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Dishonour
Detective-Inspector Debra Hawkins has domestic violence in her sights. But as head of a new police unit targeting violence against women, she has hit a wall of silence.
How can she help Rana al-Sheikly, a young woman who yearns for the freedom to lead her own life while her brothers are planning to send her into a forced marriage in Iraq? And what is the connection between these men and the crime gangs that are running rife in the suburbs?
A series of anonymous emails has Deb following her personal secrets, too - back to her childhood and the murder of her police sergeant father. Who is digging up the past, threatening Debra's hard-won career, and even her life?
In the tradition of the bestsellers that made her name - Fortress and Whipping Boy - Gabrielle Lord taps straight into the issues that create the headlines.
How can she help Rana al-Sheikly, a young woman who yearns for the freedom to lead her own life while her brothers are planning to send her into a forced marriage in Iraq? And what is the connection between these men and the crime gangs that are running rife in the suburbs?
A series of anonymous emails has Deb following her personal secrets, too - back to her childhood and the murder of her police sergeant father. Who is digging up the past, threatening Debra's hard-won career, and even her life?
In the tradition of the bestsellers that made her name - Fortress and Whipping Boy - Gabrielle Lord taps straight into the issues that create the headlines.
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2014
3 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Gabrielle Lord
108 books238 followersGabrielle Craig Lord is an Australian writer who has been described as Australia's first lady of crime.
She survived being ‘razed’ by the nuns, acquired an education despite this, and after working in many different areas, sales, teaching, brick-cleaning, peach-picking and packing, and in the Public Service as an employment officer, started writing seriously aged 30.
Her first two manuscripts ended up composting the tomatoes at her market garden – another attempt to make a living – but the third one FORTRESS was picked up internationally and made into a feature film starring Rachel Ward. A later novel WHIPPING BOY was made into a telemovie starring Sigrid Thornton. The film rights money, coinciding with her daughter leaving school, allowed Gabrielle to resign and instead of getting up at 4.30am and writing for several hours before heading off for work, she could write full-time and lead a more ‘normal’ writer’s life – hanging around with scientists and detectives, badgering forensic anthropologists (she studied some Anatomy at Sydney university) and doing work experience with a busy private security business and of course, writing.
Research is everything, she says. ‘Out of my contacts with experts (who are always far too modest to describe themselves that way) I get not only the fine-tuning necessary for today’s savvy readers, but also wonderful incidents and images that enrich and enlarge my books.’
Gabrielle’s interests are very simple. ‘After a misspent youth, I don’t have many brain cells left so I enjoy walking, meditation, singing, gardening, chatting with close friends, being with my family and grandkids, feeding my goldfish and keeping up to date with bodywork and enlightened psychotherapy.’
Gabrielle has now written fourteen adult novels and a novel for young adults. Once the 12 books of Conspiracy 365 are completed, this tally will be a tad bigger! Following this mammoth endeavour she already has plans for another three adult novels and two more YAs.
2013
She survived being ‘razed’ by the nuns, acquired an education despite this, and after working in many different areas, sales, teaching, brick-cleaning, peach-picking and packing, and in the Public Service as an employment officer, started writing seriously aged 30.
Her first two manuscripts ended up composting the tomatoes at her market garden – another attempt to make a living – but the third one FORTRESS was picked up internationally and made into a feature film starring Rachel Ward. A later novel WHIPPING BOY was made into a telemovie starring Sigrid Thornton. The film rights money, coinciding with her daughter leaving school, allowed Gabrielle to resign and instead of getting up at 4.30am and writing for several hours before heading off for work, she could write full-time and lead a more ‘normal’ writer’s life – hanging around with scientists and detectives, badgering forensic anthropologists (she studied some Anatomy at Sydney university) and doing work experience with a busy private security business and of course, writing.
Research is everything, she says. ‘Out of my contacts with experts (who are always far too modest to describe themselves that way) I get not only the fine-tuning necessary for today’s savvy readers, but also wonderful incidents and images that enrich and enlarge my books.’
Gabrielle’s interests are very simple. ‘After a misspent youth, I don’t have many brain cells left so I enjoy walking, meditation, singing, gardening, chatting with close friends, being with my family and grandkids, feeding my goldfish and keeping up to date with bodywork and enlightened psychotherapy.’
Gabrielle has now written fourteen adult novels and a novel for young adults. Once the 12 books of Conspiracy 365 are completed, this tally will be a tad bigger! Following this mammoth endeavour she already has plans for another three adult novels and two more YAs.
2013
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 15, 2015
Interesting timing for the subject matter of this book, with domestic violence and intimate partner violence receiving much warranted and belated attention (although what seems like depressing little in the way of practical resolution). Which probably reflects a lot of what this reader felt about DISHONOUR.
Whilst the blurb is promising a book which has domestic violence in its sights, and particularly within communities in which women's rights and options seem even more limited than those of the general population, the message in DISHONOUR was depressingly watered down / muddied.
Whilst there are brief glimpses of insight into the plight of these women, and the low-life perpetrators of violence and controlling, viscous behaviour, for some reason that kept disappearing from view. Not that the sub-plot of the murder of the father of the main character wouldn't also be a worthwhile pursuit, but it seemed like an odd juxtaposition of story lines. Maybe there is a message in there about "Men's Business" taking priority / focus, but despite hunting for it, it wasn't obvious. Especially given the amount of text devoted to irrelevancies about the colour and style of the main character's clothes and an annoying obsession with earrings that, frankly, grated badly.
Late in the game some focus does shift back to the domestic violence thread, but for a DI heading up an entire unit devoted to targeting violence against women, nothing much seems to happen unless she's at the centre of it. By that stage it felt rushed and sketchy. A bit like a bit of business that needed to be cleared up before knocking off for the day.
The lifecycle of a book probably means that the writing of this started before the current focus on domestic violence. Which makes the watering down of that central theme telling in one way - it seems to be hinting at the way that this important issue has been swept to the side for too long now. Of course it could be that if you're a reader that can find a connection with DI Hawkins, then some of what has disappointed here, may be more acceptable to you, but that connection didn't happen, and the plotting felt off kilter. Hard to avoid the conclusion that DISHONOUR is an opportunity missed.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Whilst the blurb is promising a book which has domestic violence in its sights, and particularly within communities in which women's rights and options seem even more limited than those of the general population, the message in DISHONOUR was depressingly watered down / muddied.
Whilst there are brief glimpses of insight into the plight of these women, and the low-life perpetrators of violence and controlling, viscous behaviour, for some reason that kept disappearing from view. Not that the sub-plot of the murder of the father of the main character wouldn't also be a worthwhile pursuit, but it seemed like an odd juxtaposition of story lines. Maybe there is a message in there about "Men's Business" taking priority / focus, but despite hunting for it, it wasn't obvious. Especially given the amount of text devoted to irrelevancies about the colour and style of the main character's clothes and an annoying obsession with earrings that, frankly, grated badly.
Late in the game some focus does shift back to the domestic violence thread, but for a DI heading up an entire unit devoted to targeting violence against women, nothing much seems to happen unless she's at the centre of it. By that stage it felt rushed and sketchy. A bit like a bit of business that needed to be cleared up before knocking off for the day.
The lifecycle of a book probably means that the writing of this started before the current focus on domestic violence. Which makes the watering down of that central theme telling in one way - it seems to be hinting at the way that this important issue has been swept to the side for too long now. Of course it could be that if you're a reader that can find a connection with DI Hawkins, then some of what has disappointed here, may be more acceptable to you, but that connection didn't happen, and the plotting felt off kilter. Hard to avoid the conclusion that DISHONOUR is an opportunity missed.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
September 28, 2018
I've long been a fan of Gabrielle Lord's crime novels and Dishonour is right up there in terms of drama, tension and surprises. Det. Ins. Debra Hawkins has been invited to head up a new squad dedicated to targeting and helping victims of domestic violence (still topical even though the novel was published a few years ago.) But a tragedy from Debra's past shadows her current investigation into the plight of a young woman trapped by the demands of her family but yearning for freedom. As Debra comes ever closer to the 'heart of darkness' that has shrouded the murder of her father for so long, her life is threatened in her attempt to shine a light on the 'dishonour' that motivates so many of the characters in this story.
August 7, 2017
Too many holes - medical, medical ethics, logic. The various plots jumped all over the place. It's as if the author didn't have enough for one, engaging plot so decided a mish-mash of several would have to do, in order to fill a book.
January 12, 2018
This could have been good given the topic but clunking in its prose and centred men instead of experiences and impacts of domestic violence and the young woman it was supposed to be about. It went off track.
September 15, 2024
The story was okay, but not great or good... characters not all that likable... a story to help pass the time...
September 28, 2014
Have only just started this book but it's shaping up to be every bit as good as all of her books have been. Her books are based in Sydney which is where I live so they have a special interest.Her characters are so real and the plots are intriguing and she seriously knows her subject.If you like to lose yourself in a book then I recommend Gabrielle Lord and know that any book you choose will be enjoyable. Happy reading (-:
March 29, 2016
Some good elements and some irritating elements in this book. On the one hand, there wasn't enough focus on Detective Inspector Debra Hawkins new department - domestic violence - and too much on drugs and bikie gangs. It was almost as if there were 2 books both slightly under-done: her family story and the Muslim girls story. Overall, not a bad read.
December 18, 2014
I enjoyed reading a book set in my home town of Sydney and with a competent female detective, but I did feel a bit "hit over the head" with the central theme of domestic violence. Too much telling, and not enough showing. The mother-daughter relationship was more nuanced and finely written.
January 3, 2015
One of my favourite crime writers and she has written another good one. The back story of domestic violence and arranged marriages, you would think we were in Iraq and the Australian Suburbs. give it a go.
April 20, 2016
interesting plot with a strong central character. The insights into the powerless position of some muslim girls was quite believable.
Enjoyed the read but wouldn't search out others by the same author.
Enjoyed the read but wouldn't search out others by the same author.
October 1, 2014
Loved this book. As usual one of my favorite authors and books are few and far between. Good story, did not the whodunnit.
January 10, 2015
I liked the book, at first I thought it was a bit ho hum and thought I had it worked out but was wrong. Good how it all came together.
November 3, 2014
Very interesting read - not as gripping as I hoped but a decent thriller.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews