If I ever needed motivation to skip a life of crime Garry Disher’s Sanctuary would become my go-to reference. The book profiles the backstory and current life of life long criminals who rob, steal, defraud, con, and hack their way through Australia a step or two ahead of the law but always looking over their shoulders. Trying to break our of her past life and live as a solid citizen is Grace. Now in Adelaide Grace has successfully avoided an old boyfriend/partner in crime and found a job in a small antiques shop. The jittery shop owner finds Grace the perfect person to run her store while she works from home.

Life is going good for Grace but old habits die hard. Grace needs money so she decides on one last heist in the Barossa Valley while attending an antiques auction in the area. A very wealthy man is away from his isolated home and Grace finds his home ripe for a robbery. An unsettling discovery while stealing cash, valuables, and a small highly sought after painting followed during her getaway by the rescue of an off duty detective being beaten force Grace to make anonymous calls to the police and hospital. Both calls come back to haunt her in this fast paced and action filled standalone. Grace, caught between her desire to be good and need to obtain funds incase she needs to move on, is conflicted throughout the book. Her mixed emotions made me constantly ask myself. “Will she or won’t she,” with doing the wrong thing not always bad.

Garry Disher is one of my favorite Australian authors. His crisp writing style, plotting, realistic characterization, and delving into the minds of each character brings a sense of place to his books. Each character is developed to the point that I felt I understood how they got to where they are now. I highly recommend this crime thriller. It may be a standalone but brings the possibility of a new Disher series in the making.

My thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this outstanding crime thriller.