The Way It Is Now

by Garry Disher

Twenty years ago Charlie Deravin’s mother went missing near the family beach shack—believed murdered; body never found. His father has lived under a cloud of suspicion ever since.

Now Charlie’s back living in the shack in Menlo Beach, on disciplinary leave from his job with the police sex-crimes unit, and permanent leave from his marriage. After two decades worrying away at the mystery of his mother’s disappearance, he’s run out of leads.

Then the skeletal remains of two people are found in the excavation of a new building site—and the past comes crashing in on Charlie.

The Way It Is Now is the enthralling new novel from Garry Disher, one of Australia’s most loved and celebrated crime writers.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Australia, Thriller, Detective, Audiobook

416 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

Garry Disher was born in 1949 and grew up on his parents' farm in South Australia.

He gained post graduate degrees from Adelaide and Melbourne Universities. In 1978 he was awarded a creative writing fellowship to Stanford University, where he wrote his first short story collection. He travelled widely overseas, before returning to Australia, where he taught creative writing, finally becoming a full time writer in 1988. He has written more than 40 titles, including general and crime fiction, children's books, textbooks, and books about the craft of writing.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry Disher is an incredible Aussie crime writer as he illustrates with this standalone, set in Menlo Beach, a peninsula beach town near Melbourne, featuring Senior Constable Charlie Deravin, suspended from the Sex Crimes Unit after shoving his senior officer, Inspector Allardyce, after a mistrial was declared in the footballer Luke Kessler case. With a new trial pending, he returns to his childhood home, visited occasionally by his daughter Emma, and new girlfriend, Anna Picard, a relationship which he has high hopes for, figuring he has learnt from some of his mistakes after his marriage to Jess broke down. Where previously there was never enough time in the day, now the days fall heavy, as he encounters old cops on the beach, Mark Valente and Noel Saltash, colleagues of his father that he grew up with. 20 years ago, his mother, Rose, in the process of divorcing his police officer father, Rhys, disappeared, something he had never been able to let go of as he once again turns his attention to the very personal cold case.

Her car was discovered crashed and abandoned, her possessions littered across the road, it looked as if she had been abducted, and there was blood on her car keys. The general consensus was that his father had murdered her, something his brother Liam believed. Charlie is less certain, Rhys was not a violent man, and there had been no abuse in the marriage, through the years he has been trying to track down his mother's troublesome lodger, Shane Lambert, who disappeared soon after. At the same time, a 9 year old boy, the bullied Billy Saul went missing, assumed drowned, with Charlie part of the team under Senior Constable Frances Bekker that helped in the search for him. Now out of the blue, the excavation of a block close to his mother's home uncovers the remains of 2 dead bodies, both murdered, that turn out to be Billy and his mother. A new police investigation team is led by Bekker, a case Charlie continues to dig into, now with extra fervour, as it looks like Rhys remains the prime suspect.

Disher skilfully evokes the time period, atmospherically capturing the police and social culture of the past and the present. He documents the misogyny, the horrifying abuse and treatment of Gina Lascelles during the Kessler trial, the pressures put on everyone, including the jury, to try and ensure the acquittal of the footballer, allied with the most feeble of police investigations. The character development of Charlie is stellar as can be seen with his personal growth, and his growing ability to see himself more clearly with the more productive than expected therapy sessions. This is an outstanding crime read, well written and plotted, where every character and their lives reek of an authenticity that jumps off the page. This is a must read for those who love the crime and mystery genre, particularly Aussie crime. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: All he was doing now was licking his wounds and waiting. And looking for Shane Lambert, as he'd been doing for twenty years. The thread that remained untugged. All those fruitless leads...

And if he couldn't find Lambert, or if Lambert couldn't help, if there were no new developments, then people would continue to believe his father was guilty. Even though no body had been found. Even though there was no history of violent behaviour - barely even a cross word, since his parents had steered clear of each other, letting the divorce paperwork trickle through the system. Even though Rhys had been investigating a security van hijack that day. Just a couple of unaccounted-for hours when he was working alone, since, he'd said at the time, 'I didn't know I'd need an alibi.'

Despite all that, the theories came thick and fast. Rhys Deravin had murdered Rose Deravin because he'd have to sell Tidepool Street and give her half the proceeds. Or he'd blown his top and killed her in the heat of the moment. Or he'd killed her and hoped suspicion and blame would fall on her difficult lodger, Shane Lambert. None of these theories accounted for why her car was found abandoned out near Tooradin with a crumpled bumper, the driver's door open and her possessions scattered up and down the road. Unless... Unless Rhys Deravin, the wily out-thinker, had staged a confused and confusing crime scene because, as anyone acquainted with him could confirm, he was too smart to leave loose ends.

ABOUT 'THE WAY IT IS NOW': Charlie is living in his family’s holiday house, on forced leave since he made a mess of things at work.

Things have never been easy for Charlie. Twenty years earlier his mother went missing in the area, believed murdered. His father has always been the main suspect, though her body was never found.

Until now: the foundations are being dug for a new house on a vacant block. The skeletal remains of a child and an adult are found—and Charlie’s past comes crashing in on him.

MY THOUGHTS: Set in Menlo Beach, a Peninsula beach town of unassuming shacks dating from the 1930's an hour from Melbourne, The Way It Is Now tells the story of a burnt-out Aussie cop named Charlie Deravin.

Persona non grata with the Victoria Police, divorced from his wife and semi-estranged from his brother, Charlie has time on his hands; time to look into the disappearance of his mother twenty years earlier.

The Way it is Now is a multi-layered story of a disillusioned detective, his family, and the case he was working before being suspended. His disillusionment comes to a head one morning when he sees 'an old bloke building a sandcastle with a little girl, presumably his granddaughter; and his first thought was 'paedophile'.' Charlie realises that he doesn't see honesty and innocence anymore. All he sees is hidden motives and filth.

Disher is a master of both characters and atmosphere. You will recognize people you know in the characters in this book. You will smell the smoke of the ever present bush fires and taste the gritty ash. And you will wonder right to the last if Rhys Deravin did indeed kill his wife Rosie and dispose of her body. I did.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#TheWayitisNow #NetGalley

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T: @GarryDisher @text_publishing

#australiancrimefiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #mystery

THE AUTHOR: The prolific Garry Disher is a huge name in his native Australia – he’s won the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award, and has had many fellow crime fiction writers citing him as a major influence.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Text Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Way it is Now by Garry Disher for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent mystery, written in Disher's great style, and set in a small, Australian coastal town.

Detective Charlie Deravin is currently suspended from his job for bad behaviour and is living in his old family home near the beach. His life is fairly aimless and he starts to spend his time researching the disappearance of his mother twenty years ago, a mystery which has never been solved. There has always been suspicion that his father may have murdered her and as Charlie investigates even he begins to wonder.

The Way it is Now follows the pattern of a police procedural. It moves slowly but is never boring. Disher has a way with words and presents a number of interesting characters and false leads to keep the reader's interest. There is also the background of the terrible bush fires which ravaged Australia at that time and then the advent of Covid.

I was a tiny bit disappointed with the rather abrupt ending and wondered a little why the author chose to do it that way but it certainly did not spoil the book for me. This is a great story, well told and definitely worth reading.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4★
“He needed to delve into the records again. Oh, right: he was suspended.”

Charlie’s a cop whose mother disappeared twenty years ago, while his parents were separating. His father, Rhys, also a cop, was quick to move in with a girlfriend, so he has been a suspect all this time. No evidence, just small town people with strong opinions. To complicate things, a small boy disappeared at the same time, just as suddenly. Abduction? Murder?

Disher gives us a bit of background as to why Charlie was suspended (a provoked punch when he couldn’t hold his temper), and why he is back at the old family home. Seeing the For Sale sign out front reminds Charlie again of people accusing his dad of doing away with an inconvenient wife so he wouldn’t have to share their assets.

Charlie is all on his lonesome with plenty of time to poke around now. His wife has left him, the east coast of Australia is on fire (2019’s Black Summer), and all he wants to do is get in the ocean and let it “settle him”.

“Tuesday, Christmas Eve, and dolphins were arcing in the glassy sea. They were right there in a straight line between Charlie Deravin, who was standing at the base of the beach steps, and the Nobbies, humped at the end of Phillip Island. He watched and nothing else moved in the half-light of the dawning sun. His best time of the day. The pinks and greys and windless clarity, everything etched, and the deep peace he needed in his life just then.”

This takes place in a seaside community in Victoria, which Disher describes as “a Peninsula beach town of unassuming shacks dating from the 1930s, side by side on a crosshatch of narrow, potholed dirt streets.” It’s not a resort – not yet, anyway.

He seeks peace at the beach, but no matter where he goes, people recognise him and either call out or pointedly avoid him. I enjoy Disher’s characters. Here are two men on the beach.

“He stepped over the tidewrack and advanced on Charlie like an unstoppable bear, blocking the sun, one frying-pan hand outstretched.”

Another – definitely not an unstoppable bear:

“He was one of those older men who seemed cobbled together from many men. Little pot belly, skinny shanks, eyes wide apart, gristly ears and a neat nose; pianist’s fingers . . . his forehead was ghostly white, his forearms and legs like old leather.”

Charlie knows the cops from back then, who are sympathetic but still suspicious of his father. The new cops and a pair of journalists are prodding some sore spots, and he’s not allowed into any of the files. What he is supposed to do, though, is go to therapy.

“The therapist had her head down, reading his file. We’re each playing a game, he thought, against an unfamiliar opponent. She’ll lob a ball, I’ll return it, and vice versa. We’ll each watch the return lob, working out the meaning behind it.

‘What does the file say?’ Charlie said.

She removed her glasses. ‘The bare bones, Charlie. I need to know what you were feeling at the time. What you’re feeling now. So we can talk through these feelings.’

‘Feelings. My feeling is, I’ve been suspended from police duties and told to see a therapist,’ Charlie said.”

Not a happy chap, Charlie. He goes hunting, trying again to track down Sean, the strange guy who was boarding in the house with his mother just before she vanished. He seemed so dodgy (the Dodgy Lodger? sorry), that Charlie and his brother threw him out. They packed up all his gear, told him it was out the front, and said goodbye.

Sean had an alibi (he was in jail), but Charlie is just sure he had something to do with it. Revenge, maybe? But a small boy vanished at the same time. Why? Now some bones have been found – an adult and a child – together. Again, why?

I liked Charlie, his story is well told, and loose ends are tied up. The ending felt dramatically sudden, but it made sense. It was also interesting to see Covid enter the story, as it was just beginning to be a concern in Australia this early in 2020. Aussies seem to love cruises and so do communicable diseases.

This is a stand-alone, as far as I know, but I’d be happy to meet Charlie again if Disher decides to carry on. He’s a young guy, and there’s plenty of scope for him to develop.

Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the copy for review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty years prior, Charlie Deravin’s mother, Rose, went missing. She and his father were in the middle of a divorce and Charlie and his brother Liam had just evicted a tenant from their mother’s home. But when Rose disappeared, the police blamed Rhys, Charlie’s father. Rhys was an ex-cop and Charlie was a cop on suspension – Charlie had moved back to the little seaside town and was living in the shack his parents had called home before it all went pear-shaped. Charlie had spent a lot of the last twenty years interviewing people and trying to find his mother, ruining his own marriage in the process…

When the news hit the town of the skeletal remains of a child being found on a vacant block, and then underneath the child, the remains of an adult, Charlie was sure it would be his mother. He was positive he knew the identity of the child as well. The police homicide department was soon on the scene, opening the case once again and interviewing all those who were interviewed twenty years prior. Rhys and his second wife, Fay, were overseas cruising and wouldn’t be home any time soon. But still Rhys was a suspect. What would be the outcome for Charlie and his family as this cold case once again came to life?

The Way it is Now is a standalone novel by Australia’s master crime writer Garry Disher, and it was outstanding. A relaxed but twisty, tension filled story of a family and their ongoing grief, the divisions throughout the family and the grievances which were the result of what happened, made for an excellent crime novel which I highly recommend.

With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really loved Garry Disher’s Constable Paul Hirschausen books set in a small South Australian town, this book didn’t really grab me. Detective Charlie Deravin is under suspension (paid) after (mildly) assaulting his (bully boy) Inspector. So he heads back home to Menlo Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, to pick up his surf boards from his dad’s place. His dad, Rhys Deravin along with mates Mark Valente and Noel Saltash were all members of the tiny Menlo Beach police force back in the day.

Since he is back home Charlie starts to ruminate again on what happened to his mother who disappeared 20 years ago. His parents had already separated by then and his father remarried quite quickly. It was rumoured his mother was seeing someone but, as a line of inquiry, it was not followed up well. Charlie himself was, at the time, a newly minted officer fully focussed on searching for Billy Saul a missing 8 year old boy. Many people thought that Charlie’s father had murdered his mother.

So Charlie starts asking questions and speaking to witnesses from 20 years ago. The ‘real’ police are not happy about this. Things take a turn for the worse when Anna, Charlie’s new girlfriend starts getting harassed again. Anna was a juror on a major trial which had to be abandoned and a re-trial set after ‘irregularities’. There was immense pressure on jurors to acquit but Anna would not be swayed. Charlie and Anna met during the trial and soon became an item. Again, not popular with his employers. Also not popular with the criminal friends of the accused and they are both in danger. Then some skeletal remains are found.

Things come to a head one night when Charlie finds one injured and one dead ‘person of interest’ in his mother’s disappearance and the truth comes out at last. It’s not pretty and is very disappointing for Charlie to learn about the true nature of people he trusted and looked up to.

The book was lacking a bit of drama for me and seemed a bit slow at times. But the big disappointment about this book was the ending. It ended very abruptly, I kept looking for more. If I was reading a paper book it would have felt like the last two pages had been torn out. So, while I thought this would be a stand alone book, I’m now not sure because it doesn’t feel complete and yet it wasn’t like a cliffhanger either. I’m actually stumped! Thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago when Charlie Deravin is a Probationary Constable his mother Rose goes missing, assumed murdered with the primary suspect being Charlie’s detective father Rhys with the couple being in the process of divorcing. In 2020 Charlie is on suspension from his job as a detective which gives him the opportunity to do some digging into his mother’s disappearance. To his shock and horror skeletal remains are found when foundations are dug for a new house. The past has collided with the present.

It takes me a while to settle into this one because there’s a lot going on at the start as it’s not just Rose’s disappearance that is included. It feels disjointed but that then resolves itself with the multiple layers running smoothly and melding alongside each other and it then becomes an immersive read.

The characterisation is very good, Charlie is interesting, he’s deep, extremely disillusioned with his job as its led him to see the worst in situations which are quite possibly totally innocent. Al characters are well fleshed out and easy to picture.

The author deals with a number of important issues such as victim blaming and misogyny and the police culture of the past and the present day which is thought provoking. It’s a very atmospheric well written novel, it’s not quick of pace but that seems to suit the storyline. The author gives good context to the plot with the shocking and terrifyingly intense bush fires of 2019/20 and the coming virus.

My biggest issue with it is the end as the word abrupt doesn’t quite cover it. It feels unfinished and has left me a tad perplexed.

Despite that, it’s still a compelling read and it’s made me want to read more by Gary Disher.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Serpents Tail/ Viper/ Profile Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Deravin is back in Menlo Beach where he grew up and started his career in the police force. Twenty years before Charlie was a young constable working on a missing child case when his mother disappeared. His father was also a local police detective, and some of his police buddies still work in the town. At the time his mother disappeared, his parents were in the process of divorcing and selling the house so his father was a prime suspect, but as she was never found and there was no evidence of any of the suspects being involved, the case remained open.

Now twenty years later, Charlie is back in his old home after being suspended from his job in Melbourne after pushing over a senior officer. Apart from surfing, he doesn’t have much to do and so starts following up cold leads from his mother’s investigation, trying to piece together what happened. His love life is complicated and is part of the reason he pushed his senior officer.

Garry Disher has delivered another excellent murder mystery in a setting he is more than familiar with. He is a master of depicting small Australian coastal towns with their small-town gossip and views, of today as well as twenty years ago. Charlie Deravin is flawed in many ways but an honest policeman who has made some mistakes in his desire to get to the truth. The plot is multilayered with current events in a Melbourne trial also playing a role and Charlie will follow a few false leads before realising what really happened the day his mother disappeared. This is also the first novel I’ve read where the emergence of covid on the world stage has an impact on the plot. This one is sure to please Disher’s many fans as well as those who enjoy good quality Australian crime fiction.

With many thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for a copy to read

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a devotee of Garry Disher's fantastic Hirschhausen series, I was excited to read his new standalone, The Way it is Now. I have to say that it met all my expectations!
In his signature gritty, yet lyrical, prose style, Disher crafts the story of Charlie Deravin, a committed yet disillusioned police officer, based on the Mornington peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, Australia. Disher is a master at evoking a distinctly Australian landscape and society, which in this case is a fictional coastal town facing towards Westernport Bay. During summer, the population swells with holiday-makers, but for the rest of the year a smaller number of long-term permanent residents enjoy more peaceful beaches and coastal bushland.
Charlie Deravin is one such resident, having moved into the beach house that was once his parents' home following the breakup of his marriage. He's currently on suspension from his job based at Rosebud, following an altercation with a senior officer over a jury misconduct-tampering allegation.
Charlie uses his enforced spare time to undertake his own private investigation into the disappearance of his mother twenty years ago, from her rental home not far up the coast. Charlie's father, a retired police officer himself, was always the prime suspect in her disappearance, but Charlie is particularly interested in establishing the whereabouts of his mother's former boarder, who was questioned by police at the time, but subsequently left the area and hasn't been heard of since. His activities seem to be stirring up disquiet amongst those connected to the case, including several of his father's former police colleagues. Matters reach a head when two skeletons are discovered, hidden in the foundations of a building undergoing renovation.
There are plenty of twists and turns, potential suspects and red herrings as Charlie, accompanied by his new girlfriend - the juror at the centre of the misconduct allegations - gradually close in on the truth.
The Way it is Now is an engrossing read, intertwining a well-conceived major crime investigation plot line with several intriguing sub-plots exploring themes around family trauma, professional relationships, conflicting loyalties and self-reflection. The central characters are convincing and evoke the reader's empathy, despite their flaws and occasional questionable decision-making. While the final denouement - when it comes - is somewhat jarring and violent, it is fitting against the narrative background of long-held secrets, police corruption and dysfunctional family relationships.
I'd highly recommend The Way it is Now to any reader who enjoys well-written Australian crime fiction, and as a great entry point for those readers who are yet to discover Garry Disher's work.
My thanks to the author, Garry Disher, publisher Text Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Garry Disher book, it won’t be my last, can I say wow what a fabulous story, a compelling mystery that had my mind going in all directions trying to sort things out, and we meet Charlie Deravin a detective with the Victorian police force currently on suspension and living back in his family home on the coast, this brings back many memories for Charlie mainly the fact that his mother went missing twenty years before and has never been found, the day as a young constable he was out searching for a missing young boy, Charlie’s life has never been easy and care-free and things now are just going to get worse.

Charlie has never given up investigating his mother’s disappearance knowing full well that his father also a cop has always been the main suspect in her disappearance in which his brother Liam is sure of the fact, his father is re-married now and Charlie is close to him and sure of his innocence, but things suddenly change and very quickly when skeletal remains are found on a property very close to where his mother was living. Two bodies that of an adult and a young child, are they his mother and the child he was searching that day twenty years ago how are they connected?

This was a page turner for me there is a lot going on and lots of people we get to know who maybe are connected with both deaths or maybe not and Charlie is more than determined to investigate even while on suspension and he does tend to tread on a few toes along the way people are after him as well, which adds to the story. There are many twists and turns that kept me engrossed in this story and Garry Disher has built a fabulous case that had to be unraveled in a way that kept me and I am sure any reader of a good mystery engaged, the characters come to life on the pages and are real, this is one that I would highly recommend, it is a fabulous read, I must say although I had all the answers I needed at the end it was a little abrupt I would have loved another page or two.

My thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recognised as one of the finest Australian novelists with over forty published books across various genres, The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher is his latest standalone crime novel. Charlie Deravin returns to his home town on the coast, as he is on disciplinary leave. He is a police detective in the sex-crimes unit, whose mother vanished twenty years ago. Still trying to find answers to the cold case, Charlie personally investigates, trying to find any new helpful information. He is also trying to deal with his personal life changes, varying family relationships and the town’s treatment of his father as a suspect. Then the discovery of skeletal remains brings the past roaring back and danger ensues. A meandering narrative with a focus on the psychology of those involved in the events, makes for a four-star rating. Whilst classic Aussie noir by a renowned author, the solving of the crime came in a rush at the end.

[Kylie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a standalone (though possibly an option to keep the story going) novel. Set on the Mornington Peninsula and the suburbs of Melbourne, Charlie is a police officer on suspension. Divorced with one daughter, he finds himself in his childhood home near the beach. Shunned by his fellow officers for overstepping the line with a witness and decking his superior officer.
Given the time on his hands he decides to look into the disappearance of his mother twenty years earlier. She had been renting a place close by and had a boarder who made her very uncomfortable. Charlie and his brother Liam had evicted the boarder a few days before her disappearance but he had an alibi for the day she went missing.
Charlie is determined to unearth some evidence that will somehow prove his father's innocence, as it is his father who is the prime suspect. The thing is Charlie is starting to have his own doubts.
Like in his other books, Disher gives us a main character with a lot of baggage and who seems to find trouble in everything he does.
Great story, thank you Text Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to put this book down. A well constructed crime/mystery set in a beachside town not far from Melbourne. Charlie is a cop, so was his father, his father’s colleagues were there all through his childhood particularly Mark Valente. Twenty years earlier Charlie’s Mum disappeared, his father the prime suspect as they were getting divorced but she was never found and of course Charlie can’t let it go, leading to his own divorce. All the action is from Charlie’s point of view and it’s well done, sets the time well, a backdrop of bushfires and the early days of the pandemic. Highly readable and enjoyable.my only problem with it is why Charlie never suspected some sort of police corruption or malpractice being involved in his mothers death

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only the second Disher book that I've read, and after thoroughly enjoying this standalone, I'm excited to think of the extensive back-catalogue I have to look forward to. I need more Disher in my life (and I will have it)! Henry Nixon narrates the audiobook edition, and he's a good choice of both voice and style for this book.

Charlie Deravin is cooling his heels at the family holiday house on the Mornington Peninsula, on forced leave from the police force after a run-in with his boss. He's slipped straight back into the beachside lifestyle, surfing most days, and renewing acquaintance with long-term residents that he's known since his youth. It's the end of 2019 and reports have started to bubble up of a new type of pneumonia identified in China, but it doesn't seem to be a real concern, as far away as it is. With nothing more pressing demanding his attention, Charlie is using his time and his investigative skills to make further inquiries about the disappearance of his mother 20 years ago.

Later in the summer, Charlie's father Rhys and stepmother Fay leave for a welcome holiday, an Asian cruise exploring Taiwan, Japan and others. It's while they are away that two key things happen, one of which is the discovery of human remains back on the Mornington Peninsula. But it's not a single body, it's two - an adult and a child. Could it be Charlie's mother?

Fast paced and tightly plotted, this mystery had me guessing right till the end. Charlie has his moments, but overall he's a likeable protagonist and you'll want things to work out well for him. The small beachside community feels very real. When Charlie catches up with the adults that were around in his childhood, they paint an authentic picture of what life would have been like back in those days of fewer cares and responsibilities. Equally, the spectre of COVID emerging from Asia helps to create an atmosphere of dread that we will all recognise.

A great, edgy holiday read - highly recommended.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
The Way it is Now is a stand alone mystery / thriller. The story opens in January 2000 with Charlie Deravin and 20 other probationary officers looking for a young boy who has gone missing from his school camp. Charlie's mother also mysteriously goes missing the same day. Neither is found and no-one is charged.

Twenty years later and on the cusp of the covid pandemic Charlie is back in his childhood home on the Victorian Mornington Peninsula. He has been suspended after attacking his superior officer. Now with his marriage in tatters and time on his hands Charlie becomes obsessed with  finding out what happened to his mother and spends his time interviewing people who lived in the area at the time.

Garry Disher effortlessly evokes the feel of a small town community where everyone knows each other and old secrets are buried deep. The timeline of the pre-covid pandemic is well portrayed when we were all so naive and it was just something happening somewhere else.

The mystery was well played out with plenty of twists. I had no clue as to what had happened to the victims.
Disher includes themes of jury tampering and victim blaming around a sex crime case.

Overall I enjoyed The Way it is Now although the ending wrapped up abruptly and I had the feeling it needed a few more pages.
*i received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way It Is Now is a stand-alone novel by best-selling award-winning Australian author, Garry Disher. Detective Senior Constable Charlie Deravin has been suspended from duty. As he waits to learn his fate, he’s spending the time in the old family cottage in Menlo Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, enjoying occasional visits from his daughter and, at other times, his new lover.

It’s the perfect opportunity to do some follow-up with all those who were around when his mother went missing, twenty years earlier, and maybe track down her lodger who had a watertight alibi, but disappeared soon after. Finding that man, in the hope he might have some vitally relevant information, has consumed Charlie for all the intervening time, and cost him his marriage.

Rose Deravin’s car was found crashed, abandoned, personal belongings strewn on the road, blood on the car keys, in late January 2000. Her body has not been found. Many people, including Charlie’s older brother, Liam, believed that her soon-to-be ex-husband, Senior Sergeant Rhys Deravin, was responsible: Rhys had no alibi, claiming to be investigating a security van hold-up on his own.

On the same day, nine-year-old Billy Saul went missing from the nearby beach. His body has also not been found. Now, a pair of podcasters is in the area, asking questions, flashing photos and making everyone uneasy. Charlie’s conversations with the people tracks down reveal just what a scrappy job the police made of the initial investigation and later cold case enquiries.

And then, the excavation of the block near Rose Deravin’s house turns up the skeletal remains of two bodies.

Disher gives the reader a tightly plotted tale with red herrings, misdirections and surprises in the lead up to the exciting climax, enough to keep even the most astute reader guessing right up to the final reveal. His protagonist proves to be a man of integrity despite the mistakes he admits to: a character who is easy to cheer on. The support cast are wholly credible, the people we meet in everyday life. The dogwalker in the final scene deserves an honourable mention for quick thinking.

Disher faultlessly conveys his era and setting: his depiction of the coastal Australian town will resonate with any reader who has visited one, and his inclusion of national and world events of the time, devastating bushfires, footballers considering themselves above the law, and the emergence of a certain virus, is realistically done. Another piece of superlative Aussie crime fiction from a master of the genre.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing.

[Greg Woodland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonely, divorced, sex-crimes detective Charlie Deravon, on forced leave for hitting his boss, is back in Menlo Beach staying at his family’s beach shack from which his mother disappeared, suspected murdered, twenty years ago. When Charlie’s key suspect, a man who was once his mother’s lodger, turns up on his radar again, Charlie resumes his own covert cold case investigation. Also in the village are his father’s former colleagues from Serious Crimes, retired detectives, Mark Valente, self-appointed king of Menlo Beach, and his pal Noel Saltash. A couple of pod-casters turn up looking to dredge up information about Charlie’s dad, not just about his mother’s disappearance or that of an innocent child who also vanished the same day, but in connection with a string of unsolved armed robberies from twenty years ago. When two skeletons are found, and Charlie’s mother identified along with the missing child, heat starts falling on Charlie from his boss, and also from a pair of detectives determined to bring Rhys Deravon, now remarried and on the cusp of dementia, to justice for murder. Before long Charlie’s sniffing about starts bringing up uncomfortable truths from the past, and puts him right in the crossfire of a number of dangerous opponents, wanting Charlie to either speak up about the past or to silence him.

This latest stand alone work (or start of a new series?) from the master of Aussie rural noir, is a story juggling a web of complex relationships between the past and the present, between the family and the Job. It’s also about police corruption and privilege, about the difference between biological family and police force as family, about ties that bind and resentments that run deep and decades long. And for the main character in the Disher universe, it’s also about an examination of personal integrity and justice, and about the dilemmas facing a policeman whose ailing father may have committed some awful crimes in the past, and if so, whether Charlie should turn a blind eye, or do something about restoring justice, whatever trapdoor’s nest he may dig up. Is the past just “another country”, or is it blocking him from moving on in the present? The three or four intertwining subplots build slowly but inexorably towards a violent catharsis, but the characters, flawed, complex, contradictory, sometimes unlikable, sometimes outright bastards, but always human, never fail to engage your interest. There’s a vein of regret and melancholy running through the writing, and a great sense of the Australian beach as a background to growing up and growing old, be it white and privileged. Peeping out of the darkness there’s also the light of optimism: the underlying belief that love and decency will eventually prevail over hate and corruption. Even though it may take decades. ‘The Way it is Now’ is up there with some of Disher’s best books, Bitter Wash Road, and Under the Cold Bright Lights. Four and a half stars from me.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way It Is Now is a stand-alone novel by best-selling award-winning Australian author, Garry Disher. The audio version is narrated by Henry Nixon. Detective Senior Constable Charlie Deravin has been suspended from duty. As he waits to learn his fate, he’s spending the time in the old family cottage in Menlo Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, enjoying occasional visits from his daughter and, at other times, his new lover.

It’s the perfect opportunity to do some follow-up with all those who were around when his mother went missing, twenty years earlier, and maybe track down her lodger who had a watertight alibi, but disappeared soon after. Finding that man, in the hope he might have some vitally relevant information, has consumed Charlie for all the intervening time, and cost him his marriage.

Rose Deravin’s car was found crashed, abandoned, personal belongings strewn on the road, blood on the car keys, in late January 2000. Her body has not been found. Many people, including Charlie’s older brother, Liam, believed that her soon-to-be ex-husband, Senior Sergeant Rhys Deravin, was responsible: Rhys had no alibi, claiming to be investigating a security van hold-up on his own.

On the same day, nine-year-old Billy Saul went missing from the nearby beach. His body has also not been found. Now, a pair of podcasters is in the area, asking questions, flashing photos and making everyone uneasy. Charlie’s conversations with the people tracks down reveal just what a scrappy job the police made of the initial investigation and later cold case enquiries.

And then, the excavation of the block near Rose Deravin’s house turns up the skeletal remains of two bodies.

Disher gives the reader a tightly plotted tale with red herrings, misdirections and surprises in the lead up to the exciting climax, enough to keep even the most astute reader guessing right up to the final reveal. His protagonist proves to be a man of integrity despite the mistakes he admits to: a character who is easy to cheer on. The support cast are wholly credible, the people we meet in everyday life. The dogwalker in the final scene deserves an honourable mention for quick thinking.

Disher faultlessly conveys his era and setting: his depiction of the coastal Australian town will resonate with any reader who has visited one, and his inclusion of national and world events of the time, devastating bushfires, footballers considering themselves above the law, and the emergence of a certain virus, is realistically done. Another piece of superlative Aussie crime fiction from a master of the genre.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Way it is Now

'A new crime novel from the prolific old master is always a treat, and this one is no different. The past intrudes into the present as Charlie Deravin, banished from his job in the police sex-crimes unit, still puzzles over his mother’s disappearance 20 years earlier that had his father fingered as a possible murderer. You will be intrigued, very intrigued.’
SMH/Age

'Ned Kelly Award winner Garry Disher has been producing high quality Australian crime novels for over 30 years and his latest, The Way It Is Now, is another terrific read…A well written and gripping mystery.’
Canberra Weekly

‘Garry Disher is arguably Australia’s greatest living crime writer.’
Canberra Times

‘Take this to the beach when you can – and don’t leave it unattended.’
Readings

'Plenty for readers to sink their teeth into…more evocative, topical and well-constructed than most crime fiction out there.’
Robert Goodman, Pile by the Bed

'This is another assured and modest crime novel by Australian grandmaster Garry Disher, whose books are so enjoyable precisely because they lack even the slightest glimmer or pretension. In a genre that increasingly demands a killer hook boiled down to a single sentence, Disher’s focus is on character, and scalpel-sharp dissections of his selected themes.’
Simon McDonald

‘Disher’s output is soaked in quality: crisp prose, fascinating characters, rich settings. Maybe his quiet, unflashy nature and consistent excellence mean he gets a little overlooked in some quarters, but those cognisant of the global boom of Australian crime writing know he is a giant on whose shoulders many of the hottest new stars are standing.’
NZ Listener

‘The prolific master of Australian rural noir returns to his home turf...a subtle, slow-burning standalone mystery.’
West Australian

'Examining the insular culture of the police force has been another staple of Disher’s fiction, and it is deployed here to great effect...Each summer I see people lying by public swimming pools, or in the sand on beaches, sometimes along the Mornington Peninsula, reading crime fiction. Readers often tell me they enjoy the genre as ‘light relief’, a puzzling response considering the endlessly macabre ways that crime fiction writers concoct new ways to torture, murder, and dismember characters. A Garry Disher novel is never an exercise in light reading. He respects the genre and his readers. His novels can also disturb a reader, for his characters are quite ordinary people, in the best sense. They are men and women like you and me – characters capable of good and bad, courage and murder.’
Tony Birch, Australian Book Review

‘Lyrical and haunting…Read The Way It Is Now for its big heart and the way in which it lyrically captures a moment in time.’
Age/SMH

'Disher is, as always, a deft and compelling crime novelist, and he has crafted a provocative whodunnit that is grounded firmly in the current moment.’
Guardian

'This is a story with a slo-mo climax that is both funny and terrifying.’
Jane Sullivan, Age/SMH

'The best of Australian crime [in 2021] was definitely Garry Disher's The Way It Is Now, cleverly combining a tragic cold case with social commentary.’
Canberra Times

‘Once again, Disher nails place, the atmosphere of a changing area and the tension and frustration of continuing a private investigation without resources. This book confirms just what a rare writer Disher is.’
Barry Reynolds, Herald Sun

'Disher's crime writing is a masterclass in that understated, underwritten, exploration of the every day. Of what people pushed to the edges of tolerances will, can and won't do. He writes determination and dedication just as well as he writes evil and dalliance. He writes bitter and twisted as well as he writes hope and longing. His books are mesmerising, extremely readable, and atmospheric, and he's as assured in the settings of beach, surf and Peninsula as in THE WAY IT IS NOW, as he is in the hot, dry dust of the farming regions of the Mallee and beyond.’
AustCrimeFiction

'Intriguing...a whydunnit more than a whodunnit; the motivation for the main crime is at the heart of the matter.’
ArtsHub

’The Way It Is Now will have you, as it did me, guessing until the very end of this superbly written and quintessentially Australian story. I highly recommend this book for an absorbing and mesmerising holiday read.’
She Society

‘This is storytelling at its best...Another sophisticated and compelling offer from an author at the peak of his powers.’
Good Reading

‘Disher's novel is a compelling noir whodunnit examining contemporary Australia, its semi-rural life and attitudes. Provocative and deftly written, the pages almost turn themselves.’
2022 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award judge’s comments

‘Garry Disher knows how to spin a great story. This terrific tale…confirms the impression that some of the best crime fiction today is Antipodean.’
Independent (Ireland)

‘This was a crime novel that I was unable to put down…Highly recommended for lovers of quality Australian crime.’
SAETA

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘He wondered if a life—or lives—could be boiled down to a house.’

A small beachside town named Menlo Beach about an hour out of Melbourne provides the setting for this novel. Twenty years ago, Charlie Deravin was a young policeman working on a missing child case when his mother went missing. His parents, Rose and Rhys Deravin, were in the process of divorcing, and his father was the main suspect although Rose Deravin’s body was never found. Rhys Deravin was also a policeman, a detective, and two of his colleagues Mark Valente and Noel Saltash also lived close by.

‘Gaps had opened in all their lives and the repairs were makeshift.’

Twenty years may have elapsed, but Charlie has never given up wondering about what happened to his mother and hoping to find answers. His marriage has broken down, he is on forced leave after assaulting his superior officer and has moved back to Menlo Beach. Charlie has plenty of time on his hands and tries to follow up some of the now cold leads from his mother’s disappearance.

Charlie is treading on some very thin ice: the police do not appreciate his unofficial involvement. His new girlfriend Anna, a juror he met on a trial that had to be abandoned, is harassed because she would not support an acquittal. Both Anna and Charlie are in danger.

On a vacant block next to where his mother was living, foundations are dug for a new house. Skeletal remains are found: a child and an adult. While Charlie will find the answers he is seeking, regret for actions taken and disappointment with others will both play a part.

I really enjoyed this novel. The tension builds: the small-town setting was well done, and the characters became real (flaws and all). Events in the past and issues in the present maintained the tension as I kept reading, keen to find the answers.

A terrific murder mystery.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher is set on the Mornington Peninsula an hour out of Melbourne, and our protagonist Charlie Deravin is staying at his family's holiday house while on suspension. Charlie is a cop and he plans to spend his time in disgrace digging into the disappearance of his mother twenty years earlier. His Dad is a retired cop, but despite having friends on the force, Charlie's mother's disappearance - and presumed murder - has never been solved.

This is the second novel I've read this year set on the Mornington Peninsula, (Hydra by Adriane Howell) and the third book set in Victoria (The Carnival is Over by Greg Woodland) and I think I'm ready for a change.

I'm not sure whether it's the over familiar Australian setting or the police procedurals or Aussie crime in general, but I'm starting to find some of them a little 'samey'. I remember getting this - legitimate reading related concern - after consuming one too many historical fiction novels set during WWII. So much Aussie talent has burst forth in this genre in the last 3 years, that we readers really have been spoiled for choice. For me, I think it's time to reduce my reading a little in this particular Australian crime niche and focus more on the genres supplying 5 star reads more readily.

The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher is well written and populated by interesting and relatable characters. The plot was engaging and I didn't guess the whodunnit, which is always nice. This is my first time reading anything by this prolific author, but The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher will appeal to fans of Australian crime fiction, including authors like Sarah Bailey, Sarah Barrie, James Delargy, Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Greg Woodland and Christian White.

* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher

Synopsis /

Charlie is living in his family’s holiday house, on forced leave since he made a mess of things at work.

Things have never been easy for Charlie. Twenty years earlier his mother went missing in the area, believed murdered. His father has always been the main suspect, though her body was never found.

Until now: the foundations are being dug for a new house on a vacant block. The skeletal remains of a child and an adult are found—and Charlie’s past comes crashing in on him.

My Thoughts /

It has been written that Garry Disher is (arguably) Australia's greatest living crime writer. When you Google "garrydisher.com" you will find a three-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award (and a lifetime achievement award) and four-time winner of the German Crime Prize. This is my first read written by this author, so I'm a little late to the party, but nevertheless, I'm here now.

In his new book, The Way It Is Now, we are introduced to cop, Charlie Deravin. Set in a small seaside town on the Mornington Peninsula, we open with Charlie, who is fresh into his career with the police force, trying to cope with the fallout of the disintegration of his parents' marriage. His mother, Rose Deravin, struggling to make ends meet, takes in a boarder, Shane Lambert. Some weeks later, both Charlie and his brother Liam are called on by Rose to help her evict Shane from the house. Not long after this happens, Charlie becomes involved in the search for a missing school boy. During the manhunt Charlie is advised that his mother has also gone missing, possibly, murdered. Charlie's father is the only suspect for his mother's disappearance, but nothing can be proven.

Fast forward 20 years. Charlie, now living in his father's old house, is on suspension for striking a fellow officer and for aiding a female juror in a high profile rape case. With his police career in a rather tenuous position and his own marriage now in the toilet and nothing but time on his hands, Charlie starts unpicking the threads of his mother's cold case. Almost two decades later, his mother's case remains unsolved. Charlie suspects that Lambert, his mother's creepy boarder may have had something to do with his mother's murder. Liam (Charlie's brother) has always suspected their father. It's only when the skeletal remains of a child AND an adult are found during the excavation of a new building site that things start to get really interesting.

As a protagonist, Charlie Deravin is flawed. He's made mistakes (he's suspended from the force and his marriage is caput) but is ultimately a good person at his core. It's clear that his mother's disappearance has significantly affected him……his relationship with his family members is strained - he has been estranged from his brother ever since his mother's disappearance; he couldn't keep his marriage together; and he finds it difficult to form any lasting friendships. I think it's a combination of all of these things that make Charlie relatable.

The story moves along nicely, is well constructed and suspenseful in parts and towards the end, teems with twists I didn't see coming. An honourable mention to Disher's supporting cast - they are wholly credible and perfectly realistic. Yet another piece of superb Aussie crime fiction.

[Lisa Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often enjoy the escapism of books in this Murder/Mystery Australian setting genre and Garry Disher, as usual, gives a great sense of place and creates characters that gradually grow on you, there's a lot of characters woven through this tale, and I had to sometimes remind myself what part they played, but it all came together in the end.
These atmospheric locale whodunnits are a great escapist read and I find I often learn a bit more about a place. Disher does dig a littl into the human condition and in this book he tackles several side topics to the main story, police depression and burnout, the 2020 bushfires and toxic masculinity in sporting clubs, and is also topical being set in the time of covid-19 when it was hitching a ride on the cruise ships but we didn't know much more.
I know I'm very likely to also enjoy the next Garry Disher book I read and look forward to its Australian setting. Could imagine this book with the setup of scenes working well in a movie. Something I'd definitely watch on Netflix.
Probably a 3.5 star which is rounded up to 4.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed Garry Disher’s writing style, so I was very excited to get my hands on his latest book. THE WAY IT IS NOW is a standalone crime novel featuring Detective Senior Constable Charlie Deravin, who returns to his old childhood home to spend some downtime whilst he is suspended from duty. Returning to the small coastal town brings back painful memories for Charlie. Twenty years earlier, his mother vanished without a trace, believed a victim of foul play. Charlie’s father, a senior sergeant on the police force, has always been the prime subject, even though nobody could ever prove anything and Rose’s body was never found. With time on his hands and old memories assaulting him, Charlie starts digging into the past ...

Disher is a seasoned, accomplished writer, which shows in the way he brings both his setting as well as his characters to life. This is a slow-burning, character driven story with an atmospheric small town Australian setting that appears almost languid in the beginning. But don’t be fooled, because it is full of scarred and damaged characters, family secrets, regret and disillusionment, and coming to terms with past mistakes. Whilst the mystery surrounding Rose Deravin’s disappearance intrigued me and soon reeled me in, the story was about so much more than a cold case. Disher’s description of life in a small Australian coastal town are spot on and made this tale seem authentic, as did Charlie’s growing disillusionment with his career, which has left him suspecting he worst of his fellow men. There is a rich cast of supporting characters who provide background and red herrings and fleshed the story out nicely. I particularly enjoyed the ethical dilemma of Charlie digging into the past, knowing that his father could be a killer, feeling torn between the love for the man and his suspicions. Set in early 2020, Disher incorporates the historical landmarks that defined that terrible year, from the bushfire crisis to the first appearance of covid cases around the world.

If you are a reader who enjoys a slower, character driven mystery with an authentic small town Australian setting, then Disher is a writer you should definitely turn to. Even though I found the ending a bit rushed, I enjoyed getting caught up in the intrigue and the slow unravelling of secrets that Disher does so well.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

*blog* *facebook* *instagram*

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Victoria, Australia; 2000 & 2019-20.
In 2000, Charlie Deravin is a trainee police constable and is involved in the search for a missing child. The child is not found but then Charlie discovers that his own mother has also gone missing...
Nearly 20 years on, on the verge of the Covid pandemic, Charlie is currently suspended from the police and disenchanted with his career and life in general. But, with time on his hands, he decides to investigate his mother's disappearance. His former police officer father has always been suspected of being responsible for his wife's murder as the couple were divorcing. But Charlie doesn't believe this and sets about chasing up previous witnesses. Then, skeletal remains are found on a building plot not far from his mother's previous house....
This was an excellent stand-alone Aussie crime thriller - excellent, yet flawed, characters, strong and unpredictable storyline and a real Aussie vibe from this popular author. More please, Garry! - 9/10.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Disher is very good at creating sense of place and community, here a small beachside community on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne.
He’s also very good at creating a range of characters who feel real, and plotting mysteries a bit off the usual narrative tracks.
This is a stand alone now, but could well be the start of a new series.

[jeff popple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veteran Australian author Garry Disher has been serving up excellent crime novels since the early 1990s when the first of his books about the professional thief known only as Wyatt, Kickback, appeared. Since then he has produced another eight books in the Wyatt series and seven about Mornington Peninsula police detective Hal Challis. More recently, Disher has written three excellent novels about about struggling South Australian rural policeman Constable Paul Hirschhausen, the most recent of which, Consolation, won the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel.

Now with his latest book, The Way It Is Now (Text), Disher heads off in a new direction with another great lead character.

Charlie Deravin is back living in his family’s holiday house on the Mornington Peninsula. On forced leave from the police sex-crimes unit, after he made a mess of things at work, Deravin is trying to reshape his life. With time on his hands he decides to refresh his never ending investigation into his mother’s disappearance. Twenty years ago his mother went missing from the local area, believed murdered. His father, a former policeman, has always been the main murder suspect, though her body was never found. Now as Deravin starts poking into the old case, new evidence comes to light and he finds that re-opening old wounds can be dangerous.

This is a another well-crafted crime novel by Disher, which excels in its characterisations and the subtlety of it plotting. The story takes a little time to get underway, but once the main elements are in place the pace picks up and the book moves in interesting and unexpected directions. Disher keeps a good grip on the various strands of the plot and he skillfully builds the tension as the different parts come together in a tense and exciting conclusion.

As with all of Disher’s novels, the depiction of the semi-rural, beach locale rings true and he skillfully mixes together lyrical descriptions of the natural environment with stinging critiques of the human inhabitants, creating a captivating milieu.

The characterisations are also very good and multi-faceted. The local inhabitants are portrayed in a honest, clear manner and Disher skillfully captures the complexity of relationships, especially between family members. The contrast between the local police and the detectives from Melbourne is also nicely portrayed and Disher excels in his vivid physical descriptions, even of minor characters.

Deravin is a very well-rounded character. Sufficiently different from Disher’s other detectives, he can be astute and determined, but he is also capable of making stupid mistakes and is no super hero. He is a very convincing portrait of a good man wracked by uncertainty and past scars.

Fleshing out the book are Disher’s usual clear eyed observations on a range of topical issues from sex crimes to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, including this telling description of the jury in a rape case involving a popular footballer:

the jury was stacked with older women unsympathetic to young women who cried rape when they got themselves into trouble. They’d said things like, ‘We all know what little missy gets up to of a weekend.’ And that old classic: ‘Boys will be boys,’

In all, The Way It Is Now is a very impressive piece of crime fiction. It holds attention, and impresses with its depth and reflections. The plotting is masterful and the book entertains while raising serious issues. Another potential award winner for Disher!

See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/a...

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to read a Garry Disher novel that has not been an enjoyable crime novel. Garry Disher seems to be one of those rare writers that seem incapable of writing a poor novel. Even his lesser novels are still entertaining and well done.

Yes, some of his novels are stronger than others, but so far, of the ones I have read, it continues to baffle me why Disher is not more widely known outside of Australia, and especially in the United States.

Not only that, in the era of so many “re-boots” of previous movies and even television programs, it is equally bewildering why Disher’s novels and characters have not been scooped up for dramatization in either movies or, more appropriately, a television series.

In The Way It Is Now, police officer Charlie Deravin, suspended and under investigation, has returned to his hometown beach community while awaiting to find out if he will be fired or still have a job.

While waiting, Charlie is biding his time by surfing and pondering his past and future, with his free time leading him to re-examine the disappearance of his mother Rose twenty years ago.

Charlie’s mother and father, Rhys, also a police officer, were in the middle of a divorce twenty years ago when his mother disappeared. Her abandoned vehicle was found near the beach with no trace of her left behind, leading many to suspect Charlie’s father was behind the disappearance. During this same period, as a young officer, Charlie was also investigating the disappearance of a young boy with the unresolved nature of that case haunting him ever since.

In sifting through available information regarding his missing mother, Charlie discovers areas of the investigation that were examined less than adequately by previous detectives. One area involves who he believes to have been a viable suspect named Shane Lambert. Lambert, with a less than stellar reputation, was a former tenant of Charlie’s mother and in Charlie’s eyes, was not fully vetted by the previous investigators, leaving too many questions unanswered.

When Charlie attempts to locate Lambert, he soon finds out not only has he seemed to have fallen off of the face of the earth, but there are those that seem to be impeding the discovery of his location.

With newly discovered evidence and because of advanced forensic science techniques allowing a renewed examination of previous evidence, Charlie continues his own off-the-books investigation, facing hostility from both older police officers and new investigators.

Along with the main plot, Disher includes simultaneous additional plot threads highlighting multiple characters that add to the tale.

Readers fond of police procedurals with well-developed characters and regional environments should enjoy The Way It Is Now and are strongly encouraged to also seek out Disher’s other novels involving his Hal Challis and Paul Hirschhausen characters.

This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.

[Silvie Klokgieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twintig jaar geleden verdween de moeder van Charlie Deravin – vermoedelijk is ze vermoord, maar haar lichaam werd nooit gevonden. Zijn vader was de voor de hand liggende verdachte, al was er geen bewijs. Het gezin, waarin toch al weinig gesproken werd, is uiteengevallen.

Nu is Charlie teruggekeerd naar hun oude strandhuis in het Zuid-Australische kustplaatsje waar zijn moeder verdween en waar iedereen elkaar kent; bij de zedenpolitie is hij tijdelijk geschorst, bij zijn echtgenote hoeft hij helemaal niet meer terug te komen. Twintig jaar lang heeft hij zelf onderzoek gedaan naar zijn moeders verdwijning maar inmiddels heeft hij geen aanknopingspunten meer. Dan worden er op een bouwterrein in de buurt twee skeletten gevonden en wordt Charlie meedogenloos geconfronteerd met het verleden.

Dit verhaal begint met twintig jaar geleden, voordat de moeder van Charlie verdween. Er doet zich al meteen een verdachte situatie voor, dus je verdenkt al vrij snel iemand...

Vervolgens maak je een sprong naar twintig jaar later. De moeder van Charlie is verdwenen en kort daarna worden er twee skeletten gevonden... Dit stuk vond ik super goed beginnen. Ik wilde weten wat er met de moeder van Charlie is gebeurd. Leefde ze al die jaren of is ze één van de skeletten en is ze vermoord?

'Spoorloos' is een langzaam opbouwend verhaal, maar de schrijfstijl is heel fijn en hierdoor las het heel vlot. Het begin is ijzersterk en daarna zwakt dit een beetje af. Toch vond ik het zeker geen onaardig verhaal. Sommige stukken waren misschien wat langdradig, maar ik vond het mysterie rond de twee gevonden skeletten erg interessant en ik wilde graag weten wat er precies was gebeurd en wie deze personen waren.

Al met al is het dus zeker wel een geslaagd verhaal!

Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️

[Joanne Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely brilliant and it will not be the last Disher novel that I read.

The way it is now is a well paced novel with a tightly woven mystery spanning twenty plus years. Dishers characters are so well written and fleshed that you feel like you know them and you have a vested interest in finding out what happened all those years ago. Charlie though a flawed character is basically a good man and my heart ached a little for him at times while reading this.

Disher ability to set a scene is amazing there were times I swear I could hear the surf in the background. I could picture the beach house and imagine sitting out the back with Charlie.

Disher also manages to bring the realty of life for all of us over the last two year into this novel in a really unobtrusive way.

Another great novel by a great Australian writer.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.