CANBERRA WEEKLY 2 OCTOBER 2025: NEW OUTBACK CRIME BY GARRY DISHER, ALEX DOOK and MICHAEL BRISSENDEN
This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed three very good outback Australia crime novels by Garry Disher, Michael Brissenden and Alex Dook.
First up is Mischance Creek, (Text, 30 September 2025), by the master of outback crime, Garry Disher.
This is the fifth novel in Disher’s highly acclaimed series about struggling South Australian rural policeman Constable Paul (Hirsch) Hirschhausen and is another outstanding read.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Garry Disher is the doyen of the outback crime novel and his latest about South Australian police constable Paul ‘Hirsch’ Hirschhausen, Mischance Creek, once more sets the standard for the genre.
Hirsch happily takes a break from routine firearms inspections and welfare checks when he hears of a tourist stuck in a ditch near the ruins at Mischance Creek. It turns out, however, that Annika Nordum is not a tourist, but the daughter of a woman who went missing in the area seven years ago. Hirsch is soon drawn into the search for the body of Annika’s mother with unexpected and violent results. Highly recommended.”
Mischance Creek is Disher at the top of his game with a subtle mix of social commentary, good detective work and a blood pounding final shoot-out. Excellent stuff.
I did a longer review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/outback-noir-2025-mischance-creek-by-garry-disher-and-last-one-out-by-jane-harper/
Mischance Creek was released on 30 September 2025 in Australia. It will be released in the United Kingdom in February 2026. Thanks to the publisher and the Canberra Weekly for a copy of the book for review.
Outback Australian crime novels set in blistering heat and drought-like conditions are becoming a bit of a cliché, but Michael Brissenden brings some freshness to genre with his politically astute mystery, Dust (Affirm, 26 August 2025).
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Michael Brissenden’s Dust provides a good mix of rural crime and social commentary, as we follow Sydney detective Martyn Kravets who is sent west to the almost empty Lake Herrod to investigate a murder. It is no simple killing, however, and Kravets soon uncovers a web of conspiracy that reaches far beyond the small community.
Dust is a fast paced crime novel with a good cast and some sharp political observations. Brissenden’s portrayal of the groups caught on the fringes of Australian society is first rate and he cleverly weaves in how these groups are encouraged by politically motivated media outlets. First rate.”
I think that Dust is probably Michael’s strongest novel to date, and is well worth checking out.
I did a longer review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/downunder-crime-update-august-2025-reviews-and-previews/
Dust was released in Australia on 26 August 2025. Thanks to the publisher and the Canberra Weekly for a copy of the book for review.
Alex Dook’s debut novel, Gunpower Creek (Echo, 2 September 2025), is a fast paced thriller that makes good use of its outback settings and its gritty crime plot.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Alex Dook’s Gunpowder Creek is a wild ride of a novel that starts quickly and then ups the pace even further as the action ricochets between Perth and outback Western Australia.
A panicked phone call from her hapless son soon has Emily Barnes caught up in a deadly criminal deal and driving a stolen car out of Perth to the ghost town of Gunpowder Creek. Pursued by a killer and dodging local police, Emily is only focussed on making the rendezvous before her son is killed. There has been some standout Australian crime debuts this year and Gunpowder Creek is one of them. A compulsive thriller!”
Gunpowder Creek is a full throttle crime thriller that will keep you reading well into the night.
I did a longer review while I was travelling: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/deadly-outback-gunpowder-creek-by-alex-dook/
Gunpowder Creek was released in Australia on 2 September 2025. Thanks to the publisher and the Canberra Weekly for a copy of the book for review.
So three very good outback crime novels for a dusty weekend read. Each take a different approach to the genre, but all are well worth reading.