challis to overcome. Problem number 2 is that Janine and her husband had recently become part of the local swingers scene. This was not Janine's idea, and as a form of revenge she had secretly photographed some action shots of a few men while at a party. Hoping to scare the men - her husband included - she then sent the photos off in the post. Could it be possible that it was this action that got her killed?

Hal Challis has on his hands what is known in the game as "a very tricky situation". He has to run a tight investigation without risking its being compromised by Detective Superintendent McQuarrie. At the same time, he has to avoid antagonizing his boss too much by accusing McQuarrie's son of murdering his wife. But when the husband is always one of the main suspects in a murder case, it looks as though a little antagonism just can't be avoided. Yes, a very delicate situation indeed.

Meanwhile, there is a killer out there, a professional, and he's not finished - or at least, the person who hired him still has some loose ends to be tidied up. Before this investigation is over there are going to be some major shocks for the Waterloo Police to deal with.

As well devised as the murder investigation is and the ingenuity that Disher uses to break the case wide open, complete with one or two moments that completely shocked me, it's the character detail that once again makes this a completely enjoyable story.

The marriage of Detective Sergeant Ellen Destry has been rocky to say the least during the earlier books and continues to disintegrate here. At the same time, there appears to be a growing attraction between her and Challis, a complication that holds a terrible fascination. Sergeant Scobie Sutton still bores the pants off his colleagues with long uninteresting stories about his daughter, the light of his life. Meanwhile, Constables Pam Murphy and John Tankard are still antagonistically paired together.

It's actually the pairing of Murphy and Tankard that provides some of the lighter moments as they have been chosen to take part in a public relations exercise, handing out goodie bags to courteous drivers. There are some delightfully amusing moments sprinkled throughout the story mainly because of the drivers they attempt to reward.

Offsetting the levity surrounding these two, there is a strong undercurrent of antagonism running through the rest of the police station which puts everyone on edge. The result is a fast-paced police procedural style story, made so because Disher makes equal use of all of the cops from Waterloo. With so many lines of inquiry taking place, and so much upheaval in their personal lives, there always seems to be something important taking place.

I've had the benefit now of reading the 3 books of the series (The Dragon Man, Kittyhawk Down and now Snapshot) in close succession and this has engendered a comfortable sense of familiarity in returning to the Peninsula District. The natural development of the main characters continues throughout the series with each individual personality taking on unique and vital characteristics that are constantly being explored and strengthened.

I would recommend reading the books in order to gain the greatest understanding of what makes the police of Waterloo CIU tick. However, if you're coming in on the series at this book, Disher's ability to introduce and quickly familiarise us with his characters will enable it to be read as a stand-alone thriller. But in whatever order you read it, Snapshot is a strong book that shouldn't fail to draw you in completely, provide you with a stunning shock or two and leave you craving more.