Kill Shot: A Wyatt Thriller by Garry Disher

Text Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925773224
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended. Themes: Crime, thriller, Australian story. This is my first Wyatt thriller - but it will not be my last. I will be going back to read the others in the series. although I had no trouble reading this as a stand-alone. Stylish, concise and exciting Kill shot takes place in Sydney, moves onto Newcastle and even further north as Wyatt follows the trail of a corporate crook who has run a very successful Ponzi scheme. Wyatt and others believe that he has stashed away millions and he is determined to get hold of the money.
Wyatt is an enigmatic character: he prefers to work alone, has a series of ingenuous disguises and different aliases and has been very successful at evading the law. He has just been getting by with small burglaries and sees this heist an opportunity to hit the big time. He is a careful man, and is prepared to abandon his goods and chattels at a moment's notice if he thinks that someone has penetrated his disguise.
At 242 pages, Kill shot showcases Disher's sparse but illuminating prose at his best. It is really refreshing to read a novel that can conjure up vivid settings and flesh out characters without having to resort to wordy descriptions, at the same time keeping up unrelenting suspense as Wyatt evades the law and crooks alike.
A compelling read, it is a must for fans of thrillers and Australian authors.
Pat Pledger