Sanctuary by Garry Disher

Gracie has always been a good thief, from a childhood spent in foster homes, alongside her best friend, and foster brother, Adam. They honed their skills together, but when Grace runs off with Adam’s very expensive watch, they are bound, one to disappear and run, the other to seek revenge.  At the Brisbane Stamp expo, Grace has her eyes on her target as he wanders around the floor. She knows he has some very expensive stamps in his possession. And then she spots Adam. She must run again, and this time, she must cross borders.  She finds herself in a small German town, Battendorf, in the Adelaide Hills.  Wanting a place to lie low for a while, she looks in the window of a collectables shop with a help wanted sign. She knows this sales area well, one of her foster parents was involved so she has developed skills and expertise which have stood her in good stead in stealing and assessing stolen goods.

She goes into the shop introducing herself to the meek, mousy proprietor, Erin. She is hired almost too quickly and Erin invites her to come and live in her granny flat. Grace is elated as two of her problems are solved, although she is aware that her employer has agoraphobia and happy for Grace to be the main face in the shop. Grace cannot believe that Adam would be able to track her down, but she is still very cautious. The reader can see that Grace’s behaviour is not that much different to that of Erin, and wonder about her background. 

One night while returning from an auction, Grace comes across a road accident. A man in one car is being rammed by another. She stops and helps, the perpetrators driving away. The man being attacked proves to be a retired police officer. She rings for an  ambulance, and gets him into a safe place, then leaves. The police officer begins to investigate who his saviour is, as soon as he is out of hospital. Three different stories are now entwined.

And we know that Adam must be on his way south, he wants his watch. And there is another man seeking Erin. 

Disher has woven a very clever series of stories into one making it wholly probable and exciting to the reader. We all sympathise with Grace who has never known a solid family life, and craves a place where she need not worry. Erin too wants a place of safety as the reader later finds out, an abusive ex partner is searching for her. Adam is looking for Grace to get his watch back, and the police officer is looking for her as he has worked out that her life is a fabrication. All stories converge into one exciting sequence of events at the Battendorf lockup.

Disher has created a group of wonderful characters and set them against a wholly plausible backdrop described meticulously. He has entwined strands of modern themes: domestic violence, retirement, modern policing and identity theft. I love the ending which ties things up so well, with Grace able to use her skills to make the lives of the good people she has encountered, more comfortable. 

I listened to this book, through LIBBY at the South Australian Public Library Network, narrated by Cam Ralph.

Themes: Crime, Domestic violence, Fraud, Thriller, Antique dealers, Theft.

Fran Knight