Review of SANCTUARY by Garry Disher

 3.5 Stars

This is the first book I’ve read by this Australian author but I understand he is quite prolific with Sanctuary being his 60^th title.

Grace is an expert thief specializing in small, high-value objects. After a chance sighting, she goes on the run from Adam, a former partner-in-crime who harbours a grudge. She decides she’d like to lead a normal life so settles in Battendorf, a small town in the Adelaide Hills where she takes a job in Erin Mandel’s antiques shop. Grace starts to feel she has found a place of refuge and even forms a friendship with Erin. But of course her past follows her.

The book is narrated from several perspectives: Besides Grace and Adam, there’s Brodie, a man determined to track down and punish his wife who left him, and Des Liddington, an about-to-retire policeman. Each has a story and in the end all connect.

Grace is a likeable character. Despite her career, it’s impossible not to have sympathy for her. Her childhood was difficult and her lifestyle means she is lonely and insecure. At one point, she thinks, “I’m not whole . . . I’m split. Split between the present and the past; split between who she wanted to be and who she, inescapably, was.” Besides her intelligence, what also stands out is her compassion: she helps an injured person even though doing so puts her at risk.

Adam is an equally complex character with flaws but some positive traits. For instance, he has a conscience. He differentiates between good and bad crimes and objects to conning a man who is vulnerable. Two characters who seem to lack any redeeming qualities are Melodie, Adam’s boss, and Brodie. Melodie is manipulative and Brodie is a narcissistic misogynist.

There are some events which bothered me as being unrealistic. Australia is a huge country so why does Grace not flee further? Yes, she has stashes nearby, but she is sufficiently resourceful to travel further afield. Erin hires Grace without references but Grace, though she’s ultra-cautious and good at reading people, doesn’t think there’s anything unusual? Most readers will certainly question Erin’s behaviour as soon as she is introduced. The connection between Adam and an art restorer seems coincidental, as does the way Brodie determines the location of his wife. The number of chance encounters weakens the plot.

There is considerable suspense, especially as the danger for Grace, Adam, and even Erin increases. I also liked the characterizations of Grace and Adam. My enjoyment of the book was affected, however, by the plot’s reliance on coincidence and on the reader’s believing and accepting unrealistic behaviours.