Hermit

The book begins very early one morning with Dana Russo contemplating suicide. This year on the ‘Day' she is closer than ever, she has her gun out, when her phone rings and won't give up. She holsters the weapon and answers, it's her boss Bill. Dana is a police detective; they've found a dead body, and Mikey who should have been on call is at the hospital with his son. It's going to be a very long day.

The owner of a general store between the two towns in the bush has been found stabbed to death. They already have a suspect, a man found in the store with bloody hands. He's given his name, but otherwise hasn't spoken, it looks like a burglary gone wrong.

Soon, the police team discover that the suspect had disappeared fifteen years previously – just vanished into thin air, no trace of him anywhere. They have 24hrs before the state will insist he gets lawyered up to get him to talk, to find out where's been, what he's been doing, why he came back and was in Jensen's store, and if he murdered Lou Cassavetes.

If anyone can get him talking, Dana will be able to build that trust with some authority and prevent the suspect from clamming up. None of the team know that first thing that morning Dana was ready to take her own life. Can she remain mentally strong enough to last the day? Dana is able to gradually get a few words out of the suspect despite his obvious terror of being around people. They begin to unpick the hermit's home and work life before he took himself off-grid. As more information comes to light, a terrible picture begins to emerge, and it really begins to take a toll on Dana. Alongside the murder is the mystery of what has taken Dana to her own dark place...

The majority of this novel takes place in the police station during the rest of this Day, following the short sessions that Dana has with the suspect, her boss behind the glass; Luce, Rainer and Mikey doing the admin, phones and legwork, finding out more about the murder victim and his relationship with his wife too. In 375 slowburn pages, with a detective who is as damaged as her suspect, Hermit takes its time to reach the shocking conclusion. I was never less than gripped by the narrative, which cleverly reveals it secrets as the clock ticks on. It was amazing to see how much they manage to fit into one day between them, but it did start very early. It was most refreshing to see the close-knit team of detectives working together so well – something that reminded me of my current TV binge – Unforgotten – led by the wonderful Nicola Walker as DCI Cassie Stuart who, by the end of the third series, is nearly as damaged as Dana Russo. It will be really interesting to see if White brings this team back for another investigation. If he does, I'll happily read it.