Shortlisted for the 2014 Ned Kelly Best Novel Award

"A perfect introduction to the work of veteran crime novelist Garry Disher . . . Stark descriptions of the sweltering outback will have your reaching for a cool drink. Hirsch is a classic lone wolf—or should I say lone dingo?—whose laconic stoicism and basic decency will have you longing for a sequel."
—The Seattle Times

"Disher has drawn both a vivid and visceral picture of a backblocks bush town, its inhabitants ground down by the stresses of isolation, hard work and irregular, relentlessly shrinking incomes . . . The story pulls no punches."
—The Guardian

"Disher writes and plots like the smooth old pro he is."
—Toronto Star

"Disher’s vibrant prose paints a wonderfully detailed portrait of small-town Australian life as well as delivering a tightly plotted mystery."
—Suspense Magazine

"The story is a compelling one and the multiple plot threads, none of which at first seem to have anything to do with the other—including Hirsch's exile from Adelaide—come together in a cleverly plotted manner."
—Mysterious Reviews

"Striking... Writing of this quality does not come along every day."
—Reviewing the Evidence

"Disher is a masterful write . . . I can't recommend [Bitter Wash Road] highly enough."
—Fresh Fiction

“Exceptional crime fiction.”
—Courier-Mail

"A fast, gritty story is given texture by its individually crafted characters and thoroughly realised rural setting."
—The Morning Star (UK)

"This noir bush police procedural paints a desolate profile of a hard, lonely life in rural South Australia, where people scratch out a living however they can in a changing economy. The story keeps moving with plenty of surprises as Hirsch makes his discoveries, culminating in a splendid climax. Highly recommended."
—I Love a Mystery

“Garry Disher’s new novel is a rewarding mix of small-town policing and corruption, parish politics, vested interests and the closing of ranks against an outsider . . . fans of good crime fiction and Australian writing alike should enjoy it.”
—Australian Bookseller & Publisher

“Garry Disher has been giving us highly intelligent literary thrillers for decades and he gets better and better, even as he wins more prizes for his resonant, poetic novels. Along with Peter Temple, he is the master wordsmith of local crime fiction and, to paraphrase Frederick Barthelme, his seemingly simple words trick us into the drama, and the drama breaks our hearts.”
—Weekend Australian

“Peter Temple and Garry Disher will be identified as the crime writers who redefined Australian crime fiction in terms of its form, content and style . . . Disher’s eye for detail is acute and his poetic analogies precise . . . [Bitter Wash Road] continues the work of re-imagining the crime genre in a very Australian way, and does it beautifully.”
—Sydney Morning Herald

“[Bitter Wash Road] is superb.”
—Weekend Australian

“Not a word is wasted: here the ancient, bare, distinctive landscape of the hardscrabble country bordering Goyder’s Line is conveyed with admirably atmospheric economy.”
—Adelaide Advertiser

"Turning the pages, readers can almost feel themselves squinting into the sun while wiping dust and sweat off the back of their necks . . . Hirschhausen is a character I'll remember for a good long time."
—Kittling Books

“[Bitter Wash Road] is crime written in dry tense phrases. Garry Disher tells you everything and nothing making every page an intrigue and leaving you desperate to find out what the hell is going on.”
—The Hoopla

“[Bitter Wash Road] moves at a cracking pace and is a great read.”
—Launceston Examiner