Kickback (Wyatt Novel) [Paperback]

Garry Disher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993 | Series: Wyatt Novel

Reprint of a thriller first published in 1991, featuring Wyatt, a stylish bank robber whose inscrutable methods ensure he never gets caught - until he meets Anna Reid. The author is the editor of the "Personal Best" anthologies.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Australian author Disher breaches the American scene with this paperback edition of a suspense novel first published down under in 1991. The author introduces professional thief Wyatt Wareen, who, living on the violent edge of the Melbourne underworld, directs an operation aimed at separating a crooked lawyer from a large bundle of hush money. The lawyer's lustful partner, a drug-taking safecracker, a frustrated "outlaw," and Sydney mobsters energize the plot. Suspenseful machinations reminiscent of Jon Cleary; swift, spartan prose; and the absence of sleuth provide a welcome change of pace.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1863731075
• ISBN-13: 978-1863731072
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,092,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garry Disher lives in Australia and is the author of over 40 books: novels, short story collections, writers' handbooks, history textbooks and children's fiction. His Challis and Destry police procedurals, and his Wyatt crime from the inside thrillers, are gaining international recognition, winning best crime novel of the year awards in Australia and Germany and appearing on best books of the year lists in the USA. Garry has toured Germany twice and the States once, and counts a scholarship year spent in the Stanford University creative writing school, early in his career, as one of his most important formative experiences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Elmore Leonard? Give Garry Disher a try, June 3, 2001

By 

"catten" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kickback (Wyatt Novel) (Paperback)

I recently discovered that the Minneapolis Public Library has a bookstore. This is very cool - I hauled a good summer's worth of reading out of there for less than $15.

One of my finds was a book called <I>Kickback</I> (1991) by an Australian named Garry Disher. This is the first of the Wyatt Series (Wyatt is the main character). My first and lasting impression was that if Elmore Leonard was an Aussie, this is what he'd write. The Wyatt thrillers have been called a landmark in Australian crime writing, according to Harper Collins Publishers.

The mid-north of South Australia is the setting. Except for some of the terminology, however, the city could be any US metropolitan area. Wyatt is a professional robber and in the Leonard tradition is the coolest character in the book. He has a young Clint Eastwood thing going: He's quiet, watchful, careful, and sharp. Wyatt has no close friends and he keeps an eye on his associates. You can't help but respect him and the way he operates.

The story is crisp, well-plotted, and has a few unexpected twists. A heist is complicated by a surly cowboy named Sugarfoot Younger who is out for his piece of the action and personal revenge. The book is a quick and fun read that flows smoothly and effortlessly. As a writer, I'm jealous.

Kickback (1991) Paydirt (1992) Deathdeal (1993) Crosskill (1994) Port Vila Blues (1996) The Fallout (1997)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AUSTRALIAN PARKER..., May 15, 2006

By 

bonerfly "ear candy" (NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kickback/a Wyatt Novel (Paperback)

I ditto the previous reviewer with one exception....

I think Wyatt is more like Parker of the Richard Stark series. Though Elmore Leonards early stuff isn't bad comparison.

This is as nasty, violent, hardboiled, remorseless and as cleverly well written as anything Stark has done with Parker.

There are NO good guys. Just some not as bad as others.

If you like 'em Super down and dirty. these are for you.

One of the 2 BEST crime seies EVER written (Stark/Parker the other).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hardboiled Classic, August 17, 2006

By 

Lee Goldberg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kickback/a Wyatt Novel (Paperback)

I don't know why Gary Disher isn't well-known over here... his WYATT books are simply wonderful. This is required reading for Willeford, Westlake, and Thomas Perry fans. FALL OUT is the last book in the series... so start at the beginning with KICKBACK and you won't be sorry. I read all six books in the series in one stretch and was sad when it was over.