Auhl sensed a busy, populated landscape even though he’d barely seen or heard anyone yet. He listened, and presently followed a rattly snore to a bedroom midway along the hallway.""

 

Broken bottles, Geilston Bay. August 2021.

Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher This is the first book that I've read by the prolific Australian crime write Garry Disher, and I am confident that it won't be the last. It's an interesting take on the modern police procedural, introducing Detective Alan Auhl, an old-timer back in the job after a few years away. Auhl has been roped into the cold case unit, finding himself surrounded by a younger group who aren't that excited to be sharing an office with an old-timer. He's a likeable chap with a tendency to drift through life, as exhibited by a rather bohemian home life and dissatisfaction with the system failures that lead to too many bad men getting away with crimes against women. We have several puzzling murders to solve against this backdrop, each progressing on multiple fronts and Auhl getting involved in a decidedly irregular fashion. These deviations from the usual tropes keep this one engaging all way through to a satisfying conclusion. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐