Signal Loss

A small bushfire, but nasty enough for ice cooks to abandon their lab. Fatal, too. But when the bodies in the burnt-out Mercedes prove to be a pair of Sydney hitmen, Inspector Hal Challis’s inquiries into a local ice epidemic take a darker turn. Meanwhile, Ellen Destry, head of the new sex crimes unit, finds herself not only juggling the personalities of her team but hunting a serial rapist who leaves no evidence behind.


The seventh instalment in Garry Disher’s celebrated Peninsula Crimes series sets up new challenges, both professional and personal, for Challis and Destry. And Disher delivers with all the suspense and human complexity for which readers love him. 


Garry Disher has published almost fifty titles—fiction, children's books, anthologies, textbooks, the Wyatt thrillers and the Peninsula Crimes series. He has won numerous awards, including the German Crime Prize (twice) and two Ned Kelly Best Crime novel awards, for Chain of Evidence (2007) and Wyatt(2010). Garry lives on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

‘Garry Disher’s crime fiction is as prolific as it is highly decorated...One for the summer holiday reading stack.’ Guardian


‘Disher dishes out yet another excellent procedural, atmospheric and dusty, thrilling and addictive.’ Readings

‘A commentary on celebrity and the influence of the media in convicting or acquitting regardless of the legal system, equity or the consequences for those involved. Most chillingly, Signal Loss portrays a world in which life is cheap and where the most vulnerable are traded and abused.’

Good Reading

‘Disher is a world-class crime novelist, and Signal Loss is another superbly written police procedural that mixes strong characterisations with a taut, intelligent plot and biting social commentary…the Peninsula locations are richly evoked. Highly recommended.’ Canberra Weekly

‘A commentary on celebrity and the influence of the media in convicting or acquitting regardless of the legal system, equity or the consequences for those involved. Most chillingly, Signal Loss portrays a world in which life is cheap and where the most vulnerable are traded and abused.’ Good Reading

‘Disher handles the theme of ice and its impact upon small rural communities with fascinating insight, one which will inform and sadden all his readers, but cheer as Hallis and co are able to stamp out a small part of the syndicate causing chaos for those least able to cope.’ ReadPlus

‘The plot has its share of boilerplate elements, as all police procedurals, but it’s the colourful cast of well-formed characters, with their distinct personalities, that makes Signal Loss so compelling. Readers who’ve yet to sample Disher’s Peninsula Crimes series shouldn’t be worried about coming in late in proceedings; this seventh book serves as a perfect introduction.’ Written by Sime

‘It’s the kind of Australian gangland killing that’s so grubby and pseudo comical that it could almost be real…It’s small town Australia in all its narrow, tinder-dry, community-minded gloriousness.’ Australian Women’s Weekly

‘Disher is not afraid to use his novels to explore difficult questions, to highlight injustices and to dig deep into law-enforcement frustrations—and what causes a lot of crime in the first place. Pointed, and often slyly funny, there’s a willingness to let readers draw conclusions as well as plenty of ‘What the …?!’ moments along the way…Disher is also very willing to switch the spotlight around. Signal Loss pulls an ongoing minor police character, Pam Murphy, to centre stage, giving this reader hope that we might be headed towards a more expanded  partnership. It’s a clever way to keep an ongoing series fresh and interesting, and exactly the sort of bold manoeuvre that you’d expect from an author as accomplished and talented as Garry Disher.’ Newtown Review of Books

‘ One of the godfathers of Australian crime writing…Disher’s Mornington Peninsula reflects many of the problems for small town residents across Australia—including drugs, persistent unemployment and poverty along with gangs and racial tension for some, while others accrue great wealth and move to mansions by the sea.’ Literary Hub

‘Sometimes, like a lot of readers, I have two or three books going at once: one by the bed, one by the couch, one in my bag for reading on the Metro. But sometimes a book will command attention across all venues because of the story, the characters, or the writing, and the other simultaneous books simply have to wait. Garry Disher is a quietly compelling writer whose new novel, Signal Loss, caused me to set everything else aside, pulling my attention away from the competition.’ LA Review of Books