What to say. I have read all but one of the Wyatt series. One more to go. They are classic noir, with a bad guy protagonist who has a clear set of rules and will brook no interference with those rules. In this one, he is hired to steal a painting so it's returned to its rightful owner. Nothing could be simpler, right? Everyone double-crosses everyone else, but Wyatt sorts it all out in the end. Now on to the next. ( )

This was my second Garry Disher book, and the first one I have read in the Wyatt series. If all of them are this good I have a excellent new series to read, if I can find his books, here in the USA.
The Heat is a fantastic fun story about a burglar named Wyatt who is hired to steal a painting.
What makes this such a great book is that in addition the the author's excellent writing, everyone involved is double crossing, lying, and scheming, for an alternate outcome.
If you can find this book, and like double crossing crime books, read it, you won't be disappointed. ( )

Six of the Wyatt series were published in the 1990s, the seventh, Wyatt, in 2010 (crime novel of the year in Australia), and the latest is The Heat

In Australian crime fiction a tale told from the point of view of the perpetrator of the crime rather than from the side of the law is unusual. But then Wyatt is not your usual thief. And he is not greedy. He just wants to make enough out of each job to keep his head above water and his name away from detection.

Right from the beginning he is cautious about the deal that Lois Quarrell is offering. He doesn't really trust her and he certainly doesn't want her to be the one that pulls the strings. The one thing about Wyatt is that he values his independence. And so he takes extra steps to ensure that he wrong foots Lois Quarrell, and, as it turns out, he is right. ( )

The 8th in the Wyatt series, the resurgence of the best unrepentant, unapologetic and very demanding professional crook in Australian Crime Fiction is something to be very pleased about.

Wyatt is not a man who plays well with others, and his danger radar is on high alert after he’s pulled into early planning of a heist by some rank amateurs. A move to Noosa and a commission to steal a particular painting comes at a time when absenting himself from Melbourne and all chance of being connected to that group is particularly welcome. Not only is the intended heist a nice little earner, he can return to his comfort zone, working on his own, minimal exposure with the commission coming via a broker he’s worked with before. Which means he’s not at all happy to find himself having to work with his broker’s niece. Needless to say that leads to complications.

Taciturn, meticulous and cautious, Wyatt has always been a lone wolf. Comfortable in his skin, surprisingly moral in his criminal endeavours, Wyatt will not screw people who play fair, but heaven help anybody who crosses him. Everything about him is understated and controlled, almost emotionless. Which makes some of the aspects of THE HEAT particularly intriguing as there’s some unexpected connections showing here, even a little human longing. Not something you’d ever expect from Wyatt, and yet, in Disher’s expert hands, beautifully executed.

The plot in THE HEAT takes full advantage of the wide range of connections building up around Wyatt. The supporting cast move in and out of focus, in and out of Wyatt’s orbit and into or straight out of favour depending upon who he believes can be trusted. It reads like a slightly more complicated plot than in earlier outings as a result of those connections, and it works really well. Of course, this is not a mystery as such, it’s an out and out heist novel with some thriller elements. There’s love, sex, danger, idiots, money, honour and some careful plotting and planning by Wyatt. It’s interesting to see the comparison between the “professional thief” Wyatt, and the more opportunistic motives of those who work against him. It’s also interesting to see his response when somebody with some similar personality traits to himself moves into his orbit.

Wyatt is, however straight from the tradition of the anti-hero. He’s one for fans of the outlaw, the man who is always one step ahead of the law, and one step outside of social norms. He’s a hard man but in THE HEAT, there is just that hint that the man in there might occasionally break out. It made this particular outing of one my all time favourite characters just that little bit more intriguing.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-heat-garry-disher-0 ( )