A young girl disappears on her way home from school and Sergeant Ellen Destry finds herself at the head of the investigation. She struggles to assert her authority in a male-dominated Victorian police department, living in the shadow (and in the house of) the absent head inspector, Hall Challis, who’s away exploring his own family mystery. The investigation points to disturbing evidence of a paedophile ring, and with cops dropping like flies Ellen learns to keep an open mind about both known criminal families, and those closer to home. Chain of Evidence is refreshing as a crime novel in that many minor characters’ thoughts and stories are weaved through, leaving red herrings but also giving depth to the story. Disher subtly comments on socioeconomic division in and around cities through his character contrasts. There are certain ‘types’ of people and while a bad cop will not see past the surface of this, a good cop will always judge with a clean slate. Chain of Evidence is a solid, absorbing crime novel with slightly less gore and quite a bit more depth than some of its American counterparts. I would recommend it to any fan of Tara Moss or Peter Corris